In the middle of a neighborhood, there is a cozy home where the walls echo with laughter, tears, and the comforting hum from a close-knit community. But they are not an ordinary family. They are bound to duty and navigate the currents of military lifestyle with grace and resilience.
Their children were born in a world that was constantly changing. The love of America and the unity of their families defined home, not four walls. Every few years their belongings are put into cardboard boxes by strangers as they say goodbye to familiar faces and move on to a new job.
A little girl was too young to recall the last time she moved. She had her thread-worn rabbit clasped to her breast. She sits in front of the house and watches as all of her memories and most prized possessions are loaded onto a truck. Her big brother has experienced this before. He assures her that she will make friends in her new school. Her bunny’s stuffed toys will also make their way to her. Soon, her new home will be filled with the comforts of the past and the promise for an exciting future.
Moving can be stressful for the more than 300.000 military families that relocate every year to new postings around the country and world. The professional moving industry is dedicated to supporting our troops by making sure that those moves are as smooth and easy as possible.
In Florida, we welcome and say goodbye to many servicemen. The Florida Trucking Association represents moving companies that are integral to this process. They are dedicated to ensuring our military families receive the respect and value they deserve.
As President and CEO of this association, I feel compelled by my duty to voice industry concerns regarding the Department of Defense’s new Global Household Goods Contract Program (GHC), which places one private consortium in charge of all military relocations. The core capability of the program — having enough trucks and drivers to meet DOD requirements — is being challenged, and this could lead to service delays and a reduction in quality for military families. As questions about the program’s viability increase, movers, drivers, and other service providers are concerned about its impact on military families.
This latest DOD attempt to address challenges related moving is structured in such a way that it creates new issues, and it’s not clear whether it will solve the old problems. A RAND study from 2018 determined that moving experiences are a major factor in “influencing future retention and affecting military resilience and readiness.” Therefore, high-quality moving services are essential for active-duty families. We must support military readiness and stability in the family, not undermine them.
[ Related to Military haulers fight in D.C. to stop single-source GHC contract]
Congress must intervene to give this program the scrutiny it deserves, and that military families and tax payers deserve. We urge our Congressional leaders insist on a strategic pause in the implementation of GHC while a comprehensive evaluation is conducted by Government Accountability Office.
If the GHC model fails in its current form, it will disrupt the lives and livelihoods of military families who are forced to relocate into new towns, schools and communities. They would be left without a backup plan, which would undermine the larger objectives of military readiness. Congress must be proactive when evaluating this important program. Hundreds of thousands of military moves and potentially billions of dollars in taxpayer money are at stake.
We owe nothing less to the men and woman who serve our nation, and their families, who support them.
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