Secretary of the Army makes a house call on Fort Bragg

By Joshua CowdenSeptember 2, 2020

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

MEDIA RELEASE 20190802-01

Secretary of the Army makes a house call on Fort Bragg

By: Spc. Joshua Cowden

September 2, 2020

Secretary of the Army, Hon. Ryan D. McCarthy, visited with Soldiers and conducted a walkthrough of on-post housing at Fort Bragg, N.C., Sept. 2, 2020. McCarthy’s visit was one of a series of trips to Army installations across the country to observe the progress of new construction and renovations as part of the Army’s commitment to Soldiers and their Families quality of life.

“If you drive around this complex you see a lot of work being done,” McCarthy said, “But until it is complete, people aren't going to be satisfied. So, it's good to see activity, but results matter.”

Fort Bragg, the home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, McCarthy gave a nod to the long-standing history and valor of the “nation’s Contingency Corps.”

“This is an incredibly important installation and we need to ensure they are getting the quality of life they deserve,” McCarthy said. “We are not there yet. So, we are going to keep pushing with our partners to run faster and get this done.”

Fort Bragg supports more than 50,000 Soldiers and their Families, between on-post Family housing and Barracks housing. Corvias, a long-term solutions and management partner to the U.S. military, is currently under contract to handle Fort Bragg’s Family housing needs with Fort Bragg’s Department of Public Works Housing Division providingoversight. This partnership ensures both uphold theircontractual obligations and provides residents two options for resolving housing issues.

Soldiers and their Families can also get support from the garrison command team or their chain of command if they feel strongly that they are not being supported by Corvias. The Garrison command team continues to monitor the situation and urges Fort Bragg residents to speak their concerns at theirquarterly town halls.

Corvias recently invested $25.2 million into Fort Bragg housing. Part of this includes 132 renovated homes. The renovations include stripping duplex homes down to the flooring and interior studs, updating and reconfiguring floor plans to provide a more open concept, a larger master suite andbathroom. All of these updates are to improve the quality of life of the Families and Soldiers living in the Fort Bragg community.

“People First. That includes Families,” wrote Michael A. Grinston, Sergeant Major of the Army, in an email to the force, “in these challenging times, we must know our People better than ever, be flexible to balance their needs with the needs of the Army.”

The Army has made it a priority to focus on improving the quality of life for Soldiers and their Families by focusing on housing, barracks, healthcare, childcare, spouse employment and permanent change of station moves. The army has ongoing efforts to improve its professionalism, readiness and diversity across the force and build integrated, cohesive teams.