New DOD moving system for troops and families to expand next month to another 16 bases

More service members and their families will be able to use a new streamlined system for shipping their belongings when it is expanded next month to an additional 16 bases, according to U.S. Transportation Command officials.

The expansion announced Tuesday follows the initial 14 bases that started using the new system in April to help overcome long-standing problems with military moves.

The change in systems was driven by complaints from military families about delays in pickups and deliveries of goods and damage to items during transportation.

A 2020 analysis by the Defense Department inspector general found 20% of domestic household goods shipments in 2018 had at least one damage claim. The analysis also concluded Transportation Command did not have reliable data to determine whether service members’ goods were being delivered on time or in good condition.

Though only 94 shipments have been completed under the new Global Household Goods Contract, officials are satisfied with how things have gone and anticipate continued progress with volume increases expected in the fall, said Andy Dawson, director of the Defense Personal Property Management Office at TRANSCOM.

The command awarded its contract worth an estimated $6.2 billion to HomeSafe Alliance in November 2021. The company will provide “complete door-to-door global household goods relocation transportation and warehouse services worldwide,” according to TRANSCOM.

Moves originally were slated to begin under the new contract in September. But technical issues arose in the development of the Defense Department’s MilMove and HomeSafe Alliance’s HomeSafe Connect — two new computer programs designed to plan, track and expedite moves, command officials said.

The command developed a system called MilMove for service members to upload change-of-station orders and initiate a request for their shipment to be scheduled. HomeSafe Alliance developed HomeSafe Connect to be used by service members, the government and industry officials to track a shipment sent from MilMove.

TRANSCOM expects to include all domestic moves by the spring. The earliest date for international shipping would be September 2025, according to the announcement.

The additional bases include:

—Fort Huachuca. Ariz.

—Presidio of Monterey, Calif.

—Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif.

—Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, Calif.

—Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

—Fort Carson, Colo.

—Peterson Space Force Base, Colo.

—United States Air Force Academy, Colo.

—Fort Stewart, Ga.

—Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

—Fort Meade, Md.