PCS Moves Begin Under HomeSafe Alliance Contract
The Department of Defense started PCS moves using its new centralized contractor system in April 2024. It’s a development many have waited more than a year to see, as the process of reforming permanent change of station moves has been complicated by technical and even legal problems.
New Defense Department PCS System Operated By HomeSafe Alliance
From April to July 2024, about 50 PCS moves a month marked the start of a program fraught with technical issues in the early stages of the rollout. The DoD has been trying to streamline and consolidate PCS services since 2018.
As part of those efforts, a new contractor called HomeSafe Alliance was approved to assume responsibility for the permanent change of station household goods.
After a long and contentious contract awards process, the company was finally approved to take over PCS moves starting in September 2023.
However, the rollout had many problems, including a lawsuit challenging HomeSafe Alliances’ award of the contract.
The lawsuit was settled, and early technical issues that prevented the program from starting in 2023 seem to have been addressed. Now it’s a question of how long it takes to implement the new system Defense Department-wide
Related: PCSing Overseas as a Military Spouse
The First PCS Moves
The first PCS moves under HomeSafe Alliance affect some 200 troops at 14 military bases in the United States. Once the program is fully implemented, all military members PCSing will have their household goods packed and shipped under the new contract with HomeSafe Alliance.
The first PCSs under the system are scheduled for locations including:
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Seattle/Tacoma Washington
- San Diego
How the Rollout Works
These early PCS moves have some guidelines. The first moves under HomeSafe Alliance are restricted to those where the losing base and the gaining base are within 50 miles of one another.
Under the program HomeSafe Alliance is tasked with handling the moves as a single service provider instead of U.S. Transportation Command outsourcing them. HomeSafe Alliance is described as a collective of companies and has been awarded more than $6 billion to be the sole source of PCS move services for the DoD.
Related: PCSing Overseas as a Military Spouse
Bases Involved in the First PCS Moves Under HomeSafe Alliance
Not all installations are included in the initial phase of the contract. The following bases may qualify in the initial stage in 2024:
- Naval Station Norfolk
- Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
- Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
- Naval Base Kitsap
- Naval Station Everett
- Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
- U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord
- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
- Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
- Naval Base San Diego
- Naval Air Station Lemoore
This list of eligible stateside bases is meant to expand over time until the entire force is covered under the HomeSafe Alliance contract in 2025. Overseas military bases are anticipated to begin in late 2025, and these bases will also be “phased in.”
Related: PCSing Overseas as a Military Spouse
How It Works
Under the program, as it’s currently designed, no opt-in is required. If a PCSing family is eligible under the HomeSafe Alliance contract, they are automatically placed in the new system when signing up for their PCS move services via the Defense Personal Property System.
Those who qualify for a PCS move managed by HomeSafe Alliance will be directed to use the DoD MilMove portal to upload PCS orders and start the process.
If you have questions about how any of this may affect your PCS move, contact your Base Personal Property Office or its equivalent.
Related: PCSing Overseas as a Military Spouse
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
