Construction is underway on what’s billed as a “first-of-its-kind” barracks designed to significantly improve the quality of life for junior unaccompanied service members at Fort Irwin, California.
The privatized barracks project, slated for completion in April 2028, will replace existing barracks with 276 modern apartment units in three-story buildings, designed to house 545 service members. The project marks a pilot program “with the potential to reshape junior unaccompanied housing across the Army,” Army officials said in an announcement about the groundbreaking ceremony held Friday. It’s a partnership between the Army and The Michaels Organization, a partner in military privatized housing since 2004.
The new Fort Irwin Apartments will feature two-bedroom, two-bathroom units with shared kitchens. Community amenities will include a pool, a clubhouse with TVs, a kitchenette, a covered patio with seating, lounge chairs and grassy areas.
“This is the bellwether for what we can do for our soldiers, not just here at Irwin, but across the Army,” said David H. Dentino, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, housing and partnerships, in the announcement.
Officials said the project helps address the needs of service members training at the National Training Center, “where demanding rotations require comfortable and restorative living spaces.”
Barracks conditions across the service branches have long been an issue. Government Accountability Office auditors have said the chronic neglect and underfunding of these living quarters — which have led to mold, overflowing sewage, doors that don’t lock, and a lack of heating and air conditioning, among other issues — could take years to fix. GAO auditors have suggested that while privatization of barracks may not be the answer everywhere, it could be effective for some barracks at some installations.
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Still, there have been some reservations about privatizing barracks. Over the past several years, Congress has enacted massive reforms in response to families’ complaints over mold, sewage backups, pest infestations and more in privatized military housing. Legislation required the Defense Department and military services to address a raft of tenant concerns and improve their oversight of privatized housing.
The Army currently has five privatized barracks complexes within five separate installations, including an existing one at Fort Irwin. Others include Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty), Fort Drum, Fort Meade and Fort Stewart. While those barracks are primarily for senior unaccompanied soldiers, the new Fort Irwin Apartments are being built specifically for junior enlisted, in ranks E1-E5, according to Michaels Organization officials.
The Navy’s two privatized unaccompanied housing projects are at Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Station San Diego.
While Fort Irwin’s remoteness provides a training environment “with unparalleled capabilities … its austere nature creates challenges for quality of life for our soldiers and families,” said Col. Steven L. Chadwick, Fort Irwin’s garrison commander, in a press release about the groundbreaking. This project “takes a bold step forward in how we care for our soldiers, by imagining the commitment to training the force with state-of-the-art living conditions,” Chadwick said.
The Fort Irwin project will cost about $164 million, according to Branden Clemens, vice president of investment management for The Michaels Organization.
The Michaels Organization will oversee property management services. CBG Building Company is the general contractor for the project, which is designed by Urban Practice.
This year, for the first time, the Army included residents of Army-owned permanent party unaccompanied housing in its tenant satisfaction survey. While the overall response rate was low, the satisfaction index showed room for improvement with barracks, with survey results falling in the “below average” range for the overall score and property score and barely rating “average” in the service score.
Out of 46 installations, 21 — less than half — were rated in the “outstanding,” “very good,” “good,” or “average” ranges for their overall score of their government-owned barracks. Eighteen installations, or 39%, rated “poor” or below.
In contrast, tenants in the five privatized Army unaccompanied housing complexes rated their housing in the “outstanding” range for overall, property and service categories.
The survey was conducted by Archetype I LLC and CEL & Associates from March to May 2025.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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