Defense Primer: Military Commissaries and Exchanges (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Nov. 21, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF11089 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Kristy N. Kamarck; Barbara Salazar Torreon |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Revised June 3, 2024 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised June 30, 2021 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Dec. 30, 2020 (3 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Oct. 17, 2019 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Jan. 31, 2019 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
The Department of Defense (DOD) offers certain qualityof-life benefits to military members, their families, and
retirees. The general purpose of these benefits is to attract,
retain, and support morale and readiness for military
servicemembers. One of these benefits is worldwide access
to grocery and retail stores—called commissaries and
exchanges—typically located on military installations.
Commissaries provide subsidized groceries and household
goods to eligible patrons. Exchanges sell goods for profit,
similar to a department or specialty store, but use some of
this profit to fund various Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
(MWR) activities.
The modern commissary system began in 1867. Each of the
services operated its own commissaries and exchanges until
1991, when the commissary system was consolidated under
the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). According to the
DeCA Annual Report for FY2024, as of September 30,
2024, DeCA operated 235 stores on military installations
worldwide, serving approximately 8.3 million authorized
households in 13 countries and 2 U.S. territories; and
employing a workforce of 12,963. DeCA aims to provide
food savings of over 25% compared to civilian
marketplaces. As a defense agency, DeCA reports to the
Office of the Secretary of Defense and has a board of
directors composed of members from each of the military
services. DeCA provides subsidized groceries and
household goods at cost plus a 5% surcharge that is used to
fund new commissary construction and store-level
refurbishment, maintenance, and equipment.
