NPC Keeps Sailors Moving

From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- After congressional approval for a Department of the Navy re-programming request, Navy Personnel Command (NPC) received additional permanent-change-of-station (PCS) funding the week of Sept. 27.

The approval is great news for many Sailors detaching as far out as March 2011, according to NPC leaders.

"We received additional PCS funding, which will significantly aid our transition into fiscal year 2011," said Rear Adm. Mike Shoemaker, NPC assistant commander for Career Management. "Based on the amount of funds received and planned execution, we expect to be able to release approximately 10,000 orders by Sept. 30."

PCS funding became a major concern last year due to a policy change made in 2008 called the PCS Obligation Policy Change (POPC). Under the policy change, which was implemented across the services and came into effect in fiscal year (FY) 2009, funding must be provided at the time the PCS orders are written. Previously, the Navy could issue orders immediately after a PCS move was negotiated with the Sailor and then supply funding when the move occurred.

"We are working to release as many orders as possible before the end of the fiscal year, including some orders as far out as March 2011," said Shoemaker. "By comparison, in early FY10, we had nearly 10,000 Sailors detaching in first quarter who did not receive orders until after Oct. 1."

While the release of orders will be good news to many, Shoemaker cautions that, "independent of funding, there are many factors that may contribute to short lead times for Sailor's orders. These issues include PTS approvals, overseas and other screening requirements, timing of officer slating processes, orders re-negotiations, emergent requirements, awaiting school graduation dates, nominative billets, medical fall-outs, etc. Bottom line, there will always be some Sailors, even with unlimited funding, that will get their orders with less than optimal lead times."

There is still an emphasis on priority billets even while writing orders for moves through spring 2011.

"Emphasis remains on overseas contingency operations support assigment rotations, career milestone billets and critical readiness fills, minimizing manning gaps at sea for deployed units and those working up to deployment and keeping the training pipelines moving," Shoemaker said.

NPC spends more than $600 million annually on PCS moves. In FY09, NPC issued approximately 72,600 funded PCS orders with an average cost of $8,556 per move.

For more information, contact the NPC Customer Service Center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC (1-866-827-5672).