NORFOLK, Va. — The Department of Defense is terminating a contract meant to try to help military families move. Military moving is an issue News 3 has been covering for months.
“My initial reaction to the cancelation of the contract was a bit of relief," said Taya Sissix, a soldier stationed at Ft. Eustis.
You may remember Sissix from a story News 3 did in March about the challenges facing military families as the Department of Defense tries to transition to a new way of helping military families move.
Watch: Military families, moving companies pushing for change amid rollout of new DoD moving process
At the time, the new way included having a company called HomeSafe Alliance handle all military moves. But on June 18, the DoD terminated the contract with HomeSafe Alliance because of "HSA's demonstrated inability to fulfill their obligations and deliver high quality moves to Service members.”
But while the decision may be a relief initially for many service members and their families, Sissix said there were still a lot of questions.
“A lot of people are confused. If there move has already been picked up by HomeSafe is HomeSafe just going to drop it and not work with them anymore? What happens to everybody who’s had a PPM? What happens to those who have paid out of pocket for PPMs, and what’s going to happen with the people who are trying to do a PPM?" Sissix explained.
Watch: DoD terminates military moving contract with HomeSafe Alliance
News 3 reached out to HomeSafe Alliance. A spokesperson said the company "strongly disagrees" with the DoD’s decision and is "reviewing legal options."
The company’s official statement says all moves currently in progress will be completed.
HomeSafe Alliance received on June 18, 2025, a notice from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) terminating the Global Household Goods Contract, which HomeSafe won in 2021 to transform the military move system for the benefit of service members and their families.
HomeSafe is confident it performed to the fullest extent possible considering the limitations placed on it. HomeSafe disagrees with TRANSCOM’s justification for terminating the program.
Though HomeSafe will be ceasing operations, it will first complete all moves currently in progress for service members and their families.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done, and I’m confident that we were turning the tide on the antiquated and broken military move system that we inherited,” said HomeSafe Alliance CEO Bobby Nicholson. “I’d like to thank our employees, who worked hard to transform the moving process for military service members and their families, and I’m grateful to those service members and their families for allowing us to serve them.”
TRANSCOM created the Global Household Goods Contract at the direction of Congress to modernize the military move system after years of complaints from service members, their families and veterans. HomeSafe has worked in good faith with TRANSCOM for several months to address government delays, obstacles and commercial challenges. Indeed, as of a few weeks ago, TRANSCOM and HomeSafe had reached an agreement to resolve these issues and move the program forward. HomeSafe is disappointed that it did not have the opportunity to engage with the Permanent Change of Station Joint Task Force prior to the contract being terminated without warning.
From the program’s start, HomeSafe also has faced staunch opposition from certain legacy movers. HomeSafe is considering all legal options available to it.
“My initial reaction is we have really moved ahead in ending this debacle," said Dona Overstreet.
Overstreet is the President of Security Storage and Van in Norfolk, which has worked with the DoD for decades to help military families move.
News 3 has interviewed her multiple times about how moving companies are being impacted by the DoD’s attempt to change the moving process.
Watch: Moving company presses VA members of Congress for answers to moving issues facing military families
She said now that the contract with HSA has been terminated, changes need to be made to the DoD’s old moving system.
“We’re asking for more conversations between us and TRANSCOM, and trying to get, number one, the fuel surcharge reinstated," Overstreet said.
She would also like to see the rates the DoD pays moving companies increase. As for Sissix, who was preparing to move later in the year when News 3 interviewed her for this story, she was taking the challenges in stride.
“I’m trying to help my soldiers stay calm throughout this process while also trying to move myself at the same time. So it’s going to be a work in progress over the next couple of months. We know this and we’re trying to just cope with it," said Sissix.
The DoD has created a task force to look into the military moving process and come up with a "strategic path forward" by September 2025.
