Military Community and Family Program Support for Quality of Life

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organizations, who also testify today. This team, with many new players, brings a wealthof experience and commitment to guide their organizations and to work together toguarantee future success.APPROPRIATED BUDGET REQUESTSThe President’s budget submission continues the Department’s strong support forService members and their families. The Fiscal Year 2009 President’s Budget requests$4.006 billion to operate the commissary, exchange, MWR, child care and youthprograms. The DeCA FY 2009 budget request is $1.2911 billion, which covers the$1.3009 billion operating budget, adjusted for prior years. The $245.6 million requestedfor the Armed Service Exchanges includes $179.5 million to fully support transportationrequirements to ship U.S. procured goods to overseas locations, as is required by the law.The Military Departments request $2.1 billion for direct support of the MWR programs,with $969 million designated to support child and youth development programs. Inaddition, the Fiscal Year 2009 budget requests $375.1 million of MILCON and $138million of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) funding for commissary, child care,fitness, recreation, and lodging facilities.RESALE SYSTEM OVERSIGHTThe commissaries and exchanges exist as government entities to deliver resultsthat can not be entirely furnished by the private sector. We must, therefore, continue todemonstrate that our commissaries and exchanges, individually and in aggregate, aremeeting the needs of our Service members and are contributing positively to recruiting,retention, and readiness. We set long term goals and monitor program performancethrough the DeCA Board of Directors, the respective Exchange Boards, and within myoffice. The commissary and exchange performance are components of the Quality of8
Life Social Compact Improvement Index in the Performance Accountability Report andthe Department’s Annual Report to the President and the Congress.The Defense Manpower Data Center periodically surveys our customers tounderstand how they value commissary and exchange benefits. In addition, theDepartment uses the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a nationallyrecognized measure of customer satisfaction that includes the largest U.S. retailers, as ageneral measure of satisfaction with the commissary and exchange benefits. These tools,along with the customer satisfaction assessments by the commissaries and exchanges,help us identify improvement opportunities. The Department is encouraged by theResale systems’ initiatives to invest in technologies, partner with other programs, andexpand communication channels that will give customers more information about bestvalue and better access to their resale benefits.Executive Resale Board. The Executive Resale Board advises the USD(P&R) onthe complementary operation of commissary and exchange systems. Since its membersmay also serve on the Commissary Operating Board and the Exchange boards, theExecutive Resale Board provides valuable insight where there are mutual interests. TheExecutive Resale Board reviews joint construction projects, resale information systemstandards, resale cooperative efforts, combined store operations, and evaluatesmerchandise authorized for sale, including the results of the impulse merchandise test incommissaries.We recently reported the two-year test results for the ten commissaries sellingfilm, one-time use cameras, and telephone cards. Although we have not ruled out sellingother items in the commissaries, the test did not indicate strong customer support for thecommissaries to continue selling these particular items. Also, based on Boardrecommendations, the Department initiated a process to resolve competing interests overmerchandise that is not clearly delineated between commissaries and exchanges. Thesereviews, along with the recent evaluations of combined stores, have encouraged progressin other areas that may provide value to commissary and exchange patrons worldwide.9
Page 1 and 2: WRITTEN STATEMENTBYLESLYE A. ARSHTD
Page 3 and 4: have 660,000 children. Statistics s
Page 5 and 6: PROGRESS AND OUTLOOKWe are managing
Page 7: Collectively, these programs contri
Page 11 and 12: service and maximize efficiencies i
Page 13 and 14: forwarded an “out of cycle” req
Page 15 and 16: Domestic Dependent Elementary and S
Page 17 and 18: military installation. There are pl
Page 19 and 20: Supplemental Civilian Human Resourc
Page 23 and 24: provide savings to the customer and
Page 25 and 26: capabilities of the Department's 20
Page 27 and 28: Return and Recreate: The Department
Page 29 and 30: support deployed Marines and famili
Page 31: CONCLUSIONMadam Chairwoman, I would

Military Community and Family Program Support for Quality of Life

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