Saturday, July 27, 2024
The United States Navy is introducing a new “Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” to improve the living conditions of enlisted sailors residing in barracks. According to a release from Steven Drumm, Director of Navy Housing for the Commander, Naval Installations Command, the Navy is committed to providing high-quality accommodations to all sailors, especially those residing in unaccompanied housing.
The new policy is divided into two sections: “rights” and “responsibilities.” The “rights” section guarantees sailors the right to live in safe and secure housing that meets health and environmental standards, has well-maintained common areas, and has working fixtures, appliances, and utilities. Sailors also have the right to verify the condition of a room before occupying it and to report substandard housing conditions without fear of retaliation.
Navy announces ‘Bill of Rights’ for sailors in barracks in bid to raise morale https://t.co/vlzyzkGn6t
— Robert White (@legionbirdman) May 9, 2023
The “responsibilities” section of the policy requires sailors to maintain their housing, abide by living standards, and report any problems. In essence, the policy seeks to create a collaborative tone between sailors and Navy housing officials to maintain and improve the quality of unaccompanied housing long-term.
The Navy introduced the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities after Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and various fleet commanders identified unaccompanied housing as an area of improvement that would positively impact sailor morale. The move comes on the heels of a mental health playbook released a few months ago to address the issue of suicide in the ranks after three such instances in a single week aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
In 2021, Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, moved into barracks that featured cockroaches, rampant mold, and missing beds and furniture. The barracks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, were ridden with moldy showers, pillows, vests, shoes, beds, fans, floors, and walls. Last year, roughly 1,200 soldiers living in rotting, mold-infested barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were displaced when the buildings were deemed unfit for habitation.
Katherine Kuzminski, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C., believes that regular maintenance and updates to living quarters are necessary investments in the health and well-being of service members, particularly those in lower pay grades.
The barracks bill of rights and responsibilities is the first of several efforts to improve living conditions that the Navy plans to roll out in the coming months. With this new policy, the Navy hopes to improve the morale and well-being of its enlisted sailors by providing them with safe and secure living conditions.