Movers at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., pack items belonging to a U.S. service member moving to another state in June 2019. (Stephenie Wade/U.S. Transportation Command)
The Air Force has paused some pending moves by airmen heading to new duty stations around the world, according to a Facebook post Thursday by the service’s top enlisted member.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi, in a short video posted on the Airman’s Dispatch Facebook page, said that due to budgetary restraints the service had extended deadlines for many airmen to make their next permanent change of station.
Flosi posted from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to say he had just been notified of the news.
“I just got word, though, that back in the states we had a problem with PCS budget and unfortunately many of our airmen just got notified of an extension of their PCS cycle, some in close proximity of their PCS date,” he said. “Terribly unsettling news, we’re going to dig into it and see what’s going on.”
Airmen with projected departure dates after Sept. 30 were notified Wednesday that their dates had changed, Flosi said in a comment posted to the video.
The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and the U.S. Transportation Command did not respond to emails sent by Stars and Stripes after the close of business Thursday seeking further information.
“I know that some of you may be experiencing a hardship and information’s hard to come by right now,” Flosi said. “If that’s the case and you’re not getting what you need quickly and locally, please reach out to us at Airman’s Dispatch, shoot us a direct message. I’ll get you in contact with the resources we have and we’ll make sure you get taken care of.”
The Pentagon in May ordered all service branches to submit plans to cut their PCS-related budgets in half by 2030, with escalating targets set every fiscal year in between.
The Defense Department spends about $5 billion annually moving military personnel and their families between assignments, according to the May 22 memo from Jules Hurst, the acting defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in May also ordered changes to the modifications to the Defense Personal Property Management System.
“We’re going to review the entire PCS process and recommend rapid actions inside the department for the best possible moving experience for our service members and their families,” he said in a video posted on defense.gov May 21.
“Ultimately this is not just about moving boxes. This is about moving families, husbands, wives, kids, valuables, memories, everything, and you deserve that kind of respect across the board. So, we owe it to you to get it right.”
