1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated June 30, 2021Defense Primer: Military Commissaries and ExchangesThe Department of Defense (DOD) offers certain quality-of-life benefits to military members, their families, and retirees. The general purpose of these benefits is to attract, retain, and support
2、morale and readiness for military servicemembers. One of these benefits is worldwide access to grocery and retail storescalled commissaries and exchangestypically located on military installations. Commissaries provide subsidized groceries and household goods to eligible patrons. Exchanges sell good
3、s for profit, similar to a department or specialty store, but use some of this profit to fund various Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) activities (See Table 1). Organization and Management Defense Commissaries The modern commissary system began in 1867. Each of the services operated its own com
4、missaries and exchanges until 1991, when the commissary system was consolidated under the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). According to the DeCA Annual Report for FY2020, as of September 30, 2020, DeCA operated 236 stores on military installations worldwide, including in 13 countries and 2 U.S. ter