The Pentagon has created a centralized Personal Property Activity to manage military household goods moves, a major restructure that aims to improve reliability, transparency, and accountability across approximately 300,000 permanent change of station (PCS) military moves annually.
The new organization, based at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, reports directly to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. It will consolidate oversight of shipping offices, claims processing, and business rules under one authority. Defense officials say the Personal Property Activity is designed to modernize technology and create a single chain of command to address issues more quickly and consistently.
This action follows decisions by Secretary Hegseth and the Department of War in June 2025 to terminate the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) due to implementation issues and resulting reports of PCS moves encountering problems as a result. With the GHC termination, the Pentagon also established a joint task force, led by Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis, to review and remedy issues within the PCS program. This task force’s work will transition into the new Personal Property Action, and Curtis will continue to lead this initiative as the new action’s inaugural head.
Global mobility industry leaders see the reform as a welcome change, keeping the experience of military service members and their families top of mind.
“Any physical move by an individual and their families for employment purposes is a significant event in their lives, and this is particularly true for the 300,000-plus U.S. active-duty military service members and their families that complete a [PCS] each year,” said Anupam Singhal, WERC president and CEO.
“The establishment of a dedicated, unified entity within the Department of War with clear and direct accountability is essential. As such, WERC applauds President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and the U.S. Department of War on its establishment of the new Personal Property Activity unit under the continued leadership of Maj. Gen. Curtis.”
Beyond its impact on transferees, this new effort also sets mobility partners up for success. “This change will best position the private sector service partners that implement various components of a move to provide the highest caliber of support throughout each move,” Singhal said. “WERC and its members, many of whom are service providers involved with PCS moves, stand ready to support the department in launching the new Personal Property Activity unit and supporting the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.”
The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA’s) Moving & Storage Conference also praised the reforms. “[This] announcement is an important step toward more reliable, predictable services for military households—and toward ensuring the [PCS] process strengthens, rather than strains, readiness,” ATA Executive Director Dan Hilton said in a recent press release.
“That’s why we’ve long pushed for practical, common‑sense reforms that help every relocation be handled smoothly and dependably for those who serve—and why we’ll continue to work with the PCS Joint Task Force and the new Personal Property Activity, Major General Curtis, and Congress to support our nation’s warfighters with the level of service they deserve.”
For mobility leaders, the Pentagon’s shift reinforces a broader market direction: the need for centralized oversight and modernized technology, as well as holding providers to measurable outcomes. According to reporting from Military.com, the Personal Property Activity will continue to centralize its authority in phases and work toward a long-term goal of establishing itself as a stand-alone federal agency, complete with a unique leadership structure, funding oversight, and performance metrics.