Senior Army leaders said Tuesday that earlier duty station orders, better inspections and new education and management tools are a few of the changes ahead making Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves easier, Military.com reported.
Maj. Gen Michael Russell, director of operations for Army Logistics, spoke on a panel at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual meeting relaying among Army Chief Gen. James McConville’s priorities is that PCS are smooth and damage-free saying, “household goods is settled right in the middle of that,” according to the report.
“That is the charge I received from our chief: improve our peoples’ household goods experience,” Russell said.
Russell detailed four specific changes to make moving easier for soldiers including better organization with more information and oversight on the PCS process.
First, Army leaders want soldiers to get hard orders for new duty stations “at least 120 days before they PCS. What that will do is … allow them to better mediate their own timelines,” Russell said.
Officials also want to empower military members to have more control during moves, committing more household goods inspectors to ensure smooth moves; launch a new smartphone app to streamline resources and information; and better inform soldiers on their rights and household good entitlements, the report said.
The Army is making changes as the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is privatizing military moves after complaints across the services about lost and broken items, logistics issues and poor oversight, according to the report.
USTRANSCOM plans to contract a single moving company to ship household goods for PCS moves, as On Base previously reported. The contract award is expected early next year.