When your PCS orders have come through and you start looking for a new home, living on base is something to be considered. Military housing is generally of a very high quality and is considered an important part of military readiness, with many accommodations doing their level best to make certain that military families are not left wanting for anything.
Relocation to a military base is not for everyone, however, and there are a number of advantages and disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration in order to make an informed decision as to whether you would like to move to one. One advantage to living on base is the sheer quality of the housing available. This quality is one of the things that helps the Department of Defense to retain the best personnel for its military force and creates a community that offers continuity and stability as a backdrop for reassignment, deployment and everyday living.
Another advantage is that service members are offered housing in areas that are not available in the private market due to commuting area, cost or various other reasons, and there is housing for single personnel or those with families. On the downside, however, single junior enlisted members have to live in barracks; they share their room with a minimum of one other person, with a telephone down the hall and a communal bathroom.
Rick Wozniak
