The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says its personnel observed poor living conditions - including sewage overflow and inoperable fire systems - in military barracks.
The findings were outlined in a report GAO published after interviewing DOD housing officials, touring barracks, meeting with installation officials and barracks residents, and analyzing DOD documents and other items, according to the agency.
The report, which is over 100 pages long, does not specify the locations of the barracks GAO toured. However, it does describe the claims made by GAO in great detail.
GAO makes the following claims in the report:
- Some barracks have sewage overflow issues and inoperable fire systems.
Department of Defense (left and right); GAO (middle) - Some barracks don't meet DOD requirements for privacy or amenities.
- Seven of the 10 installations GAO visited had vacant units occupied by unauthorized personnel, or no existing or working security cameras.
- GAO spoke with 12 discussion groups. Service members in each group said they “considered mold to be a problem” in the barracks. A service member spoke with the agency about experiencing respiratory issues due to mold in the barracks.
GAO
These are just a few of the alleged poor living conditions in the barracks GAO outlines in the report.
After evaluating, GAO made a list of 31 recommendations for the DOD. The agency says the recommendations will help the DOD, including the military departments, address the issues they claim to have found with the barracks.
“DOD doesn't have reliable information about barracks conditions, or how these conditions affect troop morale. And while DOD spends billions of dollars annually on its facilities, it's unable to identify how much funding goes toward barracks,” said GAO.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, Virginia District 2, is on the U.S. Armed Services Committee and spoke at the hearing. Later, she told News 3,"It’s embarrassing. And we’re competing with the rest of society, right? It’s an all-volunteer force. I want young men and women to sign up to serve our great country and to join our great military, and you know, we have to think of what we’re offering them.”
Kiggans says she would like to explore privatized housing for unaccompanied servicemembers and see more of the old buildings demolished. She added that she will be meeting with the GAO to get further details on the study.
