U.S.
Commissary agency extends deadline for industry feedback on privatizing US stores
Stars and Stripes
October 10, 2025
The Defense Commissary Agency is seeking input on the potential privatization of 178 commissary locations across the contiguous United States and Puerto Rico. (Defense Commissary Agency)
The Defense Commissary Agency has extended the deadline for the commercial grocery industry to weigh in on the possible privatization of 178 stores that provide discounted groceries to military families in the U.S.
The new deadline is Nov. 5, the agency said in a Friday news release. The request focuses on commissaries in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
“The purpose of this [request for information] is to determine whether commercial grocery operators and investment firms are both interested in and capable of assuming commissary operations, with no government subsidy or with a materially reduced subsidy, while preserving the critical military benefit of a 23.7% average savings for authorized patrons,” the agency said in its initial statement last month.
It based its decision to seek privatization on an April memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that called on Defense Department components to review organizational structure to increase efficiency and optimize the civilian workforce. It also called for retail and recreation functions to be prioritized for privatization — something that has long been debated for commissaries.
The request seeks to understand if commercial grocers would be able to meet the Defense Department policy that commissary shoppers save 23.7% as a benefit to military service with little to no help from the federal government.
The Defense Commissary Agency said it operates 235 stores in 13 countries and two U.S. territories with shopping privileges available to roughly 8.35 million households. Of those, about 1.8 million shop at least monthly.
Contributing: Stars and Stripes reporter Rose L. Thayer