| Defense Commissary Agency |
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The Defense Commissary Agency is an agency of the United States Department Of Defense . The function of the Defense Commissary Agency is to provide civilian goods to military members and their families, at reduced cost prices, in particular to those who are stationed outside the continental United States or on military installations in high-cost areas of the U.S. Headquartered at Fort Lee , Virginia , the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is the supervisory authority for nearly 280 grocery establishments on U.S. military installations worldwide. Such stores are known as " Commissaries " and, on permanent military installations, function much the same as a typical civilian supermarket in the United States. Prices to patrons at a military commissary are at cost, plus a five percent surcharge to the total to pay for building maintenance and construction. This results in significant savings compared with civilian supermarkets; savings average over 30% or over $2,700 a year for a family of four. Most military members and other authorized patrons consider it one of the best benefits available. Commissaries do not offer items not typically stocked at a civilian supermarket; non-grocery items such as clothing and televisions are instead sold on military installations at a store called an Exchange not under DeCA control. The origins of DeCA are traced to the Second World War , when a rise in Black Market activity prompted the United States War Department to consider a central office through which goods and services could be provided to deployed servicemembers who would otherwise seek such goods through illegal means. The Defense Commissary Agency is a civilian agency but does employ United States Armed Forces personnel for liaison fuctions, mostly from the Quartermaster and Supply Corps branches of the military services. DeCA also issues a limited series of awards and decorations, the highest of which is the Defense Commissary Agency Distinguished Service Medal . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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