The U.S. military will transform its task force for military moves into a permanent activity of the Department of War, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Jan. 23 in a video statement.

Military personnel routinely receive orders to relocate for new duty assignments, and their families have often complained about the quality of moving assistance they receive during the frequent changes of location.

Hegseth began his statement by recounting the stories of military personnel and civilian defense employees who had seen their possessions improperly packed or damaged in transit during the moving process.

“Last year, as we were heading into peak moving season, I pledged to fix this mess, to make the moving process serve our warriors as it should. They’re the ones who are sacrificing the most, and they’re the ones that deserve the best,” Hegseth said.

In June, the Pentagon announced it had terminated its contract with HomeSafe Alliance LLC for military moving services, stating that the company had failed to meet obligations and provide quality service. The announcement of the contract cancellation coincided with the launch of a new joint task force to improve the moving process.

Hegseth said the moving task force had been a success, even during the record-setting 43-day shutdown of the federal government.

“That’s why, effective immediately, I’m designating this activity, which is Personal Property Activity, as a Department of War special activity,” he said.

“It will be a permanent solution for all service members who move.”

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis, whom Hegseth had previously selected to lead the joint task force, will now serve as the first commander of the newly established Personal Property Activity.

Hegseth said the expanded military moving program will be headquartered at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois and will be established by May 1.

The formation of the Personal Property Activity will help various military moving capabilities to coordinate through a single chain of command, streamlining accountability, Maj. Matthew Visser, a spokesman for the existing task force, told The Epoch Times.

“There’s one single chain of command. There’s one accountable commander who has to report to the Secretary of War,” he said.

In a Jan. 21 memorandum, Hegseth said the office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment will begin providing applicable resources and funding for the Personal Property Activity in fiscal year 2027.

The military moving task force previously established a call center to help military personnel, civilian defense employees, and their families troubleshoot problems with their move.

Along with transforming the military move task force into the Personal Property Activity, Hegseth said the Pentagon is taking additional steps to streamline the moving process and create standards for accountability.

“Our warriors deserve the best, and that’s what this reform will deliver,” he said.