Sailors may have to fix their own barracks rooms, says Navy’s top enlisted leader
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said he foresees enlisted sailors making barracks repairs “kind of how you would normally do if it was your own house.”
Jeff Schogol
Published Dec 17, 2025 10:14 AM EST
Navy Barracks Repairs
A sailor saws plywood to build portable air conditioning unit stands at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 19, 2025. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Bryant Rodriguez.
The military has long struggled with keeping enlisted troops’ barracks clean and safe, for a variety of reasons ranging from age, deferred maintenance, and that properly maintaining them tends to slide to the bottom of a long list of budgetary priorities. However, the Navy’s top enlisted leader said he believes one possible solution would be to have sailors make repairs to their own living quarters, but no final decision on the matter has been made.
“I do see more kind of DIY in our future, but not over-the-top kind of DIY, but just kind of how you would normally do if it was your own house,” Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said in response to a question from Task & Purpose on the issue.
During a Dec. 11 interview, Perryman spoke about a range of issues facing enlisted sailors, such as how they will once again be required to take a physical fitness test twice a year.
Regarding enlisted sailors’ barracks, Perryman said that having junior sailors make more repairs to their barracks would be helpful for several reasons, such as giving sailors a sense of agency over their living quarters.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-barracks-repairs/
