Broken Trust and Broken Promises: The GHC’s Impact on Military Moves

You know that feeling when you’re excited to try something new, only to have the outcome be disappointing? That’s exactly how I feel about the Defense Department’s sweeping overhaul of military moving services under the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC).

At first, I saw promise in the GHC. As a management executive for CG Moving in San Francisco, I’ve spent nearly two decades handling complex office and industrial moves. I was eager for the opportunity to expand our services and support military families. But after sitting through GHC town halls and trade association events, my enthusiasm quickly faded. The company now managing all military moves under the contract offered little insight, few answers, and even less collaboration.

What became clear in these interactions is that the GHC prime contractor lacks respect for the expertise and experience of professional movers like me. Instead of working alongside long-time industry professionals to ensure a smooth transition, they appear dismissive of the very people who understand the logistical and personal complexities of military relocations.

Assessing, scheduling, packing, moving, storing, and delivering household shipments isn’t just about logistics — it’s about real-life challenges. We’ve navigated hurricane-force winds to deliver shipments, worked under blistering desert heat, and protected trucks from theft on steep San Francisco streets. And we do it gladly, especially for our nation’s military families. These challenges aren’t unique to us; they’re daily realities for movers across the country and overseas.

Yet the company in charge of this transition has limited experience handling military moves and is failing to fully engage with the professionals who do. Alienating the workforce that has the trucks, the warehouses, and the institutional knowledge making these moves possible is a mistake that will have real consequences for military families.

Military families aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet or a case study in a PowerPoint presentation. They are real people who sacrifice so much for our country and deserve the dignity of a reliable, well-organized move. Unfortunately, we’re already hearing from families who are experiencing late moving dates or no-shows that left them scrambling at the last minute. 

Service members move, on average, every two and a half to three years. A smooth transition is critical for their families’ well-being and peace of mind. While there was certainly room for improvement under the previous system, why are we so quick to throw the baby out with the bath water? The majority of military moves have long been handled by experienced, hardworking movers who care about these families and understand the intricacies of military relocations — how to access bases, how to properly pack household goods for long-term storage, and how to provide the care these families deserve.

Trust is essential in any business. Sadly, the GHC prime contractor has damaged trust by failing to provide clear communication and guidance on how moving companies should comply with new federal compensation requirements under the Service Contract Act. The lack of transparency has left movers like me uncertain about our future under this contract.

The GHC could have been a chance to revolutionize military moving for the better. Instead of dismissing the industry’s expertise, the contractor could have embraced a collaborative approach, learning from the professionals who actually do the work. Instead, we got vague presentations, confusing Excel spreadsheets, and empty promises.

Technology was touted as the solution to many moving inefficiencies, yet we waited endlessly for a promised demonstration that never came. When it finally did, it was just another slide deck. No amount of tech can replace skilled movers — you can’t teleport furniture.

On top of this disastrous rollout, the GHC has coincided with a major reduction in reimbursement rates for Personally Procured Moves, where military families arrange their own moves. This seems like an effort to force families into a broken system by forcing them to choose between the flailing GHC and the exorbitant costs of coordinating their own moves. 

Professional movers deserve better. Military families deserve better. And the taxpayers deserve better. I urge elected officials at all levels to listen to the concerns of industry professionals like me and, more importantly, prioritize the needs of the brave men and women who serve our country. The GHC rollout has been riddled with missteps, and it’s time to correct course before it does even more harm. Our military families deserve a moving system that works for them, not one that makes an already stressful transition even harder. 

Griselda Gonzalez is the Corporate, Government & Non-Profit Relocation and Storage Contract Manager for San Francisco-based CG Moving Company Inc.