Army doubling up soldiers in Hawaii barracks to meet housing demand

The Army is assigning roommates to soldiers in barracks in Hawaii as it adds more troops to the region and continues renovating several aging facilities on Oahu.

Army leaders met Tuesday with troops to detail their plans to house single soldiers during a planned buildup of roughly 690 service members this year on the island.

According to U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii Commander Col. Rachel Sullivan, the service is placing the roughly 690 service members into 350 rooms that share a bathroom and kitchen with another room of two soldiers.

The arrangement violates current Army regulations, which require that lower enlisted ranks live with no more than one other person in a place with a minimum square footage standard and shared bathroom and kitchen or kitchenette for two.

But Sullivan said the Army has given the command a 15-month waiver as it finishes renovations of two barracks, accelerates the process to renovate a third and explores other options such as privatized barracks and new construction.

Given the complexities, Sullivan said she is not optimistic there will be space to return troops to single bedrooms by the end of 2027.

“I’d love to be able to tell you that 15 months from now we would not have any soldiers doubling up in our barracks, but the reality is we likely will,” Sullivan said during the town hall, which was broadcast on Facebook and other social media platforms.

To ease overcrowding in the reconfigured rooms, the garrison has ordered $1 million worth of furniture, including beds, footlockers and other storage units, which are expected to arrive in the coming months.

Affected troops have voiced concerns over quality-of-life issues in the new barracks, some of which are now at 200% capacity. Parking, trash, comfort and access to laundry and kitchen appliances — especially in spaces that already had broken washers and dryers and struggling heating and air conditioning systems — have been problematic, soldiers said during the town hall.

“Barracks buildings are overrun with multitude of issues, affecting health and safety of soldiers. This includes pests, flooding, water pressure issues and mold, and there’s much more. … How is the Army going to ensure barracks safety and when will this be done?” a private first class asked.

Army leaders said that unit commanders must be more responsive to the issues in the barracks and are setting up procedures, such as posting QR codes in laundry rooms and kitchens, for soldiers to report problems directly to maintenance.

A 2023 Government Accountability Office study found that poorly maintained barracks, including the presence of mold, extreme temperatures and dirt, “may pose potentially serious risks to physical and mental health of service members.”

Several soldiers said the stress of living in overcrowded barracks will likely take a toll on mental health and readiness and asked how the Army could help.

“People like myself definitely need time to decompress after work. The inability to do that with another individual in your personal, private room will cause mental health issues at the basic level,” a specialist said during the meeting.

But Army leaders said they have observed reductions in behavioral health crises when troops are housed together in clean, well-maintained settings.

“In colleges across America [roommates are] mandatory” to ensure that students aren’t alone, 25th Infantry Division Command Sergeant Major Shaun Curry told the specialist. “Isolationism has been driving a lot of our self-harm. For you as a service member, your time spent with that other human being might be exactly what [you] need.”

Troops also wanted to know why there is a limit on the number of soldiers allowed to live off post in private apartments. Sullivan said more than 1,000 soldiers have received “certificates of non-availability” that let them live on the economy, but housing shortages and the expense of homes in Hawaii pose challenges for junior enlisted personnel.

“Leaders are being very deliberate about what CNAs are given to soldiers. … A specialist’s BAH is right at $2600 a month. Average rent outside the wire is $3000 a month plus anywhere from $400 to $600 a month for electrical and other utilities. We are trying to be very judicious and very cognizant of not placing our soldiers in financially straining situations,” Sullivan said.

The changes in Hawaii actually foreshadow living conditions for junior enlisted personnel in the U.S. Army. The officers noted that a new Army standard, approved last fall, requires that junior soldiers live in suites with two to a room with shared living, bathroom and kitchen spaces between two bedrooms, albeit in a bigger footprint.

“This is part of our challenge with some of the renovations — some will come out with less rooms than they went in with,” said Maj. Gen. Jay Bartholomees, 25th Infantry Division’s commanding general. “You all are caught in this and that’s why we want to make sure we are communicating with you.”

With more people coming to Hawaii and few soldiers leaving, troops simply wanted to know why there couldn’t be a freeze on permanent change of station orders to the state. Leaders said they are reviewing the numbers by military occupational specialty to ensure that only those in critical missions are arriving.

But, they added, the mission comes first.

“We have a real-world attack task to be prepared for,” Curry said, referring to a possible attack on Taiwan by China. “Whether it happens in ‘27, ‘28 or ’29, we have been ordered to be ready.”