Military Update
Bases are falling apart, enlisted service chiefs say
By Tom Philpott
Military Update focuses on issues affecting pay, benefits and lifestyle of active and retired servicepeople. Its author, Tom Philpott, is a Virginia-based syndicated columnist and freelance writer. He has covered military issues for almost 25 years, including six years as editor of Navy Times. For 17 years he worked as a writer and senior editor for Army Times Publishing Co. Philpott, 49, enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 and served as an information officer from 1974-77.
Military people usually take pride in their work but, increasingly, are not proud or comfortable with their work areas, as military bases deteriorate from budgetary neglect, the services' top enlisted members told a House panel.
"One of the most widespread issues negatively affecting quality of service, and quality of life of sailors around the world, is the deplorable condition of their facilities," said James L. Herdt, master chief petty officer of the Navy, speaking Wednesday before the House Armed Services subcommittee on installations and facilities.
Even the most motivated service members, said Herdt, are becoming discouraged by "worn-out, out-of-date working environments."
"Describing some of our World War II-era aircraft hangars as 'out-of-date' is probably being generous," Herdt said. " (They) have an adverse effect on service morale and make our battle to keep quality people all the more difficult."
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Frederick J. Finch and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Alford L. McMichael echoed those comments.
Navywide, Herdt said, bases are in decay, including newer installations such as submarine bases in Kings Bay, Ga., and Bangor, Wash.
"It's a shame that the lack of sustainment, restoration and modernization funds has allowed bases that, 10 years ago, were state-of-art standard, to begin deteriorating."
With defense budgets capped in recent years and costly deployments to such places as Kosovo, Bosnia and East Timor popping up like lawn weeds, service leaders routinely have tapped repair and maintenance accounts to cover more pressing needs.
Two other factors deepen the base repair and maintenance crisis, said Herdt. One is the drain on dollars created by unneeded bases. The other is the services' trend toward relying on commercial contracts for base services such as security and food service. Those contracts limit a base commander's fiscal options when money must be found for higher priorities.
More and more, it seems, the only raidable accounts are base repair and maintenance.
Finch said the Air Force routinely has traded off "infrastructure and modernization to shore up near-term readiness." As a result, the maintenance backlog at Air Force facilities alone will exceed $5 billion in 2002. If the current level of spending doesn't rise, Finch said, the Air Force would need 200 years to "recapitalize" its entire base infrastructure.
"Ultimately, we must find a way to match the amount of infrastructure to the people and money available to adequately maintain them," Finch said.
Throughout the Marine Corps, too, bases "are in great need of repair dollars," said McMichael.
Quality of life overall is improving, Herdt and his colleagues said. But, Herdt added, "I'm not sure we've been able to send that signal in quality of work areas. We don't see a lot of construction in the work environment. We do see a crumbling."
Lawmakers thanked the top enlisted members for their candor. Without it, Mississippi Democrat Gene Taylor suggested, he and others who believe repair accounts must be fattened are at a disadvantage in debating congressional colleagues.
