Barracks improvements surge as OCS III concludes

Photo By Sgt. Bryant Rodriguez | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Aiden Bowers, right, and Lance Cpl. Jacob Funderburk, both students with Assault Amphibian School, U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command, build portable air conditioning unit stands during Operation Clean Sweep III at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 19, 2025. OCS III, part of the ongoing Barracks 360 Reset initiative, demonstrates a collective commitment to improving living conditions through shared ownership, sustained accountability, and tangible improvements to the barracks. Bowers is a native of Colorado and Funderburk is a native of Texas. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Bryant Rodriguez)  

CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

10.01.2025

Story by 1st Lt. Troy Garza 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

I Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Installations West–Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton concluded Operation Clean Sweep III on Sept. 26, 2025, after a two-week maintenance stand-down launched Sept. 15 to improve unaccompanied housing and operational readiness through self-help projects and facility refreshes.

Deferred maintenance highlighted the need for substantial improvements to barracks conditions across parts of the force. While past resource decisions cannot be changed, I MEF and MCIWEST are addressing current conditions directly through focused action to improve quality of life and operational readiness.

As part of the larger Barracks 360 Reset initiative, OCS III expanded work across Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Building on the multi-installation approach initiated during previous OCS iterations, OCS III concentrated time, resources, and trained teams on high-impact fixes in common areas and living spaces.

Commanders were assigned clear ownership of their barracks spaces to strengthen accountability and oversight, and units executed self-help projects that empowered Marines and Sailors to repair, refresh and sustain living spaces. Senior leaders prioritized the maintenance backlog and focused resources on the most urgent needs to raise habitability standards, reduce repeat work orders and reinforce the link between quality of life and operational readiness.

During the two-week stand-down, Marines and Sailors executed self-help projects and closed work orders that returned rooms to habitable status across participating installations and reduced the maintenance backlog.

“Our approach was simple: assign responsibility, empower self-help and attack the backlog,” said Lt. Col. Robert Hillery, assistant chief of staff, G-10, and I MEF lead planner for OCS. “With leaders accountable for each space and Marines and Sailors equipped to execute, we’re seeing faster fixes, fewer repeat work orders and better transparency for residents.”

I MEF and MCIWEST’s Barracks 360 Reset is a joint initiative to improve living conditions and operational readiness through enhanced command oversight, maintenance backlog reduction and resident engagement.

Media interested in more information on Operation Clean Sweep III, or the larger Barracks 360 Reset initiative, should contact the I MEF Communication Strategy and Operations office at [e-mail] or 760-725-6192.

For more information, photos, videos and stories about the Barracks 360 Reset initiative, please visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/Barracks360Reset.

• Date Taken: 10.01.2025
• Date Posted: 10.01.2025 18:16
• Story ID: 549841
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US