DOD TERMINATES CONTRACT WITH HOMESAFE ALLIANCE AFTER ONGOING MILITARY HOUSEHOLD GOODS SHIPMENT SHORTFALLS
Peak PCS moving season is well underway. As of late, PCSing has been far from easy for military families, as many have reported facing significant issues and hurdles during the current and last PCS season. In light of these ongoing shortfalls, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the U.S. Transportation Command to change how the Global Household Goods contract was being implemented, to help better serve military families. Now, it has been revealed that the DoD has terminated their contract with HomeSafe Alliance as of Wednesday, June 18th. Keep reading to learn more about the expected impact of this substantial change.
Military Families Faced Ongoing Problems Under the New Household Goods Shipment
Under HomeSafe Alliance, a privatized company running the military household goods shipment in cooperation with the Department of Defense, military families experienced a number of issues.
In February of this year, at least 1,000 of the 8,900 shipments initiated under HomeSafe Alliance had experienced problems, according to U.S. Transportation Command.
The issue soon became widespread. On February 28, 2025, a memo was given to pull back some Army shipments to the transportation offices by the Army Personal Property.
This action was done to stop the inefficient and dissatisfied work of private shipments for many years among the affected military families in their permanent change of station.
MyBaseGuide reached out to HomeSafe Alliance in May, and inquired about the changes that they have implemented to address complaints that military families have raised.
A HomeSafe Alliance spokesperson provided the following statement:
HomeSafe Alliance is modernizing, digitizing, and transforming the relocation experience for military members and their families through the new Global Household Goods Contract (GHC). Military families and Congress demanded this historic transformation to address long-standing issues with the old military move system. The new GHC program brings innovative technology to streamline the move process, a 24/7 customer care center to support military families, and strict requirements to ensure accountability and high-quality move services.
In these early and developmental stages of the GHC, logistical challenges have caused delays for some moves. We apologize to every affected family. Over the last month, HomeSafe has made significant progress in strengthening our network, and we continue to pursue every available option for growing our capacity. We are working with U.S. Transportation Command to resolve issues and maintain a conditions-based phase-in of the new program.
HomeSafe is taking all the lessons learned and continually improving our systems and processes, including enhancing our customer care operations, updating our technology platform, reshaping our training program for service providers, and hiring additional employees.
-HomeSafe Alliance
Families Shared Their Negative Moving Experiences
Many families took to social media and online forums to share their poor moving experiences with HomeSafe, reporting damage to their household items.
Some families reported their items being late, and cited that they did not receive adequate assistance to locate their belongings.
Families also went on record to report moving companies not being secured in advance, deliveries not being scheduled as promised, and reported waiting weeks for furniture delivery.
MyBaseGuide followed up with HomeSafe in May regarding the negative shipment experiences that families have experienced. A HomeSafe Alliance spokesperson provided the following statement:
Regardless of how HomeSafe transports household goods, loads must always be properly secured. We hold ourselves and our service providers to the highest standards to protect the household goods of our service members and their families.
In any case where a load was not secured, it does not meet our commitment to quality, and we take swift and appropriate action to address the issue and prevent recurrence.
-HomeSafe Alliance
In our conversations with HomeSafe, we requested their comment on how they were addressing the lack of preparation (ie. lack of supplies and scheduling issues) within the assigned contractors. A HomeSafe Alliance spokesperson provided the following statement:
Regarding our service providers, we grade them based on our Carrier Quality Index (CQI) score, with timeliness and service as primary factors.
For more information on this, please refer to our fact sheet on High Quality Service.
-HomeSafe Alliance
Additionally, we requested a comment on why moving company information is no longer being given to families prior to their move being scheduled. A HomeSafe Alliance spokesperson provided the following statement:
Families can view their assigned service provider through our technology platform HomeSafe Connect, where they can also access details about the moving crew, including photos of the team members who will be handling their move. This feature allows families to familiarize themselves with their moving team in advance.
For more information, you can watch our video explaining this feature on HomeSafe Connect. This video is also available on our customers page on Homesafealliance.com.
-HomeSafe Alliance
A May Memo from Hegseth Directs Transcom to Make Changes
In May, Pete Hegseth requested significant changes be made to improve moving experiences for military families for the upcoming PCS season.
"We're heading into peak season of moving - PCS moving - and that process, I know, has been a mess, and we are addressing it. We have...to take some aggressive action and fast," said Hegseth.
In a memo released on May 20th, 2025, Hegseth directed USTRANSCOM to take the following actions immediately to help support military families during the upcoming 2025 PCS season and beyond:
- In the memo, Hegseth called for the GHC and ToS programs to be held accountable for meeting their KPIs (key performance indicators). They are also required to provide weekly updates to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense and the Office of the USD for Personnel and Readiness.
- He also directed that both the GHC and legacy ToS program be leveraged in a way that ensures maximum coverage for moves during the 2025 PCS season.
- Hegseth directed that offramp non-serviced GHC customer shipments into the ToS program be based on capacity shortfalls.
- He called for the development and implementation of ToS rates to ensure vendor capacity.
- Lastly, he called for TRANSCOM to review and implement Economic Price Adjustment provisions in the GHC contract, when appropriate.
In addition to the above directed changes, in the memo, Hegseth directed the formation of a PCS Task Force that would be in charge of improving the quality of moving services provided to servicemembers and their families. Additionally, Hegseth said that they would, "act decisively to improve, expand, terminate, or transfer GHC or ToS responsibilities as needed."
HomeSafe reached out to MyBaseGuide and provided the following statement in regards to Defense Secretary Hegseth's memo release in May.
HomeSafe Alliance is grateful for Defense Secretary Hegseth’s attention to the Global Household Goods Contract and the directives he has issued, which will greatly improve moving experiences for military service members and their families. DoD raising our rates to account for significant inflation from the last four years would substantially benefit our ability to facilitate world-class moving services for our nation’s heroes. We look forward to working with the PCS Task Force to demonstrate how our program modernizes and digitizes the move process and resolves decades-long issues with military relocations.
-HomeSafe Alliance
Hegseth Announces Major PCS Season Changes, Laying Out a Plan
On May 20th, Hegseth addressed the families who had shared their PCS season struggles, noting that while the PCS process has, "never been a great system," recent changes have only made the process worse.
He stated, "We know it's not working, and it's only getting worse. We've heard your concerns about contractor performance, quality, and accountability. We hear you loud and clear, and that's why we're taking decisive action immediately."
In his memo, Hegseth explained that during the 2025 PCS moving season, TRANSCOM should be prepared to fully leverage the new GHC program.
"We're going to split this year's peak moving season between our new and legacy systems. There's a new system we've been trying - it's not working very well - and then there's a legacy system that wasn't perfect...those systems can talk to each other and work together, so we're going to use both in every way possible."
Hegseth then directed TRANSCOM to develop and implement rates similar to the legacy ToS system to increase vendor capacity and ensure that there are enough companies that are willing to move military family household goods.
Many Applauded Hegseth for Taking Action
In the days following Hegseth’s announcement, many movers and military families applauded Hegseth for taking a leadership stance on this critical issue.
One such individual was Dan Hilton, the executive director of the American Trucking Association's Moving and Storage Council.
He released a statement saying, "As we have said from the beginning, the tender of service program worked in the past and continues to work well for service members, despite the challenging environment now created by the failures of the GHC contractor. We’ve continually seen shipments moved from the GHC contractor back into the tender program with minimal notice, reduced compensation, and already impacted service members.”
“It’s imperative that TRANSCOM better engage members of the industry with actual capacity to find solutions that best meet our service members’ needs. We look forward to mitigating any further decline in service provided to our nation's valiant service members and working with the Secretary’s team to help right this ship on behalf of our men and women in uniform.”
Others applauded Hegseth for holding contractors accountable for damaging or destroying household goods, and for standing up for service members. You can watch the full announcement here.
Army Maj Gen. Lance Curtis Will Lead the PCS Joint Task Force
On June 18, Defense Secretary Hegseth named Army Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis to lead the PCS Joint Task Force. According to Secretary Hegseth, the new task force has the authority to decisively act and make immediate improvements to the DoD Personal Property Program.
Here’s what we know about the new PCS Joint Task Force leader.
Major General Curtis is from Warrensburg, Missouri. After graduating from The University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations, he was commissioned through ROTC.
He has a MA in Management from Webster University and a MS in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.
His military schooling includes: the Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy Senior Service College.
He previously served as the US Forces Command Deputy Chief of Staff, G4.
DoD Terminates HomeSafe Alliance for “Inability to Fulfill Their Obligations”
On Wednesday, the Department of Defense terminated the DoD contractor, HomeSafe Alliance, for cause due to their demonstrated inability to fulfill their obligations and deliver high quality moves.
Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a release that the DoD terminated HomeSafe Alliance, “for cause due to HomeSafe Alliance’s inability to fulfill their obligations and deliver high quality moves to service members.”
In response to this announcement, the DoD has put several changes into effect to address the current issues families are experiencing this PCS season. Household goods moves are to be handled within the legacy “Tender of Service” system. Another change is that those who choose to move their own household goods via the PPMs process will be reimbursed at an increased rate.
As it currently stands, the Joint Task Force is reviewing the entire PCS process to identify additional actions to make the moving experience better for families during the current PCS season. The most recent memo discussing these changes can be read in full here.
The Contract Termination Has Left Military Families With Many Questions
The announcement of the contract termination has left many military families with questions, especially those who are in the midst of scheduled moves.
Below, we are answering some common questions that have already begun to arise.
What Should You Do If Your Family’s Household Goods Are Already In Route?
HomeSafe Alliance’s contract is canceled for future moves, but they should be continuing those shipments that are in motion.
They also will still be required to handle the claims process after shipments are delivered.
If you have questions about claims or need help, reach out to your installation's Military Claims Office.
What Should You Do If Your Family Is Moving This Summer?
If you are scheduled to move this summer, you can contact your local transportation office for moving assistance. You will most likely want to start here. You can also contact the Personal Property System Response Center at 800-462-2176.
The Defense Personal Property System has already been coordinating switching moves for military families who had challenges with their scheduled move with HomeSafe Alliance.
Military families in need of additional resources and information about conducting their move through the Tender of Service program on the Moving Your Personal Property page on Military One Source.
What Does the Future of Military Moves Look Like?
General Curtis will be handing PCS moves moving forward, as the new lead of the PCS Joint Task Force. Many families are hopeful that he will take the time to talk with military families about their experiences. Over the next few months, the task force will be working to rectify the issues that families have voiced.
At this time, there is no clear understanding of how Personally Procured Moves (PPMs) will be impacted. The Air Force released in a statement that they are pulling back PPMs to DPS. Other services may follow suit, but there has not been an official release of plans.
It is important to note that if you are moving this summer, as soon as you get your orders, it is recommended that you contact your transportation office, especially if you are doing a military contract move as many places are already at capacity.
Read next:
SHARE:
TAGS:
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Get the latest news and military discounts
