Military families angry about damage, thefts during moves

Military families are complaining that this year's base transfers are the worst in memory as movers are destroying, damaging, losing and stealing their household goods.

Numerous service families told The Associated Press stories of theft, carelessness and frustration during 2018 transfers, which are done by private companies hired by the military. Nearly 100,000 military members and supporters have signed an online petition demanding improvement to a system that costs taxpayers $2.2 billion annually.

The military has no exact statistics on problem moves but says surveys show a slight drop in service members' satisfaction this year.

Pentagon spokeswoman Maj. Carla Gleason said the problems are caused by a nationwide shortage of truck drivers and a low unemployment rate that has "made it very difficult for providers to find quality labor."