Free Wi-Fi in military barracks is an operational issue, and the services are piloting programs to add connectivity, said Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, according to a DOD story.

“Every time we go and we visit barracks… 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?” Owens said at a recent CNAS event. “No one is going to be surprised that a 19-year-old wants free Wi-Fi.”

Owens said the connectivity will help service members access mental health care, complete operational trainings and stay in touch with their families.

Owens said there’s “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.”

Being Connected ‘So Important,’ Spouses Say

Internet connectivity was one of the topics senior military spouses discussed last week at ADC’s Installation Innovation Forum.

“Being connected does become so important, not only to the new community that we’re in, because we want to be able to call it home as soon as we can, but also to the home that we left,” Patty George, spouse of the Army chief of staff, said on stage, as On Base reported. “And then also our immediate family that probably is not co-located with this, but we want to still share our life with them.”

Air Force photo by Taylor Curry