GAO Finds 'Poor Living Conditions' in U.S. Barracks

A General Accounting Office report released Tuesday found poor and potentially hazardous living conditions in U.S. military barracks, impacting the quality of life of the enlisted service members living in them.

"Service members reported to GAO that the conditions of barracks affect their quality of life and readiness," the report said. "GAO found weaknesses in the Department of Defense's efforts to maintain and improve their conditions."

The report said the GAO visited 10 installations in the U.S. and found "substandard" living conditions in the barracks including mold, broken fire alarm systems, malfunctioning HVAC units causing "extreme temperatures," cleanliness issues relating to water and sewage, pest infestation of rodents, wasps, cockroaches, and bedbugs, as well as gas and methane leaks.

According to the report, more than 148,000 members across all service branches reside in barracks housing, consisting mainly of recent enlistees without families.

Those involved in focus groups told the GAO that the living conditions impact the way they function at their jobs and impact their readiness.

In addition to the potentially hazardous conditions, residents also complained about privacy and the availability of kitchen facilities.

According to the report, the Department of Defense has set the minimum standards for the housing, but there is little maintenance or inspections by the respective military branches of the units to confirm compliance to the standards.

"The DOD Housing Manual prescribes minimum privacy and configuration standards required for barracks to be considered suitable for assignment or occupancy," the report said. "When we compared the services' privacy and configuration standards for the permanent party barracks to those in the DOD Housing Manual, we found that none fully incorporates the DOD standard."

As a result of the inspections and report, the GAO presented the DOD with 31 recommendations, calling for greater oversight and monitoring by each branch of the service to ensure the minimum standards are in place as well as allowing more waivers for members to seek private housing with an allowance.

The recommendations also included conducting more surveys of the residents to determine how their living conditions are impacting on their morale and readiness.

According to the report, the DOD spent around $1.3 billion in 2022 on housing allowances for personnel that are required to live in the supplied barracks.

"Without tracking and reporting this funding, it will be challenging for DOD to weigh different options for funding barracks and barracks-related needs," the report said.

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