Permanent Change of Station
Encyclopedia
In the United States armed forces
, a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is the official relocation of an active duty
military service
member—along with any family members living with her or him—to a different duty location, such as a military base
. A permanent change of station applies until muted by another PCS order, completion of active duty service, or some other such preemptive event.
This should not be confused with a Permanent Change of Assignment (PCA), which describes the reassignment of active duty personnel to a new unit within the same military post.
This term is also used for other United States government employees, such as a Foreign Service Officer
, Special Agent
, diplomats, and other civilian, non-military personnel, being stationed in embassies and consulates around the world.
In contrast, a Temporary duty assignment is a shorter-term change of station, usually less than six months.
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
, a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is the official relocation of an active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
member—along with any family members living with her or him—to a different duty location, such as a military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
. A permanent change of station applies until muted by another PCS order, completion of active duty service, or some other such preemptive event.
This should not be confused with a Permanent Change of Assignment (PCA), which describes the reassignment of active duty personnel to a new unit within the same military post.
This term is also used for other United States government employees, such as a Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
, Special Agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
, diplomats, and other civilian, non-military personnel, being stationed in embassies and consulates around the world.
In contrast, a Temporary duty assignment is a shorter-term change of station, usually less than six months.
External links
- Permanent Duty Travel (PDT) information from the DFAS