Due to staffing and budget constraints, the historic Army base has shut down its maintenance operations, as reported by Yrital.com on Friday. Fort Cabazos, which was previously known as Fort Hood, has disbanded its “dedicated barracks maintenance team.” Military.com noted that maintenance personnel are leaving throughout the Army because of ongoing issues related to subpar living conditions in various military facilities, according to several officials.
An Army spokesperson mentioned to the Daily Caller News Foundation that the senior commander at Fort Cabazos has decided to phase out the maintenance team. Despite this, maintenance of soldier barracks continues to be a priority, with urgent health and safety work orders still being handled by the public works team.
Fort Cavazos did not reply to a request for comments from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon reportedly diverted $1 billion intended for Army barracks to fund operations at the US-Mexico border. The Army stated that recent challenges are unrelated to these funding shifts, as Military.com reported on May 28.
There’s potential legislation in the works that could allocate $1 billion for the upkeep and restoration of military housing. General Randy George, the Army’s Chief of Staff, noted that budget repurposing could impact barracks repair efforts. Both the Army and Navy are facing significant backlogs for building repairs, as highlighted in a Congressional Budget Office report from August 2024.
Persistent issues surrounding the quality of barracks have been documented by the Government Accountability Office. A discovery in 2023 showed that the Pentagon was largely unaware of deteriorating living conditions, with many bases suffering from mold, plumbing problems, and frequently malfunctioning HVAC systems.
The Pentagon did not respond when contacted for comments.
