U.S., Japan May Announce Readjustment in Relocation Timeline

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 – There will probably be a readjustment of the timeline for relocation of U.S. troops in Japan, said senior administration officials speaking in advance of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee Meeting tomorrow.

The officials, speaking on background, would not get ahead of any announcement from what is informally called the 2+2 meeting, but did imply there will be a delay.

“It does not take a math prodigy to look at the calendar, look at the original timelines that were laid out, look at the progress that has been made and make a determination about what can and cannot be completed by 2014,” a senior administration official said. “I think you can expect to see coming out of the meeting tomorrow a readjustment of the timeline going forward in a way that is more realistic and in a way that will allow us to achieve our joint and mutual goals.”

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the State Department tomorrow for the first 2+2 meeting since 2007. The purpose of the meeting is to underscore the strength and vibrancy of the alliance and its role as the cornerstone of stability in the region.

The meeting has additional significance coming so soon after the triple disasters of March 11 -- the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear situation. “We’ve emerged from the tragedy of March 11 stronger and more vital,” an official said.

The officials expect the joint statement at the conclusion of the 2+2 will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to a robust force posture in East Asia and will update the common strategic objectives for the alliance. It also will include a blueprint to strengthen the bilateral alliance and outline alliance cooperation in a regional and global setting.

“The discussions will focus on a wide range of regional and global issues including the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Afghanistan, missile defense technology transfer and the realignment of our forces, particularly in Okinawa,” a senior administration official said.

The 2+2 will reinforce the value of U.S. forward presence in Japan, including on Okinawa, an official said. U.S. forward-deployed presence serves as a critical element of the nation’s treaty commitment to defend Japan and to contribute to peace and security in East Asia, as well as the overall U.S. defense posture as a resident Pacific power.

The U.S. government remains committed to the current plan to maintain a forward presence in the region “that is geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable,” the official said.

Family Matters Blog: Tips to Ease Summertime Moves

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 – As our seasoned military families are keenly aware, the end of the school year typically marks the start of a high-volume moving season.

Service members commonly know the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as “PCS season,” which refers to permanent-change-of-station moves. Many families aim to move during that stretch of time to avoid disrupting their kids during the school year.

On average, the military moves about 600,000 shipments a year, and more than a third of those moves take place over the summer. John Johnson, the chief of the personal property branch for the Army’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, told me in a recent interview.

With this summertime surge in mind, I asked Mr. Johnson for his top tips to ease the moving process for service members and their families. His tips include:

– Stay organized. Create a personal moving calendar with checklists, phone lists, to-do lists, and links to critical moving processes and information.

– Find out options early. Contact your transportation office as soon as possible to learn about your moving options, including a personally procured move, former known as a do-it-yourself move, or DITY.

– Don’t hesitate to ask. It’s never too early to ask questions, and your transportation office is your primary point of contact for customer service.

– Start early. Once you get your orders and know the dates you want to move, immediately start the moving process. The sooner you start, the better the chance you’ll lock in the dates you want.

– Know your weight. Having a good estimated weight of your personal property and household goods is very important. An easy and dependable method for making this estimate is to figure about 1,000 pounds per room. Keep in mind this is only an estimate and individual shipments will vary.

– Don’t be a no-show. Pack, pickup and delivery dates are scheduled on weekdays. You or your designated representative needs to be available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. You don’t want to miss your moving dates, as this will cause unnecessary hardship on everyone.

– Lock your move date in. Once you’ve selected your moving dates, don’t assume they’re set. Your moving dates are not confirmed until you coordinate with your carrier or transportation service provider.

– Be flexible. Moving in the summer months is extremely busy, with June being the busiest moving month of the year. Your preferred dates may not be available during this time. You will need to be as flexible as possible and always leave some time in your schedule for unforeseen circumstances.

– Lighten the load. Moving is a good time to dispose of unnecessary items. This will help avoid excess weight charges for being over your authorized weight allowance. You don’t want to ship and pay for something you didn’t want anyway.

– Reweigh if needed. You can request a reweigh of your personal property shipment at no cost. This is usually done when you are near or over your weight entitlement.

– Separate shipments. If you will have multiple shipments, clearly separate them at your residence. Multiple shipments should be scheduled on separate days to avoid confusion. You want the right items going to the right destination.

– Update contact information. Defense Personal Property System places you in direct contact with your carrier to manage the movement of your personal property. It is extremely important to ensure your phone number, email address and contact information is updated and current in DPS.

– Stay in close contact. If you have a delivery address for your personal property and want a direct delivery it’s important to work closely with your carrier or transportation service provider to arrange delivery. This will avoid your personal property being placed in storage.

For more moving tips or information on allowances and responsibilities, see the “It’s Your Move” pamphlet for service members or the “It’s your Move” pamphlet for Defense Department civilians. Or, visit the Move.mil website. For more information on planning summer moves, check out this Defense.gov article, “Planning is Key for Peak-season Moves.”

Military OneSource also offers families a host of online moving resources, including “Plan My Move,” which features a moving calendar and travel and arrival checklists, and “Military Installations,” which links families to information about their new base and the local community..

Do you have any moving tips or lessons-learned you’d like to share? Don’t hesitate to write in.

Relocation Assistance Program Allows Smooth Move

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Monique K. Hilley, Commander, Navy Installations Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- With the release Naval Administrative Message 174/11 May 31, Sailors now have additional resources and information to help make Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves more manageable and easier to tranistion.

Upon receipt of PCS orders, service members and their families face many challenges that come with relocating to a new duty station. During the period from late spring to early fall, which tends to be the busiest time of year for PCS moves, the stress can heighten as availability becomes limited at schools, child care facilities, moving companies and prospective employment opportunities.

The Relocation Assistance Program, offered by the Fleet and Family Support Center, is intended to make the relocation process less stressful through proper planning and an array of services which they provide.

"Whether this is your first move or your last, the Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) offers Relocation Assistance with pre-move workshops and seminars, one-on-one relocation counseling and much more," said Rise Ruhl, Military Readiness Section lead for Commander, Navy Installations Command Family Readiness Division (CNIC N91) of the Fleet and Family Readiness Program (CNIC N9).

The services provided through advanced web-based technology and personalized assistance can help military families with challenges such as finding affordable housing, reputable schools, employment opportunities, child care and pet care. The Navy's Relocation Assistance Program can also provide service members and their families with information about local programs and community activities long after their move is complete.

"The personal contact at the FFSC affords individuals and families one stop shopping for all their moving needs," said Ruhl.

By calling or visiting a local FFSC, service members are able to receive one-stop assistance with information about the new duty station including cost of living, housing availability, medical care and treatment facilities, schools, spouse employment, opportunities and cultural adaptation training for overseas duty assignments. Service members can also log on to the Navy Fleet and Family Program website at www.ffsp.navy.mil, and select relocation assistance.

The services and information provided to Sailors reduce relocation costs, ease administrative burdens, promote quality of life and ultimately enhance mission readiness, making it a win-win situation for both the military families and the Navy.

Realignments Add to Busy Summer Moving Season

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2011 – With a busier-than-usual military moving season about to kick into high gear, officials are asking service members to book their moving dates early and to keep flexibility in mind when doing so.

The military moved more than 230,000 shipments last summer alone, and this year officials are expecting even more due to the base realignment and closure process, said John Johnson, chief of the personal property branch for the Army’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. The command is the lead agent for the Defense Department’s Personal Property Program.

Johnson said he’s expecting an additional 10,000 moves this summer due to base realignments and closures. Though that’s just a 3 percent increase to the projected number of summertime moves, it’s an extra 3 percent at an already challenging time of year, he noted.

The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is commonly known to military-savvy people as “PCS season,” which refers to permanent-change-of-station moves. With school out for the summer, or about to be, many parents view that stretch of time as the least disruptive for a family move, Johnson explained, and set their sights on moving over Memorial Day or Fourth of July weekends to take advantage of the extra days off.

But this moving cluster can create a backlog for officials, Johnson said. On average, the military moves about 600,000 shipments a year, and more than a third of those moves take place over the summer.

“The biggest challenge is expectation management,” he added. “Moving in the summer season is already difficult, and most people are set on moving on holiday weekends. It’s always a challenge when volume exceeds capacity. We need to ensure we have enough trucks and crews to move people.”

Keeping the busy upcoming season in mind, officials began a review of the moving process in August, Johnson said. They focused much of their effort on working the kinks out of the Defense Personal Property System, a computerized moving management system for military members and Defense Department civilians. Last summer marked the first time the majority of household shipments were moved through that system, he added.

While the new system proved successful, users ran into a few stumbling blocks along the way, Johnson said, citing the electronic claims process as an example.

Previously, the “submit” button for the electronic claims form was located only at the top of the page. People would fill out the form, and then fail to realize they had to scroll back up to submit the claim, he said. And by the time they realized their oversight, they had missed the 75-day filing deadline.

“Some folks got upset -– rightfully so,” Johnson said. “We’re making a big effort to fix this and some other issues.”

Johnson said a system redesign is in the works, but in the meantime, he recommends that people watch the video posted on http://www.move.mil, which explains in detail how to navigate the online claim system.

Officials also have directed training efforts at moving experts, Johnson said, including the introduction of a webinar series that covers the storage and transit process for personal property shipment offices and carriers.

Among efforts to increase capacity, officials now allow carriers to use portable movement storage containers similar to those used for commercial shipments, Johnson said. In the past, he explained, the military required household goods to be moved in “loose loaded” or in wooden crates with specific dimensions. However, in the commercial sector, carriers use multiple types of containers.

“We’re now allowing carriers to use what containers they normally use to move military members,” he said. By doing so, he added, officials hope to increase the capacity of carriers qualified to conduct military moves.

These improvements will help, Johnson said, but the sheer number of people moving over the summer calls for some extra preplanning measures. People need to book moves early, particularly if they want to lock down a holiday weekend. And, above all, he said, they should remain flexible on dates.

When people are notified of a move, Johnson said, the first stop should be their local personal property shipment office, and then the Move.Mil website. Military OneSource also offers families a host of online moving resources, including “Plan My Move,” which features a moving calendar and travel and arrival checklists, and “Military Installations,” which links families to information about their new base and the local community.