Fort Bragg, N.C – Leaders across Fort Bragg are working tirelessly to move more than 1,100 Soldiers from the Smoke Bomb Hill barracks. Army and installation leaders made the decision in early August to relocate Soldiers following several inspections which revealed the HVAC systems in the barracks presented higher than normal moisture levels and quality of life concerns.
“The safe relocation of our Soldiers is our #1 priority, and it will continue to be until every Soldier residing in untenable barracks on Smoke Bomb Hill moves,” said Command Sgt. Maj. T.J. Holland, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg’s senior enlisted advisor. “Our Soldiers deserve the best and their housing must be clean, safe, secure, and functional; that is our responsibility.”
As of this morning, Sept. 1, 204 personnel have relocated from the affected areas to new locations on the installation. This is an increase of nearly 100 personnel since Aug. 24.
276 certificates of non-availability have been approved – an increase of 206 since Aug. 25. An additional 166 CNAs are in the final stages of the staffing process for approval. CNAs allow Soldiers to seek privatized housing on or off the installation.
Fort Bragg leaders recognize the financial burden moving can cause our Soldiers. In order to offset their moving expenses, partial dislocation allowances (DLA) are available for our Soldiers with approved CNAs. DLA partially reimburses the service member for expenses incurred from relocating their household goods. Fort Bragg leaders are working to provide additional financial services to help our Soldiers move from Smoke Bomb Hill.
The movement of more than 1,100 people takes time. This relocation is being done deliberately to ensure proper spaces are available for our Soldiers that meet our health and safety standards.
Our goal remains to have all impacted service members out of the Smoke Bomb Hill barracks by the end of September.
“The consistent reporting spanning several years on the conditions at Smoke Bomb Hill have allowed us to receive additional resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our Soldiers are put first in this process – this is a coordinated installation-wide response,” said Holland.
We will continue to provide regular updates on the status of relocating the remaining personnel, and information on long-term plans for demolition of the impacted barracks and new construction.
The point of contact for this press release is Sgt. Maj. Alex Licea at (910) 929-8826, alejandro.j.licea.mil@army.mil.
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