More than $600 million is heading to North Carolina to replace nine crumbling Marine Corps barracks.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command has greenlit contracts to level the aging structures at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point. In their place, crews will build five modern, multistory complexes with more than 1,000 new rooms, shared kitchens, and upgraded utilities.
Traditional military construction usually takes years to clear federal red tape, but this project is moving forward in just months, thanks to a new congressional loophole that lets the Navy swap out failing housing using standard Operations and Maintenance funds.
Naval commanders say cutting the bureaucracy is essential for readiness, arguing that Marines can't focus on training and recovery if their living conditions are falling apart.
