ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The $849.8 billion fiscal 2025 defense budget unveiled March 11 includes a 4.5% pay increase for troops and a 2% raise for civilian personnel.

The Army’s $185.9 billion share, which is a 0.2% increase from the fiscal 2024 request, “meets the Army’s commitments under the National Defense Strategy and the secretary of defense’s priorities to defend the nation, take care of our people and succeed through teamwork,” Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo said.

The Army’s ability to deliver combat-ready formations depends on ensuring that soldiers and their families are taken care of, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer said Feb. 20 at a breakfast hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

In a wide-ranging conversation about his top initiatives, Weimer discussed the progress being made on family housing, barracks improvements and dining facilities.

Without safe home environments and cohesive teams where soldiers take care of one another, he said, the Army cannot deliver formations that are ready for combat.

Better inspection oversight is needed as the Army oversees a massive effort by a private housing company to renovate, demolish or build thousands of homes on six posts by 2027, a report from the Government Accountability Office says. 

Improving quality of life for soldiers and other service members living in the barracks will take time and "sustained” focus, a senior official said. 

Poor barracks living conditions are undermining troops’ quality of life and readiness, a new report by the Government Accountability Office found.

Addressing the Army’s building maintenance backlog supports the force’s modernization and readiness goals, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office.

While the report found that “most of the Army’s buildings do not require any renovation or modernization to support the functions for which they are being used,” those facilities may need to be upgraded as the Army modernizes.

“The Army has ongoing programs to develop new weapon systems and may need to upgrade or modernize its facilities to accommodate those systems,” the report says.

A government watchdog agency says the Army and other military services could be doing more to ensure the quality of military family housing.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, says in a report released April 6 that the Army has structured performance bonuses for the companies that oversee on-post privatized housing in a way that holds property managers accountable for homes that fail inspection. More could be done, the report says, noting that some homes are allowed to be occupied even while they still have minor problems.

The Army is investing in military construction and improving family housing as it pushes toward its 2030 goals, a senior Army leader told lawmakers. 

The Army and DoD must better manage maintenance on its facilities, especially as buildings age and exceed their expected lifespans, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. 

“DoD manages facilities worldwide with an estimated aggregate plant replacement value of about $1.3 trillion,” the report says. “Sustaining these facilities involves maintenance and repair to keep them in good working order. Deferring maintenance can lead to deterioration, potentially affecting DoD’s ability to support missions.”