By MOAA Staff

Much-needed improvements to unaccompanied housing top the list of MOAA’s legislative priorities for the 119th Congress for a reason: Unwelcoming (and unhealthy) conditions in barracks and other single-servicemember housing, thanks largely to underfunded building and maintenance budgets, create serious concerns for the sustainability of the all-volunteer force.

But MOAA is far from the only organization pressing for such improvements and looking to rededicate DoD efforts and reprioritize funds to support junior enlisted members.

“What took us so long to wake up … to say that things are not OK?” said Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz during a recent interview at MOAA headquarters in Alexandria, Va. “I think the years of combat, the years of the back and forth … we’re not going to apologize for investing in the platforms and things you needed to win in the fight. There were choices made with the budgets that we had then, and then here we are and it’s time to make a choice for the future.

“And the commandant has steadily maintained that his No. 1 priority is the … individual Marine, and where they live.”

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In a wide-ranging interview, Ruiz offered insight into the Marines’ Barracks 2030 initiative, outlined some pilot programs underway to improve the unaccompanied housing experience, and discussed other ways the Marine Corps is working “the best we can as fast as we can … for the generations to come.”

Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz speaks to members of 1st Marine Logistics Group during a Feb. 16, 2024, town hall at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Joshua Jackson/Marine Corps)

Along with work to address maintenance backlogs, Ruiz stressed the need to modernize facilities – a difficult assignment when the time between design and build can be a decade or longer. But technological advancements must be factored into these improvements, he noted, to keep pace with the ever-evolving needs of the force. One example: The need for advanced wireless internet capabilities.

“In my day, we used to have huge classrooms with a bunch of computers – you would go and do your courses. … Those things don’t exist anymore,” Ruiz said. “But we’re still tasking the Marine to do all of those courses.”

Ruiz took over as the top enlisted Marine in August 2023, about 30 years after joining the Corps. 

Getting Housing Right

MOAA looks forward to working with stakeholders like Ruiz to coordinate work between the services, lawmakers, and fellow advocacy groups to improve the quality of life for all who serve and their families. Unaccompanied housing has been a concern for decades, but was brought into focus by a 2023 Government Accountability Office report outlining health and safety issues, transparency concerns, and a maintenance backlog of $137 billion.

In the coming weeks, MOAA will outline its plans for addressing this critical concern as part of our spring Advocacy in Action campaign. Members will be able to raise the issue with their lawmakers, ensuring it does not fall off the radar among competing priorities and that those who serve will see real improvements to housing conditions … with real accountability to ensure these changes are funded and executed.

Visit MOAA’s Advocacy News page for more on this and other top legislative priorities.