Eight groups that advocate for military personnel and their families are calling on the Pentagon to address what they say are unsanitary and dangerous living conditions on U.S. bases around the world, including mold, poor air quality, contaminated water, lead paint, and cockroaches and other vermin.
The project, led by an organization called Hots&Cots, aims to get the military to fix those problems now rather than waiting for Pentagon-planned renovations that proponents say could take years.
“The Department of Defense must act sooner rather than later to address the quality of life issues facing our soldiers,” Rob Evans, founder of Hots&Cots, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Every day that these issues go unresolved is another day that soldiers’ wellbeing and morale are at risk.”
Photos collected by Hots&Cots and provided exclusively to NBC News show mold on the ceiling of an Army dining hall in Korea, a cockroach on a counter at an Air Force base in Texas, dark brown water flowing from a faucet at a base in New Jersey, and more, according to the group.
NBC News has not independently verified the photos, but Evans said he and a team of volunteers are evaluating and assessing the photos to make sure they are authentic.
In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson noted that two weeks ago, on August 12, the Department of Defense launched its Housing Feedback System, which allows active military personnel and their families to provide feedback on their housing.
“We have a moral obligation to ensure that the spaces our soldiers and their families live in are healthy, functional and resilient,” the spokesman said. “The new feedback system will help improve today’s installation conditions and the quality standards that soldiers and their families deserve.”
In September 2023, the Government Accountability Office released a report highlighting poor living conditions in government barracks and in military housing owned and operated by private companies. It included examples of housing with mold and mildew, broken windows, and overflowing sewers, and recommended that the Department of Defense increase monitoring of housing. Among the problems the report highlighted was that the Department of Defense did not set clear inspection standards or provide guidance on how to resolve problems.
Evans developed Hots&Cots, an app that allows military personnel to anonymously upload photos and reviews of housing and dining facilities, after reading the GAO report. Since the app’s launch, users have uploaded nearly 8,000 photos and about 400 positive and negative reviews.
Evans, who served for 12 years in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, said he wanted to provide a way for men and women to bypass bottlenecks in aid when they face poor living conditions. He told NBC News he had not personally faced dangerous living conditions in his uniform, but he had experienced deployments where the barracks were “not ideal.”
“That’s important,” he said. “When we ask someone to come forward and serve their country, that’s important.”
He said it was “very disappointing” that the military had not yet addressed some of the issues it identified, but said there were leaders in the Army who genuinely wanted to help and make changes.
Evans said he allows people to report anonymously because it reduces inhibitions or fears about telling the truth, especially among soldiers. Hots&Cots does not collect personal or demographic information about users, he said.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., on Tuesday supported the initiative led by Evans. “Every year the Army provides money to improve housing for our soldiers,” Hudson, whose North Carolina district includes Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, said in a statement. “The problem is that these funds are not being used efficiently to ensure the necessary basic living conditions for our soldiers.”
“The Army must seriously address the appalling conditions our soldiers live in on bases like Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty,” Hudson said. “As the representative of the largest military base in the world, I will continue to hold Secretary of the Army (Christine) Wormuth accountable until our troops receive the quality housing they deserve.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
