Barracks Hiring Spree Among Efforts to Deliver Better Housing
Barracks Hiring Spree Among Efforts to Deliver Better Housing

Army senior leaders have heard soldiers' requests for higher-quality housing, and they believe a series of initiatives and investment efforts now underway will change the game.
In a packed fireside chat that also was livestreamed at on-post watch parties around the country, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer fielded questions on the most pressing concerns for troops and their families.
A word cloud display populated by online audience votes revealed top areas of concern for those tuning in. Among the hottest topics in the cloud were military spouse employment, the Army's Exceptional Family Member Program, and—unsurprisingly—military housing.
Housing concerns remain in the spotlight after years of watchdog reporting on unsafe conditions and accountability measures, including a lawsuit that resulted in an award of $10.3 million to an Army family at Fort Cavazos, Texas, over black mold in an on-post residence.
Wormuth said the Army, in addition to some $2.1 billion in planned investments in new barracks and several modernization and sustainment projects, aims to hire hundreds of new staff members to maintain quality standards in existing barracks facilities. Some 200 civilian barracks managers will be added over the next two years, she said, and another 420 staff members would join Army Department of Public Works programs at installations around the country in following years.
"All of that, we believe, will help us do a better job at taking care of the housing infrastructure at our facilities," she said.
For additional accountability, Wormuth said, quarterly barracks summits at the Army senior leader level provide a "regular venue to get after things."
The Army, she said, plans to fund barracks sustainment at 100%, which it has not done in recent years, and has contracted with an independent third party to conduct regular barracks inspections.
"We're not grading our own homework, if you will," she said. "I think that's going to be helpful for us."
George added that the Army is working to further stretch housing repair and modernization dollars through conversations with state historic preservation offices, which can impose expensive additional requirements on buildings it deems to have historic value.
“It costs us double or triple or quadruple the amount to make repairs,” he said. “You can call [the buildings] historic; I call them old.”
As the Army continues “wire-brushing” improvements in on-post and privatized family housing, Wormuth said she’s encouraged about where the service is heading.
“It's not just about money and buildings,” she said. “It’s also about having the staff that I think can help us do a better job of seeing ourselves and helping us know where we’re at in terms of quality at any given time.”
— Hope Hodge Seck for AUSA