Hegseth launches 30-day barracks task force
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo Thursday creating a Pentagon Barracks Task Force and ordering a plan within 30 days to fix substandard living conditions in military barracks nationwide. Citing a 2023 GAO report that found chronic neglect and impacts on readiness, Hegseth called current conditions “unacceptable,” as new data show 58% of surveyed Army barracks buildings were rated below average or worse and an app used by troops says a task force member has already reached out about incorporating its crowd-sourced reports.
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📌 Key Facts
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a Barracks Task Force via memo on Oct. 9, 2025, with a 30-day deadline for an improvement plan.
- 2023 GAO report found barracks are chronically neglected; Army survey responses show 58% of 715 buildings rated below average or worse.
- App Hots&Cots said a task force member contacted them about using its anonymous barracks condition reports; prior issues included 1,100+ soldiers relocated from moldy Fort Bragg barracks in 2022.
- Summer reconciliation bill included about $1 billion for construction across the services.