War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new task force designed to improve the living conditions in barracks across the military that will look to work with private contractors.
Hegseth said he gave the task force a “mandate” to develop a “departmentwide” barracks investment plan and provide it to him within the next 30 days.
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“It is simply unacceptable that in some cases, our warriors continue to live in substandard housing. Every warfighter of our joint force deserves housing that is clean, comfortable, and safe,” he said in a video he posted on social media on Thursday.
Hegseth’s memo called for the task force to look for “acquisition and contracting strategies not bound by traditional planning within the [military departments],” in addition to “direct geographical, regional, and other cross-cutting barracks investment opportunities.”
It’s unclear which contractors could get involved in the effort or how much the contracts could be worth.
The reference to private contractors getting more involved comes during a larger trend of privatizing quality-of-life programs on military bases.
The quality of life in the barracks has long been a source of contention and frustration among junior enlisted troops who have reported mold, pests, and maintenance delays.
Dale Marks, the assistant secretary of war for energy, installations, and environment, is leading the new task force.
“We are going to fix the barracks issue across all of our services, because two years ago, the Government Accountability Office released a report that said, quote, ‘Poor living conditions undermine quality of life and readiness,’” Hegseth said, referring to the 2023 Government Accountability Office report.
The report found that “thousands of service members live in barracks below standards.”
“We observed barracks in poor condition, including some with safety risks like sewage overflow and inoperable fire systems,” the nonpartisan watchdog wrote. “And some barracks don’t meet DOD requirements for privacy or amenities.”
Hegseth said, “Despite this report, the Biden administration did nothing,” and he called it “unacceptable” that some service members are still living in “substandard housing.”