What is a military PCS move, and how does it work through a Georgia base?

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A Permanent Change of Station, or PCS, is the military relocation of a service member from one duty station to another, typically for an assignment lasting a few years. Unlike a move you book on your own, a PCS runs on official orders, official channels, and a set of entitlements, and it cannot start until those orders arrive. If you are reporting to or leaving a Georgia installation such as Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Robins Air Force Base, or another in-state base, the structure is the same as it is anywhere: the process is managed through the military’s relocation system, not arranged ad hoc.

This page is a general orientation. Entitlement amounts, weight allowances, reimbursement rules, and program details change over time, so treat the specifics below as a map of the process, not a quote. Confirm everything that applies to your situation through official military relocation resources.

Where a PCS begins

The starting point is your orders. They authorize the move and carry the entitlement information that everything else depends on. Once you have them, you coordinate through official channels rather than calling a mover directly:

  • The Defense Personal Property System (DPS), the platform used to schedule the move, track the shipment, and file claims.
  • Your installation’s transportation office or personal property office, which provides guidance specific to your move.
  • The Relocation Assistance Program on base, which offers briefings and one-on-one support before you go.

A Georgia base fits into this the same way any installation does. You work through the transportation office serving that installation rather than navigating the move alone.

The two main ways a PCS move happens

A PCS generally takes one of two forms, and you may combine them.

  1. A government-arranged household goods (HHG) move, where the military coordinates a contracted moving company to handle the relocation.
  2. A personally procured move (PPM), where you organize and manage the move yourself. This gives you more control but puts more of the logistics and paperwork on you.

Some service members do a combined move, using military-arranged services for part of the shipment and handling the rest themselves. Which path makes sense depends on your timeline, your household, and the entitlements tied to your orders, which is exactly why the transportation office is the right place to weigh it.

A note on the current process

The military’s household goods program has been reorganized, and oversight now runs through a dedicated personal property organization. For service members, the practical effect is that the move is handled through the personal property and transportation offices on the installation. That makes your local office, working alongside DPS, the authoritative source for how your specific move proceeds.

What to do as you plan

Start as soon as orders are in hand, because scheduling windows fill quickly during peak summer months. Use DPS and your transportation office to set up the move, understand your current entitlements, and decide between a government-arranged move and a personally procured one. Keep copies of your orders, inventories, and any move paperwork, since those documents support both your reimbursement and any later claim.

The single most reliable step is also the simplest: route every question about entitlements, timelines, and procedures through the official channels for your installation. Program rules shift, and the transportation office and DPS will always have the current version. Follow those channels first, and the rest of the PCS falls into a clear sequence.

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