This realization came as no surprise to NCOA since the need for new construction of military family housing and bachelor quarters, coupled with DoD's financial inability to adequately maintain and repair existing facilities, were always high among the lists of complaints offered to the Association by senior noncommissioned and petty officers. These continual complaints, complimented by the attention of virtually all concerned, confirmed the fact that living conditions and other associated programs are tremendously important to members of the military and their families. Fortunately, many of these needs fall within the oversight responsibilities of this subcommittee since it has a great track record of being responsive to the needs of military people. The Association will ask this subcommittee to honor the Defense Department's request for continued new construction of family housing and single member living quarters, to include the repair funds needed to improve existing living, educational, family support, equipment and medical facilities. Since the benefits of housing construction and repair efforts are not immediately realized by military people, it is vitally important that authorization consistency be the order of the day in a concerted effort to preclude shortcomings in the overall military construction situation.
Annual consistency is the key to maintaining the momentum .
Additionally, NCOA hopes to assist the subcommittee members by highlighting a number of real life situations and problems surfaced by senior enlisted members during on-site visits by NCOA representatives to a number of military installations during the course 1996 and early 1997. NCOA Mr. Chairman, NCOA is particularly grateful to you and the members of your subcommittee for your efforts and accomplishments in 1996. On the other hand, NCOA is disturbed by the planned one-third reduction in Air Force military construction and the 44 percent cut in Navy family housing construction. NCOA is very disappointed that the President has not taken this opportunity to make a more aggressive argument for improvement of a situation where two-thirds of all housing in the military is considered to be inadequate by the Defense Science Board. NCOA is somewhat dismayed that child care center construction is virtually absent from the FY 1998 Military Construction Budget.