ROBERT DAWSON, TRANSCOM'S PERSONAL PROPERTY DIRECTOR, WILL NO LONGER OVERSEE MILITARY MOVES

By Allison Kirschbaum

Big changes have occurred in the world of military relocations as Robert “Andy” Dawson, the Director of Personal Property at TRANSCOM, was recently fired.

For many months, military families have been trying to expose problems they have experienced with the private company that is supposed to be in charge of military moves.

Dawson being laid off was not a typical shuffle or reassignment, as he was let go completely. While that might not mean much to the average person, it’s definitely a big deal to military families who have been experiencing ongoing issues related to military moves.

Dawson was in charge of the transition of the GHC, cutting rates, and the experiences that service members have been reporting. Keep reading to learn more about why he was fired, and how military families are reacting to the news.

Why Was Robert Dawson Fired?

Dawson was supposed to oversee the hundreds of thousands of military families that move each year. However, there were significant problems with the military moving season at the beginning of the year when military families started to share stories about movers not showing up, and reported the loss or damaging of their items.

Because of this, there have been delays impacting military moves, and families have been left without any notice. This is all taking place during the transition to the Global Household Goods Contract, which is with a single private company called HomeSafe Alliance. With these issues, the Army and Air Force even started pulling back on assigning military moves.

Now, with the consistent service failure, Robert Dawson has been fired by the U.S. Transportation Command from his duties as the director of the Defense Personal Property Management Office. On the other hand, a spokesperson said that Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis would be taking over the role for now.

TRANSCOM also said in a statement that, “their focus remains locked on providing our servicemembers and their families with an improved moving experience.”

The American Trucking Association’s Letter to Dawson

On December 12, 2024, the American Trucking Association sent a letter to Dawson expressing their concerns about the recent changes that were announced impacting military moves.

The American Trucking Association represents more than 1,800 moving companies across the U.S., and according to them, the new changes from that time will mess up military moves, which has now happened.

In their letter, they had a breakdown of what issues would occur, such as with the Special Solicitations, Common Financial and/or Administrative Control (CFAC), and the reduction of performance cycles from 4 to 2.

HomeSafe Alliance Continues to Stress Military Families

Starting at the beginning of the year, HomeSafe Alliance is responsible for the military move of the families. However, they received many negative reviews from military families who were not happy during the last PCS season.

Now, military families have begun to share their experiences to help inform others and prevent it from happening to them. However, HomeSafe Alliance and TRANSCOM have denied the negative reviews.

The company instead assured families that they will make amends as they go through the changes in the new military system.

The recent HomeSafe Alliance changes and negative experiences have caused much stress for families, and now many are calling for those in higher level positions to be held accountable for their actions.

How Are Military Families Reacting to This News?

2024 was basically a pretty smooth year for military moves, and the success was confirmed by both TRANSCOM and military officials. However, with the new transition, there are increasingly more issues.

Dawson is gone, and no final replacement has been made yet, so there will likely be more issues coming in. However, it’s a relief to some military families because now they are really putting accountability on the people who are responsible for the ongoing moving issues.

A social media post from one military spouse expressed gratitude for the action being taken saying, “Thank you, General Reed, for taking action for our military community. May the replacement have a heart and backbone for the service families, and not for multi-billion dollar companies.”

Military moves are hard, and military families deserve to be offered the help need to make the process easier. Hopefully, with this new change, military families will begin to experience a better, less stressful moving process.

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