DOD looks to revamp housing, facilities on military installations

The Defense Department is the proud owner of 538 installations across 26 million acres of land, much of it developed before 1970 and either woefully outdated or outright falling apart. But the Pentagon wants to turn that around, starting with its new Strategy for Resilient and Healthy Defense Communities, unveiled Thursday.

The strategy will compile feedback from troops and family members on what would make living and working on base more comfortable and efficient, as well as look at infrastructure needing repairs to see where upgrades to current technology or building standards can be implemented.

“We recognize there’s a significant gap between what the installation conditions are today and what the quality standards are that our service members and their families deserve and should expect,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told Military Times in a Wednesday interview. “And we know that for far too long, the department has not invested in its communities and installations the way that it should have.”