A team of inspectors from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has investigated 12 unspecified military installations in the United States and interviewed US military personnel about the conditions they have to live in.
In a 118-page report produced as a result of this inspection, the GAO investigators have concluded that the Pentagon failed to provide the oversight necessary to rectify the issues they’ve uncovered.
Specifically, some of the interviewed US military personnel complained about dirty water in their barracks that was potentially unsafe to drink; others mentioned broken heaters and air conditioning units, with the affected service members being forced to deal with such issues themselves by obtaining individual ACs or space heaters.
In one instance, which attracted particular attention from at least one US media outlet, officials at one military installation revealed that “service members are responsible for cleaning biological waste that may remain in a barracks room after a suicide.”
Some of the inspected buildings apparently did not have secure doors and windows, thus allowing squatters to occupy parts of the structures in question.
A spokesperson for GAO told a US media outlet that the problems detailed in the report are the result of chronic neglect and underfunding, as military officials chose to spend limited resources on facilities deemed higher priority than barracks because of their link to operational capabilities and mission readiness.”
Brendan Owens, US assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment, has also reportedly criticized the US Department of Defense, which he says “has, in too many instances, failed to live up to our role in making sure housing” for the US military personnel.
Meanwhile, US Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor has described this situation as “outrageous” and insisted that she has no intention to vote on funding for the Ukrainian conflict while American troops “are treated worse than garbage.”
“Biden’s Department of Defense has US military service members living in filth and squalor on our own bases while they demand more money for Ukraine!” she wrote in a social media post this week.
These revelations come to light as the Biden administration seeks congressional approval for an additional $24 billion in funding to support the regime in Kiev, after having spent over $100 billion worth of taxpayers’ money on supplies to Ukraine.