Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hasn’t been shy in his first year about introducing major overhauls to personnel policy and command culture, all with the goal of fixing longstanding issues with the military.

One of the most persistent problems has been the shipment of household goods and personal effects for military families during relocation.

Hegseth announced Friday the establishment of a new Personal Property Activity (PPA) command at Scott Air Force Base (SAFB) in Illinois, about 24 miles west of downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

The new program will consolidate all personal property functions from all branches of the military into a single organization aimed at eliminating the administrative red tape that has plagued service members for decades.

“They’re the ones who are sacrificing the most, and they’re the ones that deserve the best,” Hegseth said in a video message released on X.

PCS was broken—We fixed it.

We listened to warfighters, removed failed leadership, and built a permanent solution. pic.twitter.com/n3S8q7nYMu

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 23, 2026

Hegseth described the mess of failing moving services that have left military families with shattered belongings and massive stress.

“One soldier and her family discovered that their boxes were packed upside down,” Hegseth said. “Everything inside spilled out and crushed. These are some of the stories about what it’s like to move when you’re serving in the military, or at least what it used to be like.”

Major Gen. Lance Curtis, a native of Warrensburg, Missouri, has been named the PPA’s first commander after previously leading the department’s task force on permanent change-of-station reforms. Curtis will report directly to Hegseth at the Pentagon, ensuring the moving process is streamlined from end to end with a single standard of accountability.

“When our warfighters are worried about their household goods, they aren’t focused on their mission,” Curtis said in a release. “We are ending that distraction. Mission readiness is non-negotiable.”

Unlike previous systems, the PPA will operate with its own internal acquisition, legal and resource experts to ensure direct oversight and accountability for moving companies. 

Curtis says his primary goal is to hold contractors to strict standards.

“Every minute a service member spends fighting a household goods issue is a minute they aren’t focused on the mission,” Curtis said. “Our job is to give them that time back.”

The new PPA headquarters at SAFB will serve all Department of War personnel, including service members and civilian employees, during their transitions to new duty assignments.

The reform is backed by new resources in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act recently signed by President Trump. 

Beyond just moving boxes, the new system will provide military families with critical information about local school enrollment and employment opportunities for spouses at their new locations.

Hegseth pledged if there are future failures, the department’s new policy is to “correct it and make it right,” rather than denying the problem.