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Navy Personnel Command Moving Sailors Despite Budget Constraints

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS091116-01
Release Date: 11/16/2009 10:18:00 AM

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Maria Yager, Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Navy Personnel Command (NPC) has released Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders to keep the fleet moving, despite the lack of a fiscal year (FY) 2010 budget, Navy officials announced Nov. 16.

"Until the National Defense Appropriations Bill has been signed by the President, the entire Department of Defense is operating under a continuing resolution authority (CRA). For Navy Personnel Command (NPC), this means that PCS funding is allocated in small increments," said Rear Adm. Don Quinn, commander, NPC.

NPC spends more than $600 million annually on PCS moves, but has only received a fraction of the funds requested in its FY 2010 budget. The command has had to prioritize which moves can be funded. While operating under the CRA, PCS orders are released as funding becomes available each month.

NPC has been able to release orders for Sailors transferring in November and most of December using CRA funds received in October. New funds received in November should allow NPC to release orders for Sailors detaching through March.

The goal is to minimize impacts to fleet readiness, career timing and families. The priority moves are global war on terrorism support assignments, career milestone billets, critical readiness fills (those that minimize gaps at sea for deployed units and those working up to deploy), and moves that keep the training pipelines moving.

"We fully recognize that advance notification time for PCS orders is necessary for stability, planning, and quality of life. We are doing our best to provide Sailors with as much lead time as possible in the current fiscal situation," said Quinn.

In FY 09, NPC issued approximately 72,600 funded PCS orders with an average cost of $8,556 per move.