No Man's Land: Shocking Report Reveals ‘Depressing’ Conditions in US Military Barracks

An investigation released by the nonpartisan US Government Accountability Office revealed “poor living conditions” in barracks that “undermine quality of life and readiness.”

$831 billion was set aside for the US military for 2024, but little of that money is going toward improving housing for American service members. That’s the apparent conclusion of a new report from the US Government Accountability Office released on Tuesday.

Mold, pests, and security concerns were among the problems documented in an investigation that blasted on-base living conditions. The 118-page report, entitled “Poor Living Conditions Undermine Quality of Life and Readiness,” investigated military installations throughout the country, including in California, Texas, and the Washington, DC, area. The findings were often grim.

“We observed and military service members and officials told us that living conditions in some barracks pose potentially serious risks to health and safety and that not all barracks meet minimum privacy and configuration standards,” note the investigators.

Photos throughout the report revealed physical deterioration in the housing, including broken air conditioners, missing locks and black mold. Plumbing issues were a recurring problem with sewage overflow as leaking methane and outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease were also documented. “Barracks managers… told us they sometimes have to take additional time to conduct needed maintenance work themselves,” read the report.

A lack of time to investigate problems and perform maintenance was a commonly-cited problem, according to the investigators. “Barracks managers at installations across all military services told us they do not have enough time to meet performance objectives of the position, especially to conduct sufficient follow-up related to work orders. For example, a full-time barracks manager at one installation told us fulfilling all assigned responsibilities is a challenge due to the high volume of maintenance work orders.”

Inadequate security was documented in several barracks, and the report also touched on the crisis of sexual assault in the military: three out of the 12 groups of service members interviewed agreed barrack conditions made rape and other crimes more likely.

Mental health in general was judged to be negatively affected by the poor conditions by all 12 groups. Troops reported service members coping with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. One case of soldiers being made to clean a room after a fellow soldier’s suicide was documented.

Overall, family housing was judged favorably by the majority of service members, while dormitory-style shared housing was seen as dissatisfactory. The difference in housing type is determined by rank: there is a large gulf between the conditions enjoyed by higher-rank members who have served in the military for multiple years and those experienced by lower-rank troops.

It’s not the first time the condition of services for military members and veterans has been met with scrutiny: poor maintenance at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center created a major scandal during the waning days of the George W. Bush administration. In 2008, a soldier died after being electrocuted by an improperly-installed shower built by a private construction firm.

Military contractor KBR reported $6.5 billion in revenue in 2022. Lockheed Martin reported $65.9 billion. Halliburton reported $20.2 billion.