SELs oppose DeCA proposal

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens, a former Pensacola (Fla.) Naval Air Station command master chief, was among the top enlisted members of the three services going against the grain of the Defense Department’s proposed FY-2015 budget plan calling for reducing by two-thirds subsidies for commissaries. The inevitability of it going into affect would mean higher prices to military, military retirees and both their families shopping at Mississippi's four commissaries. MCPON Stevens recommended a major review the business practices at the Defense Commissary Agency. Under Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s plan, the Pentagon wants to cut $1 billion in taxpayer-subsidies for commissaries over the next three years (to $400 million). Source: Navy Times, 02/26/14.
(Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle note: There are DeCA commissaries located at Naval Air Station Meridian, Columbus Air Force Base, Keesler AFB and at the Gulfport Naval Construction Battalion Center.)