US Pacific bases severely degraded, Pentagon inspector warns

WASHINGTON – US military facilities across the Pacific are in a worrying state of decay, the Pentagon inspector-general warned, raising concerns about bases that are critical to deterring China.

Corrosion and holes in buildings, falling ceilings and the presence of mold and asbestos were among the problems identified through inspections of 11 US facilities across the region and relayed to a dozen senior Defence Department officials in an emergency management advisory in August.

The issues have affected infrastructure essential to US forces’ preparedness as well as troop and family facilities, according to an Aug 6 notice by Randolph Stone, assistant inspector-general for evaluations.

Such “management advisories” are issued during an ongoing audit to flag issues to senior management that need immediate attention.

Much of the advisory is heavily redacted as “Controlled Unclassified Information.”

The Pentagon declined on Aug 12 to provide any additional comment on issues raised in the advisory beyond those already offered to the inspector-general.

The advisory factored in comments received from various Pentagon offices, including the deputy assistant secretary for infrastructure modernisation, the commander of the US Pacific Command, the assistant Army secretary for installations, the deputy assistant Navy secretary for installations and Pacific Air Forces deputy commander.

“We considered management’s comments on the draft advisory,” it said.

Mark Sinder, the deputy assistant for infrastructure modernisation, said in the report that “Military Departments, in coordination with the identified stakeholders, will take the lead in addressing the infrastructure deficiencies identified” and that a “detailed timeline for correcting all deficiencies will be established.”

In the advisory, the inspector-general “identified concerns related to other critical infrastructure, such as water and housing infrastructure, supporting missions” across the US Pacific Command.

Although the water and housing infrastructure is not directly related to “mission critical” combat capabilities, “it is critical to support” service members in the region, the IG said.

Unnamed Pentagon officials explained the “severe degradation” by noting that “many of the buildings date back to the 1970s” and citing environmental conditions such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as personnel and funding shortages, according to the report.

Kadena Air Base, for example, is a key hub for US airpower in the Pacific, housing US$836 million (S$1.07 billion) worth of munitions.

A photo of one of its hangars, attached to the report, shows a wall with several holes in it, exposing stored items to the outdoors.

Photos of another base facility – an aircraft hangar – show a dilapidated building, rusted and corroded through.

At Kadena, which hosts about 20,000 Americans, at least 243 homes on the base had to be vacated because of spalling – when the surface of a structure becomes chipped or peels – according to the document.

Separately, 139 houses were “affected by ceiling collapse.”

These problems are not unique to Kadena. Yokota Air Base and Marine Base Camp Courtney are facing similar challenges.

For all three US bases in Japan, the report also cited concerns about operations and communications infrastructure, including mold, fire damage, building cracks, water intrusion, the presence of lead and asbestos in construction materials.

The inspection also identified problems with maintenance and storage infrastructure at both air bases to the extent that some facilities did not meet facility requirements.

Pentagon watchdogs have identified issues with US military facilities before, warning of substandard conditions and neglect that could impact operations.

In late 2025, an IG report pointed to health and safety concerns with housing for US Army troops posted along the southern border as part of the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025 created a task force to identify and improve substandard housing. BLOOMBERG