The Defense Department is prioritizing the installation of free Wi-Fi in remote military barracks as a way for service members to maintain physical and mental health, according to a Defense Department release.
The free Wi-Fi initiative was announced in September as part of a broader DOD initiative to improve troops’ quality of life, with the department instructing services to begin testing out ways to implement it.
“One of the questions that I ask our soldiers, our airmen, our Marines, our guardians, whoever, in those barracks is, if you could have 10 more square feet in your barracks room or free Wi-Fi, what would it be?” Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said in the release.
For service members, Owens said, the answer was easy: Wi-Fi.
But the need for internet went beyond the simple pleasures of accessing entertainment.
Owens had observed how internet services were already being utilized by enlisted service members living in unaccompanied housing, pointing to troops relying on internet to access mental health services and connect with families and friends while they’re in remote locations.
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However, not everyone had the ability to access these services, as military personnel, especially those that work in combat arms and equipment maintenance fields, aren’t equipped with a computer and Wi-Fi as part of their job, the release said.
That’s something that Owens and the Defense Department want to change.
“From my perspective, and I think that this is certainly something that’s supported down in other parts of the [Pentagon], certainly, [these are] mission essential requirements,” Owens said.
Wi-Fi will help service members access email, banking, entertainment, online training, telehealth appointments, Military OneSource and military and family life counselors, the release said.
“We got a lot more work to do on making sure that we are capable of providing the Wi-Fi services that are necessary to fully support what our service members need,” Owens said.
Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.
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