The Military Coalition wants Congress to take its time before permitting the commissary and exchange systems to consolidate.
In a March 8 letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, the coalition wrote that it is “very concerned that proposals to merge the various elements of the defense resale system may pose a threat to its continued viability.”
In January, a Department of Defense task force released a business case analysis that recommended the consolidation of the four military exchanges – the Army and Air Force Exchange System, the Coast Guard Exchange, the Navy Exchange System and the Marine Corps Exchange - with the Defense Commissary Agency.
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While the service branches concurred with the recommendation, they expressed concern that the consolidation would take longer and cost more than anticipated.
“We are concerned that if these predictions are accurate, the defense resale system may be unable to provide the services (low-cost groceries and support for MWR programs) relied on by service members, their families and survivors,” the letter states.
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The coalition is not against studying the consolidation and streamlining of the military resale system but believes “an independent review by the Government Accountability Office would be appropriate.” It also requested that Congress conduct a hearing on the recommendations included in the business case analysis “which would allow those committed to preserving the resale system and protecting patrons’ earned benefits to express their concerns.”
Congress would have to repeal a law mandating that the DoD operate separate commissary and exchange systems in order to approve the merger, which also must be approved by Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist.
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The Military Coalition is made up of 27 military and veterans groups that represent 5.5 million service members, veterans and families.