A dozen GOP House lawmakers are pressing the Army’s top civilian and military leaders for information about substandard conditions inside the service’s barracks, which they say pose health risks to the troops and hurt the Army’s recruiting and retention efforts.
Rep. Richard Hudson, North Carolina Republican, told Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, that it was “unacceptable” that soldiers in barracks are forced to endure squalid living conditions, from mold to poor air and water quality.
“This not only hurts recruitment and retention, it weakens military readiness,” Mr. Hudson said in a statement after the June 28 letter to Army officials was released this week. “We need to know what [Ms. Wormuth] is doing to improve it.”
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a retired Air Force general, was one of the 12 Republican legislators who signed the letter. He also serves as one of the leaders of the House’s bipartisan “Quality of Life Panel,” formed to address a range of policies and shortfalls affecting military personnel.
“The basic standards of living we provide for our service members and their families must be free from toxins, chemicals and other pollutants,” the letter stated. “While the Army invests in long-term construction plans for new housing facilities, we must prioritize portfolio-wide solutions that can be implemented without delay across existing barracks and other housing units to address critical indoor health categories for all service members.”
The GOP lawmakers acknowledged that progress has been made in the effort to adopt “new and innovative” ways to ensure the well-being of troops and their families, including a commitment to seek health certifications issued by third parties in some base housing operated by private landlords.
“The improvements should be consistently maintained, reported and measured against the same industry standards for indoor health to ensure scientific thresholds for health and safety continue to be met over time,” the letter stated.
The GOP lawmakers say the improvements that have been made at military housing for families should be repeated in the barracks where single soldiers live.
“What is preventing rapid adoption of indoor health upgrade strategies that have proven to be effective in privatized housing, such as at Fort Meade and Fort Liberty, across the Army’s housing portfolio, including barracks?” they asked. “How does the Army plan to use industry benchmarks and standards for indoor health and safety to validate the actions taken to improve living conditions are effective and sustained over time?”
The Republican lawmakers told Ms. Wormuth and Gen. George that they “look forward to your timely response on this important matter” and said they were prepared to work with Army leadership to improve the living conditions for military personnel and their families.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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