{"id":83304,"date":"2025-06-04T18:41:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T18:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/06\/04\/guam-barracks-conditions-spur-navy-wide-housing-inspection\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:51:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:51:55","slug":"guam-barracks-conditions-spur-navy-wide-housing-inspection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2025\/06\/04\/guam-barracks-conditions-spur-navy-wide-housing-inspection\/","title":{"rendered":"Guam barracks conditions spur Navy-wide housing inspection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mold-infested walls, exposed electrical wiring and other subpar living conditions at Andersen Air Force Base\u2019s military barracks in Guam prompted a recent Navy-wide review of all unaccompanied housing, according to a new investigative report from an independent government watchdog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Navy Secretary John Phelan saw Andersen\u2019s Palau Hall barracks during a May 2 visit, he immediately ordered sailors and Marines to be moved out within 10 days, according to a report<\/a> published by the Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos of Palau Hall barracks obtained by POGO show exposed wires, walls with mold that had been painted over and damaged plumbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually thought the buildings were condemned,\u201d Phelan told POGO. \u201cWhen we pulled up to them and saw what shape they\u2019re in, I was shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By May 22, three weeks after Phelan\u2019s visit, 25 Marines and 48 sailors had left the barracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 21,000 people affiliated with the U.S. military live in Guam, a U.S. territory that houses Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report claims Phelan\u2019s move to open new barracks at Camp Blaz ahead of schedule last month was, in part, a response to the lackluster conditions he witnessed at Andersen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Phelan\u2019s visit, Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command, sent a scathing email to Navy leaders May 5, describing \u201cclearly unacceptable living conditions\u201d at the barracks, according to an email obtained by POGO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray\u2019s email ordered inspections of all barracks housing sailors to be conducted no later than May 27 and demanded service members be moved to more livable quarters if their barracks were found to be poorly maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the email, Gray instructed inspectors to use the \u201cWashington Post\u201d test, in which those looking at living conditions should ask themselves whether they could defend the state of the barracks if a report in the legacy paper were published, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with POGO, Gray acknowledged some Navy barracks could be classified as being in poor condition and pledged a \u201ccolossal effort\u201d to improve sailors\u2019 quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to let up until we get to where we need to be,\u201d Gray told POGO. \u201cWhere I can say I am proud of every barracks that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions in other barracks at Andersen were not markedly different from those of Palau Hall, according to an Air Force spokesperson who spoke to POGO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are five permanent party dormitory facilities at the Guam base, according<\/a> to the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When reached for comment, the Air Force reiterated its commitment to providing safe and adequate living conditions for airmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\t