The Pentagon distributed a memorandum last week requiring each of the military branches to submit plans to reduce permanent change of station budgets by as much as 50% by Fiscal Year 2030.
In a memorandum sent to the secretaries of the military departments last Thursday, the Pentagon noted that the Department of Defense currently spends roughly $5 billion per year to move military personnel and military families to different assignments.
“While these permanent change of station (PCS) moves support mission requirements, the frequency can reduce quality of life for Service members and their families, harm spousal employment, and disrupt functional communities, unit cohesion, and long-term talent management,” the memorandum stated.
“As we look across the Department for efficiencies, the Military Departments must determine which PCS moves are most critical to support operational requirements and key professional development,” the Pentagon added. “Lower-priority PCS moves should be reduced for Service members and their families seeking greater geographic stability.”
The Pentagon’s memorandum directed the secretaries of the military departments to develop plans to reduce “discretionary move” budgets for permanent change of station moves. The memorandum states that the “discretionary move” budges should be reduced by 10% by Fiscal Year 2027, 30% by Fiscal Year 2028, 40% by Fiscal Year 2029, and 50% by Fiscal Year 2030.
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According to Fox News, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Tim Dill told reporters that the Pentagon’s permanent change of station budget cut target has not been finalized despite the release of the memorandum.
“We want them to come back and tell us if that seems like the right number for them,” Dill told reporters. “If they come back and say, well, this specific course of action could be harmful, then we don’t want to accomplish it.”
Dill told reporters that based on the results of the 2024 Survey of Active Duty Spouses, which showed that 32% of military spouses supported leaving the U.S. military, it was time for the Defense Department to “look at reducing the frequency of those moves, especially if we want to maintain the momentum that we have today both in recruiting and the retention of service members.”
Addressing the issues caused by permanent changes of station, Dill said, “Families have to go find a home, they need new arrangements for their children… and they’re displaced from the community of support that they’ve developed over the years in their previous duty station.”
