The U.S. Navy will construct new barracks at a Guam Air Force base, the Navy announced Wednesday, several months after an independent government watchdog reported on subpar living conditions.
The Navy awarded a $297 million contract to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific to design and build replacement housing units at Andersen Air Force Base by December 2028, according to a Navy release.
“This is another significant step forward in enhancing the infrastructure and resiliency of the base, following Super Typhoon Mawar,” said Col. Dan Cooley, 36 Wing commander, in the release. “The new houses will provide better living conditions for our Airmen and their families, immediately increasing quality of life and allowing our service members to focus on carrying out the mission.”
A May 2 report published by the Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, detailed mold-infested walls and exposed electrical wiring at barracks on base, which led the Navy to conduct its own Navy-wide review of unaccompanied housing.
The state of housing at Andersen was so dire that Navy Secretary Phelan ordered sailors and Marines to be moved out within 10 days of his visit to Andersen’s Palau Hall barracks.
“I actually thought the buildings were condemned,” Phelan told POGO. “When we pulled up to them and saw what shape they’re in, I was shocked.”
There are currently five permanent party dormitory facilities at the Guam base, according to the Air Force. Conditions for other barracks were not markedly different than those at Palau, an Air Force spokesperson told POGO.
By May 22, 25 Marines and 48 sailors had left the barracks.
Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command, sent a May 5 email to Navy leaders after Phelan’s visit, condemning the “clearly unacceptable living conditions” and ordering inspections to be conducted by May 27.
Gray ordered service members to be moved into better living conditions if their housing was poorly maintained.
Damage from Typhoon Mawar in May 2023 was partly to blame for the barracks’ deteriorating conditions, an Air Force spokesperson told Navy Times previously. After the storm, the Air Force estimated that it would need nearly $10 billion to properly rebuild facilities, according to reports.
But a naval officer who spoke to POGO under the condition of anonymity said that any service member who’s lived on the Guam base can agree they’re “crappy quarters.”
René Kladzyk, the author of the POGO report, spoke to Navy Times over the phone and said she still had concerns despite the new contract and attempted fix.
“I know that sounds like a big number, but is that enough considering the level of need?” Kladzyk said. “Guam is in the midst of a pretty significant military build-up.”
Joint Region Marianas spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Katie Koenig told the Pacific Daily News in 2024 that the military population is expected to grow to 34,500 by 2028.
About 21,000 people affiliated with the U.S. military live on Guam currently, a U.S. territory that houses Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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