Also–Lack of managment training: The Army needs soldiers that have a career path in billeting. Having soldiers run/man the barracks with no formal training is an issue.

– There’s no reason that every unit has to have it’s own barracks! The barracks must be managed to obtain 95% occupancy.
soliders on-base can be asigned in any available room that meets the standards for the paygrade.

– Soldiers must be held accountable for damages. Do not wait until they checkout!

– The chain of command must visit the barracks on a regular basis. In order to reduce the number of inspections and visits; command should have major inspections every 6 months, with the safety office, senior officers, senior enlisted, security, and other key personnel. Do a complete assesment of the buildings and rooms and take action.

– In line with the above: duty oficers, security, and management needs to make regular rounds of the barracks areas every day (mostly after working hours starting at 1800 until about 2300 on week days). The sldiers living in the barracks are mostly young (about 22 years-old on average) and require supervision.

– The command need to offer room cleaning services and laundry services to the soldiers. We have these services for military travelors and they can be provided to permanment party at cost!

– Common areas: These need to be under contract. You may also consider using personnel that are assigned to holding units. Perhaps legal hold, medical hold and / or other types of unassigned personnel. They should not be given keys or access to rooms, but they can help claen common area and police the grounds etc..

– Okay, last item: The Army needs to do 3 things:

– Stop over-crowding buildings (issue single BAH to E-4’s and E-5’s if you have to). (all E1-to E-4 should have 90SF of space) more would be better (135SF).

– Hold soldiers accountable: Having an inspection program is usless without have accontability. However, you can not hold them accountable for standards if you are not providing them the living standards required by DOD (and have been for many years now).

– The barracks has to be part of the command’s daily routine. Just going to the barracks when there is a problem is not the way to do it. you have to have active programs that are long-term. Every leader needs to have a responsibility to visit it’s troops barracks on a regular scheduled basis (daily/weekly/monthly. The commander of the base should be there once a quarter and needs to pick rooms at randum (do not let staff/managers show you the rooms that are nice. The duty officers and duty security must make rounds often!
Every leader should have to spend two nights or so in the barracks to see what it’s like! In fact have every new offier and NCO spend do this is part of command indoc..