SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - The Defense Personal Property Management Office (DPMO) at U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), in coordination with military service and U.S. Coast Guard headquarters leadership, has selected 14 initial domestic installations to be the first to award shipments under the new Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) program, where HomeSafe Alliance is the prime vendor. These installations are supported by shipping offices located within five main geographical areas - Norfolk, Va., Jacksonville, N.C., Seattle/Tacoma, Wash., Camp Pendleton, Calif. and San Diego, Calif. 

As of April 1, 2024, transportation offices servicing the following installations can issue task orders for local government-arranged household goods shipments under GHC:

1. Naval Station Norfolk 
2. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune 
3. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point 
4. Naval Base Kitsap 
5. Naval Station Everett 
6. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island 
7. U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle 
8. Joint Base Lewis-McChord 
9. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
10. Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego 
11. Naval Base San Diego
12. Naval Base Ventura County - Port Hueneme
13. Naval Air Station Lemoore

U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth is on track to be added to the list before the beginning of May, meaning 14 total installations will be phased in and able to schedule GHC shipments this spring. 

Local shipments are those which are packed, picked up, and delivered in the same local area and usually are conducted due to a housing assignment (i.e., assignment to or from quarters/barracks/dorms), service member's retirement, separation, or other special circumstances (i.e., permanent change of station orders extension/revocation, commander-approved requests, etc.). Once moves have been executed successfully according to contract requirements, and more information technology capabilities are available, USTRANSCOM and the military services plan to gradually increase volume and add interstate moves for these initial locations over the coming months.

DOD does not plan to add additional locations during the upcoming peak season (May 15 through Aug. 31), and will only order a limited number of domestic shipments under GHC from the locations phased-in this spring. This means most service members and their families will move under the current household goods program, not under GHC, during the 2024 peak moving season. 

"Starting with such a low volume, provides us the opportunity to ensure our systems and processes are working smoothly before they affect a larger group of service members and families," said Andy Dawson, DPMO Director. "We will monitor these initial moves closely to identify and address any performance issues quickly, and use feedback we receive from service members, making adjustments as needed to ensure GHC is delivering quality customer service."

DOD will maintain ongoing control over the pace of GHC phase-in, gradually increasing shipments and locations over time based on the quality of performance under GHC. Compared to the total monthly average of domestic DOD shipments (based on three years of historic domestic data), the goal for initial GHC phase-in across the selected locations will total less than 1% through July 2024 and less than 2% in August 2024. 

At the conclusion of the 2024 peak moving season, DOD will continue increasing GHC volume and capabilities at the initial phase-in locations as well as expanding to other locations across the United States. Projected volume under GHC will be 4% for September, 10% for October and November, and 20% for December. DOD will continue increasing the volume of domestic GHC shipments into 2025, until domestic phase-in is complete. 

International shipments under GHC will begin no earlier than September 2025, with a similar gradual phase-in of locations and shipment volume. All plans for GHC phase-in are subject to change and USTRANSCOM will share updated timelines and locations as they become available.  

Initial local shipments under GHC will be identified using a new online questionnaire on the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) landing page, which can be accessed via the Moving Your Personal Property page at www.militaryonesource.mil/personalproperty. All customers who submit a new shipment request will be directed to complete this questionnaire, regardless of their location. If a shipment is selected for GHC, the customer will automatically be directed to two new online systems - DOD's MilMove and HomeSafe Alliance's HomeSafe Connect - in place of DPS. 

Customers selected for a GHC shipment will onboard using MilMove, where they will upload their PCS orders, share contact information, and submit a requested pickup date for a government-arranged move. After a shipment order is sent from MilMove to HomeSafe, customers will be referred to HomeSafe Connect to manage and track their shipment through the household goods shipment lifecycle. Both MilMove and HomeSafe Connect are user-friendly systems designed to provide an improved online experience accessible via a computer or handheld device. 

Customers can find more information about scheduling an upcoming move at the Moving Your Personal Property page on the Military OneSource website (www.militaryonesource.mil/personalproperty). The webpage provides all the latest information for customers, no matter if they will move under the current program or GHC. Military OneSource also has a webpage dedicated to GHC, where readers can learn more about the program, how it will improve the relocation experience, and phase-in plans (www.militaryonesource.mil/GHC).