ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

A new first-of-its-kind barracks building at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is set to break sustainability ground.

“Joint Base Lewis-McChord is committed to providing modern and high-quality living quarters for all of our enlisted personnel, so we are particularly excited about this new construction,” Col. Kent Park, the garrison commander, said in an Army Corps of Engineers news release.

In an Oct. 16 presentation at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, leaders announced that the service’s cadre of cooks—culinary specialists in the Army’s lexicon—will be relieved of their responsibility of running installation dining facilities under a plan currently in development.

The Army is doubling down on the resilience and readiness of its installations, said Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment. 

“Installations are essentially the backbone of what our Army does. Without strong installations that are resilient and that are ready, we can't do what we do. It's that simple,” Jacobson said Oct. 16 during a Warriors Corner presentation on Army installations at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, a trailblazing officer for whom the Army renamed an installation, died Aug. 22. He was 96.

The Army is prioritizing modernization and sustainability across its installations, said the service’s acting deputy assistant secretary for energy and sustainability.

“The Army’s mission is to win the nation’s wars and support the joint force,” Christine Ploschke said during a May 22 Defense News webcast. “As we look at our installations today and into the future, we have to contemplate how are we designing, operating [and] supporting our installations to be able to accomplish [that]?”

Making sure military families on large Army posts have what they need to thrive is a big, intensive job—and it extends beyond the installation gates, a panel of leaders said Oct. 11.

While the Army is making progress on improving quality of life programs for soldiers and their families, there’s more work to be done, two senior leaders said.

Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy Army chief of staff for installations, G-9, said he and his senior enlisted adviser, Sgt. Maj. Michael Perry, pay close attention to many of the most pressing issues facing soldiers and their families, including food insecurity, aging infrastructure and access to child care.

The Army is committed to improving its installations and ensuring they are modern and resilient, a senior Army leader told lawmakers. 

“Installations are at the epicenter of everything we do in the Army,” Rachel Jacobson, assistant Army secretary for installations, energy and environment, said during a hearing before the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness. “They’re where we train, work, learn and live. To strengthen Army readiness and build the force of the future, we must be laser-focused on providing state-of-the-art installations.”