Dan Coats: “It is a shocking statistic to note that more than 60 percent of current military housing, family and single housing, is…”

“It is a shocking statistic to note that more than 60 percent of current military housing, family and single housing, is substandard by military standards. Military standards are generally lower than civilian standards. The houses that you and I live in, the apartments that the single individuals live in, are built to a far higher quality and standard than what the military enjoys. It is part of the nature of the military that they salute and serve and do not complain. But it is virtually a disgrace to note the condition of some of this housing: Deteriorating ceilings, leaking pipes, asbestos-lined pipes in the ceilings, falling plaster, crumbling stairways, inadequate space for families and for children. I commend the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense for recognizing this problem and taking some initiative to deal with it. But we are a long way from solving this problem.”