Corps of Engineers Modernizes Historic Fort Sill Barracks

Aug. 20, 2026 | By Stacey Reese, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District |

Built in 1939, ahead of World War II, Building 900 at U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, looks much the same on the outside as it did over eight decades ago.  

The building features the same historic architecture as neighboring buildings. But behind the historic facade, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, is overseeing and executing a high-tech modernization project that will make this one of the most structurally reinforced buildings on the installation.  

As part of the military construction mission, USACE provides engineering, construction and project management support for military installations, helping deliver facilities that support readiness and quality of life for soldiers. This construction project is transforming the 43,000-square-foot building to meet current unaccompanied enlisted personnel housing standards.  

"This building has housed enlisted personnel and Marines for decades," said Joe Krachinsky, quality assurance representative, USACE, Tulsa District. "This project will completely change the layout of the building to support today's needs."  

The historic shell of the building will remain intact, but the interior is being completely renovated and updated for modern living.  

When the renovation is complete, the barracks will house 72 soldiers. Each will have a private bedroom and bathroom, with two soldiers sharing each kitchen. Each floor will also have new day rooms, common areas and enhanced laundry facilities. 

The building will have entirely new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting, fire alarms and sprinkler systems.  

Aligning with the USACE mission to build faster, smarter and together, engineers on the project are using innovative construction methods to reinforce the aging structure.  

"Because Fort Sill is located in a region known for severe weather, the building is being designed to withstand tornadoes as well as seismic activity," said Jessica Goodin, construction manager, USACE, Tulsa District. "The reinforcement goes from the basement to the roof and works as one interlocking lattice."  

Engineers are retrofitting the existing building with a progressive collapse design, a structural engineering approach that ensures localized damage won't cause the entire building to collapse. The method reinforces the existing structure, so losing a column does not cause a significant portion of the building to collapse. Instead, the load is redistributed to surrounding structural columns, allowing the building to remain stable long enough for occupants to evacuate.  

Shotcrete, a concrete mixture sprayed onto a surface at high velocity, will be applied to the existing concrete structural system to reinforce and strengthen it to meet the progressive collapse design requirements.  

"Building 900 marks the first use of progressive collapse design in the district," Krachinsky said. "This project will also be the first use of shotcrete on Fort Sill as a final protective coating."  

Concrete footings, steel and dowels establish a secure foundation. Rebar is installed on each level, starting in the basement and fished through holes drilled into the concrete, locking the floors to the beams. Even the windows, a naturally weak point, are fortified with steel plate headers, mounted studs and carbon fiber wraps so the rebar can lock the walls and headers together.  

At the top of the structure, the team wrapped the roof trusses in steel, reblocked them and reinforced them with three-quarter-inch plywood and metal strapping to lock the roof to the beams.  

To ensure structural integrity the team conducts rigorous pull tests on the footings and the carbon fiber anchored to the walls and concrete. Engineers use a hydraulic pump attached to floor rings or anchors to test the load capacity of the wrapped beams and other structural reinforcements, ensuring the building meets safety specifications.  

By using technology and applying modern science and engineering to a historic building's footprint, USACE is delivering a facility that honors the history of Fort Sill and the Army while providing a safe, modern home for the soldiers of today and tomorrow.

Hegseth Directs Task Force to Oversee Department-Wide Barracks Improvement

Dec. 5, 2025 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed in an Oct. 6 memorandum that a barracks task force be stood up to develop a departmentwide investment plan for barracks improvements and report its progress to him within 30 days. 

"For far too long, this department has failed too many of our warfighters. Every member of our joint force deserves housing that is clean, comfortable and safe," he said in a Nov. 25 video posted to department social media sites. 

Too often, barracks are shabby and without basic modern amenities, Hegseth said. 

"But this isn't just about creature comforts. This impacts morale, readiness and our ability to recruit and retain the best warriors. Quality of life for our warriors is a critical component of reviving the warrior ethos and rebuilding our military," he added.

Barracks are where warriors live, rest and recover, Hegseth said. 

"How can we expect them to be ready for anything on the battlefield when their own living space is a constant source of stress and frustration? That all ends now," the secretary said. 

The barracks task force includes representatives from across the War Department, including experts in contracting, leaders from military installations, and experts in personnel, readiness and finance. 

Hegseth expects the task force to deliver results and cut through the bureaucracy to bring immediate solutions, as well as a long-term plan to keep barracks at the standard warriors deserve. 

"No delays, no excuses, and no more business as usual. The standards will be enforced, and accountability will be nonnegotiable. This is not just another study over the course of years," he said. Items the task force will expedite include, he said.

• Leverage the expertise of private industry to deliver innovative technologies and contracting strategies that accelerate construction and renovation.  
• Consolidating, when possible, contracts for maintenance, services and equipment.  
• Empowering unit commanders and senior enlisted leaders to fix issues at their level without having to wait on Pentagon bureaucracy. 
• Working across the federal government to gather even more tools that will help ensure this happens quickly.  
• Working with the Office of Management and Budget on new solutions to renovate and maintain barracks to the standards that warriors deserve. 
• Where possible, using the kinds of rapid processes found in the private industry. 

The Office of Acquisition and Sustainment; Office of Energy, Installations and Environment; Office of Personnel and Readiness and others are involved in planning and execution of the secretary's directive.