A report from the Defense Department Office of Inspector General has identified significant infrastructure problems at U.S. military bases in the Pacific, including Camp Courtney, Kadena, and Yokota Air Bases in Japan. Investigators found issues such as visible corrosion, mold, fire damage, cracks in buildings, and the presence of asbestos. The audit, conducted in May 2025, assessed operations and communications infrastructure across 11 PACOM bases. The report noted that some structures are at risk of collapse, with specific examples including crumbling ceilings in Kadena homes and a Kadena building with eight inches of standing water on the roof.
The report indicated that aging infrastructure, construction choices, and environmental conditions have contributed to the degradation of facilities, which are also affected by natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes. Funding limitations were cited as a significant factor, with host-nation funding often allocated to new construction rather than repairs. The Inspector General recommended that base commanders prioritize repairs and that military leadership conduct a root-cause analysis of the infrastructure issues. A 2022 Government Accountability Office report estimated a maintenance backlog of $137 million for military infrastructure in the U.S.