The Department of Defense’s Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) was launched to overhaul the military’s household goods moving system by consolidating functions under a single prime contractor and shifting the program toward a “one throat to choke” concept.
In practice, the rollout exposed significant execution and market-design problems. The structure relied on a sole company to manage the entire DP3 program and a supply chain of moving companies and agents who needed predictable pricing, workable business rules, and confidence in payment terms to participate at scale. Instead, industry participation and capacity proved difficult to sustain in key lanes and peak seasons, and operational friction accumulated, particularly around scheduling, transparency, dispute resolution, and the administrative burden placed on the companies actually performing the moves.
As performance issues emerged, the program’s credibility with the carrier base eroded, and DoD was forced to manage ongoing risk to mission readiness and family wellbeing during the busiest moving periods.
The downstream impacts fell hardest on military families and local moving businesses. Families reported delays, cancellations, fragmented communication, and difficulty getting timely answers when shipments were disrupted. These problems directly affect job reporting dates, school transitions, housing moves, and financial stability. For the moving and storage industry, the model created uncertainty and uneven incentives: smaller independent movers and agents faced higher compliance costs, cash-flow strain, and greater operational risk without a commensurate ability to plan or price that risk. The result was a system that, rather than stabilizing the marketplace, often constricted capacity at the exact moments when DoD needs surge support.
Ultimately, the “failure” of GHC is best understood as a mismatch between the program’s goals and the realities of the household goods marketplace. A successful reform has to balance accountability with workable economics, compliance rules and transparency if it wants to maintain a resilient, competitive network of service providers across all regions. The path forward must include continuous collaboration with the full range of industry partners who execute moves every day so quality can improve without sacrificing capacity, competition, or reliability.
Movers for America was proud to commission research and data studies, elevate moving and storage company feedback during the GHC transition, and serve as a voice to offer critical industry feedback during this time.
