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The Defense Department is relocating 5,200 students from dormitories at a massive medical training complex at Fort Sam Houston because of what it called "climate control systems and foundational defects."
The Medical Education and Training Campus, known as METC, trains enlisted personnel to fill medical support roles. Its students become respiratory therapists, pharmacy technicians, dental assistants, combat medics and other allied health professionals for the service branches. Although it is based at Fort Sam Houston, an Army post, the institution also trains Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard personnel.
The relocation affects nearly the entire METC student population. The campus opened in 2010 after a crash construction program, and the dormitories have long been plagued by problems with mold and by heating and air-conditioning failures.
Joint Base San Antonio, which handles logistics and support services for Fort Sam and other military installations in San Antonio, confirmed the move on Wednesday but offered few details beyond a prepared statement. The relocation was first reported by KSAT.
"This decision was made based on continuing infrastructure degradation that is rooted in the campus construction and can no longer be resolved through routine maintenance or ongoing repairs. This includes issues with the climate control systems and foundational defects," the statement said.
"To safeguard our service members, we have determined that an immediate relocation, using available installation resources, was the only acceptable course of action while a long-term recapitalization solution is being developed."
Students are being relocated while the military pursues a long-term solution that includes a Pentagon-funded construction program to improve housing. According to the statement, construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.
An official familiar with the situation said the Pentagon plans to demolish five METC barracks - the Army's term for dormitories - in September and is considering proposals from three companies to construct new housing. The project is expected to cost more than $1.4 billion in the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years.
The money would empower "commanders to order immediate work" and start "critical barracks renovations," the official said.
"The relocation of these students to interim quarters demonstrates the Department of Defense's commitment to improving service members' quality of life," the official said.
RELATED: GIs receiving medical care lose heat in Fort Sam Houston dorm
A recent post on a Facebook page that shares news affecting service members said METC students were being moved to hotels on JBSA, including the Candlewood Suites at Fort Sam Houston.
"Every Air Force, Army, and Navy dorm for the tech school students were deemed 'unfit for living,' so they're mass-moving them all to the on-base hotels," according to a comment posted to the page.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said he had been informed of plans to replace the five dorms, a move he said was necessitated by "mold and faulty construction."
"Replacing these barracks, which hold 6,000 medical trainees for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, will cost well over a billion dollars," Castro said. "It's critical that the Pentagon not repeat the construction mistakes of the past and provide quality housing that meets the needs of our service members."
METC grew out of a round of military closures and consolidations in the early 2000s. The legislation that created the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission required the service branches to consolidate medical training for enlisted personnel at Fort Sam Houston, where the Army already did such training. The Navy and Air Force moved their medical training organizations to San Antonio to become part of the newly created METC.
The Pentagon moved quickly to build dormitories, a headquarters/administration building, an 80-square-foot dining hall and other facilities. METC opened in 2010, and classes began the following year. Many of the buildings were prefabricated to speed construction. One person familiar with the situation said the current problems are tied to prefab dormitories.
METC is not a medical school and does not award medical degrees. Rather, it educates enlisted personnel in a broad range of medical support professions. The campus today offers 49 training programs and educates about 16,500 enlisted service members a year. It describes itself as "the largest enlisted healthcare education campus in the world."
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