The advocacy group Hots&Cots says it collected the photos from anonymous service members to push the Pentagon to fix living conditions in military housing.
Eight groups that advocate for military personnel and families are calling on the Pentagon to address what they say are unsanitary and dangerous living conditions on U.S. bases worldwide, including mold, bad air, contaminated water, lead paint, and roaches and other pests.
The effort, led by an organization called Hots&Cots, is meant to push the military to fix these issues now rather than wait for any renovations planned by the Pentagon, which the advocates argue could take years.
“The Department of Defense must act sooner rather than later to address the quality-of-life issues facing our service members,” Rob Evans, founder of Hots&Cots, said Tuesday in a statement. “Every day that these issues go unresolved is another day that the well-being and morale of those who serve are compromised.”Photos collected by Hots&Cots and provided exclusively to NBC News reveal what the group says is mold covering the ceiling of an Army dining room in Korea, a roach on a counter at a Texas Air Force base, dark brown water flowing from a faucet on a New Jersey base and more.
NBC News has not independently verified the photos, but Evans said he and a team of volunteers evaluate and assess photos to ensure they are legitimate.In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson noted that two weeks ago, on Aug. 12, the Defense Department had launched its Housing Feedback System, which lets active-duty service members and their families submit feedback about their housing.
“We have a moral obligation to ensure that the spaces where our service members and their families live are healthy, functional, and resilient,” said the spokesperson. “The new feedback system will help improve installation conditions today and the quality standards Service members and their families deserve.”
In September 2023, the Government Accountability Office released a report highlighting poor living conditions in government-owned barracks and in military housing owned and operated by private companies. It included examples of housing with mold and mildew, broken windows and overflowing sewage, and recommended that the Department of Defense provide more oversight of housing. Among the problems the report identified were that DOD did not set clear inspection standards or provide guidance on how to address issues.Evans created Hots&Cots, an app where service members can upload photos and reviews of housing and dining facilities anonymously, after reading the GAO report. Since starting the app, users have uploaded almost 8,000 photos and about 400 reviews, both positive and negative.
Evans, who served in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard for 12 years, said he wanted to give men and women a way around the bottlenecks to getting help when faced with poor living conditions. While he told NBC News he did not face dangerous living conditions himself while in uniform, he did have deployments where the barracks were “not ideal.”
“This stuff matters,” he said. “If we are asking someone to enlist and serve their country, this matters.”He said it was “very disappointing” that the military had not yet addressed some known issues, but said there are leaders in the military who genuinely want to help and make changes.
Evans said he allows people to report anonymously because it removes a barrier or fear of speaking the truth, especially for enlisted troops. Hots&Cots does not collect personal or demographic information about users, he said.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., backed the Evans-led effort on Tuesday. “Every year, the Army appropriates money for improving our soldiers’ housing,” 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 necessary basic living conditions for our service members.”“The Army needs to get serious about addressing the appalling conditions our soldiers are living 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 Army Secretary [Christine] Wormuth accountable until our troops receive the high-quality housing they deserve.”
Reprinted from “NBC NEWS”
