The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that it will reallocate nearly $1 billion intended for maintaining and renovating barracks for the United States Army, with the funds to be redirected to support the border mission. This comes as the Pentagon has also called for the military services to cut spending on permanent change-of-station (PCS) by as much as half by 2030.
The PCS funds are used to relocate service members and their families.
The DoD has called for an initial 10% reduction of the $5 billion PCS budget in 2027, with that number to increase annually until it reaches 50%. The Army has already shifted $336 million from the PCS funds redirected to support the operations on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Facilities Lose a Billion
Earlier this month, the DoD submitted a plan to Congress, one that largely aligns with guidance from Republican lawmakers. While it does call for a pay raise for junior enlisted service members and is meant to provide additional resources for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officers’ office, it also pulls more than $1 billion from the facilities, sustainment, restoration, and modernization account.
As reported by Federal News Network, the “historically underfunded account “is used to repair and maintain barracks, buildings, and training facilities.” This includes both routine maintenance and more significant mission upgrades, which may involve any necessary modifications for new missions.
This can include day-to-day maintenance and repairs required to keep the facilities in good condition, as well as restoration efforts addressing age-related damage, such as those caused by fire, flood, or accident. It also includes modernization that may upgrade a facility beyond its original capabilities.
The service has not said how the cut might impact any current projects. However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the U.S. Army has a backlog of $20 billion worth of repairs and renovations to its facilities. The average building for the service is 47 years old, and many junior enlisted troops live in housing that is decades old.
“Taking money out of facilities to fund near-term readiness isn’t new; it’s how the military got into this hole in the first place,” Jacob Freedman, who was chief of staff to former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, told Military.com. “Instead of digging out of it, we’re now digging even deeper.”
Other Branches See Cuts
The Army isn’t the only service branch that could see some trimming coming, as the money is being allocated to fund operations at the southern border. The U.S. Navy is set to reallocate $500,000 from its unemployment compensation fund, while its sustainment, restoration, and modernization account is also set to be cut by just over $20 million.
The United States Marine Corps will cut another $20 million from its training, education, and logistics programs. That includes its Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program.
The Air Force will lose $1.7 million from its unemployment benefits account, and the U.S. Space Force will redirect $100,000 from a similar account. In addition, the Air Force’s facilities repair and modernization account will also see a $142 million cut to fund border operations.
Shifting Priorities
Military.com also noted that the shift may reflect an ongoing change within the U.S. military. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has led a change within the DoD, moving away from service planners focusing solely on service members’ well-being.
“The idea was that quality-of-life issues were part of preparing for war, that when troops and families are taken care of, soldiers are more focused and ready to deploy to combat,” Military.com explained. “Current service leadership has moved away from that framework, scrubbing the Army’s mantra of ‘People First,’ focusing more narrowly on traditional warfighting priorities such as weapon systems and acquisition reform.”
The services have struggled in recent years to recruit and retain talent, and it is unclear if these cuts could make both tasks even harder.
