Philpott: Documents show Hagel's plans for commissaries

http://gazette.com/philpott-documents-show-hagels-plans-for-commissaries/article/1516539

Philpott: Documents show Hagel's plans for commissaries
by TOM PHILPOTT Military Update - • Published: March 16, 2014 | 2:00 pm

Behind the plan to slash taxpayer support of commissaries is a concept Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his senior advisors have embraced that base grocery stores should operate as a business and not a benefit.

This shift is candidly revealed in budget documents released Tuesday and in a legislative packet for implementing the funding cuts drafted by the Defense Commissary Agency.

The documents make clear that individual stateside commissaries will survive only if they produce enough revenue to cover operating costs.

~snip~

"We are not shutting down any commissaries. We recommend gradually phasing out some subsidies but only for domestic commissaries that are not in remote locations," the defense chief said. Because stateside stores "will continue to operate tax-and-rent free, they will still be able to provide people with a very good deal."