Photo By Wesley Burgos | PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — From left, Joanne Lilo, transportation officer; Nicole...... read more read more
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Readiness can start long before a ship gets underway or an aircraft launch. Sometimes it starts with a conversation and a relationship built before there is a problem to solve.
At NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor’s Joint Personal Property Shipping Office (JPPSO) Hawaii, those relationships are put to work every day.
From May through August 2026, the JPPSO Hawaii Personal Property Department submitted 1,630 shipment applications for booking, supporting service members and families moving to and from Hawaii. During the same period, the Shipment Management Department booked 4,456 shipments.
As the office comes out of the annual peak permanent change of station season, JPPSO Hawaii is taking stock of one of its busiest periods of the year. The office coordinates the movement of household goods for service members and families from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard moving to and from Hawaii.
The work brings together military personnel, transportation companies, carriers and local moving agents across multiple organizations and locations. During peak season, when move volume increases and time is limited, established relationships can make the difference between waiting for an answer and finding a solution.
“During peak season, the most important relationship is the one we have within our JPPSO team. The demands can be challenging, and there will always be moments of stress or disagreement, but what matters is how we support one another and work through those challenges together. We communicate, resolve conflicts, share the most current information, and make sure no one feels like they are carrying the workload alone,” said Joanne Lilo, transportation officer, JPPSO Hawaii.
At JPPSO Hawaii, that teamwork is part of how the office approaches its mission.
“At JPPSO Hawai‘i, ‘Ohana is more than just a word, it is who we are. It means looking out for one another, stepping in when someone needs help, celebrating each other’s successes, and getting through the difficult days together. We may not always agree, but at the end of the day, we are one team, one ‘Ohana, working toward the same mission,” Lilo said.
For Nicole Gumban, personal property supervisor, JPPSO Hawaii, strong relationships also provide a practical advantage when service members need answers quickly.
“Relationships or the lack can either help or hinder when you are in a moment of crunch,” Gumban said. “I’ve been with NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor JPPSO Personal Property for seven years. I spent the first five years as an entitlements counselor and have been a supervisor for the past two years. During that time, I’ve learned that who you know matters when you’re looking for an answer for a service member sitting in front of you.”
During peak season, the office often has little time to find answers to complex problems.
“We often need immediate solutions to complex problems, and the relationships we’ve built over time can be a major factor in how successfully we resolve those challenges,” Gumban said.
For Capt. Anthony P. Bannister, commanding officer, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, that ability to communicate and solve problems is directly connected to readiness.
“Readiness starts with relationships,” Bannister said. “Talking with people creates awareness of possible logistical solutions and provides a deeper understanding of what our customers need to accomplish their missions. By strengthening relationships with our customers, we enable meaningful discussions and proper planning before challenges occur. When the team is faced with challenges, those relationships ensure we are ready, aligned and prepared to execute.”
Those relationships extend beyond the office and into Hawaii’s local transportation industry.
Moving household goods to or from Hawaii is more than a change of address. It can involve transportation by land, sea and air, multiple organizations and coordination across thousands of miles. JPPSO Hawaii works with transportation service providers and carriers as well as 10 local moving agents that support household goods shipments on the island.
“Coming through peak PCS season really reinforced for me how important our relationships with our local transportation partners are,” Lilo said. “When an issue comes up, we can pick up the phone and communicate directly with someone here on island who understands our environment and the challenges we face.”
That local connection can be especially valuable when a military family needs help quickly.
One situation during this year’s peak season showed what that relationship can accomplish.
A service member and spouse contacted JPPSO because they were concerned that not enough time was being spent at their residence and worried their move would not be completed on schedule.
As JPPSO already had an established relationship with the local moving company, the team was able to communicate directly with the company and discuss the family’s concerns.
“Although the company was operating within requirements, they adjusted their schedule and sent a full crew the next day, including their general manager, who personally assisted with the packing,” Lilo said. “Having management out in the field during peak season demonstrates a company’s attention to going above and beyond for customer service.”
By the third day, the situation had changed.
“The member contacted our quality assurance office and said an inspector was no longer necessary because the move was going smoothly,” Lilo said. “For me, that was a great example of what a strong working relationship can accomplish. The company wasn’t required to make those additional adjustments, but they understood the concern and worked with us to take care of the family.”
For military families, a moving issue is more than a delay in packing schedule. It is one more uncertainty during a major life transition.
That interaction represents only one part of a much larger process.
“I wish our customers had a better understanding of what really goes into making a move happen,” Gumban said. “What they see is just a small piece of a much larger logistical puzzle that has to come together to get their household goods from one geographic location to another.”
The scale of that effort is reflected in the numbers. From May through August, JPPSO Hawaii conducted 9,508 quality assurance inspections and processed 16,979 invoices totaling more than $132.3 million.
During the same period, 4,145 customers received 5,177 inbound shipments containing more than 20.2 million pounds of personal property. For outbound moves, 5,187 customers had 6,240 shipments picked up, totaling more than 27.7 million pounds of personal property.
“There are a lot of complex issues we work through every day, and our geographic location adds another layer of challenges,” Gumban said. “Operating in Hawaii with a limited number of government approved transportation providers and available warehouse storage space can create challenges and frustration when families are waiting for their household goods to be picked up or delivered.”
“There are a lot of people working behind the scenes to make each move happen, and sometimes the challenges we are working through are not visible to the family.”
Those challenges are not confined to the office.
JPPSO quality assurance specialists travel throughout Oahu to inspect household goods pickups and deliveries at service members’ residences. Their work puts them alongside transportation representatives during critical points in the moving process, where direct communication can help address concerns and identify issues before they become larger problems.
Household goods moving between Hawaii and the continental United States can involve multiple transportation requirements and organizations, making coordination essential from pickup through delivery.
When capacity is limited, those relationships become even more important.
“There are times when capacity is extremely limited or companies are already fully booked, but we may receive a priority or short notice requirement that still needs support,” Lilo said. “Having established relationships gives us the ability to communicate directly with our partners, explain the situation and see what can be done to fully support the mission.”
That relationship works both ways.
“We provide guidance and support to our industry partners to help them understand requirements and maintain compliance, and they work with us to meet the needs of our military families,” Lilo said. “Ultimately, we are all part of the same network, and maintaining those relationships helps us support our customers while contributing to Navy and joint force readiness.”
The connection between household goods and readiness may not be obvious, but it becomes clear from the perspective of the service member preparing for the next assignment.
“I absolutely see household goods as part of the readiness mission,” Lilo said. “When service members know their families and personal property are being taken care of, it allows them to focus on their next assignment and the mission ahead.”
Readiness is forged through communication, coordination and relationships built before a challenge becomes a crisis. Peak PCS season puts those relationships to the test, but their value extends well beyond the busiest months of the year.
At NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor and JPPSO Hawaii, readiness starts with relationships and service is delivered with aloha.
As one of 11 commands within the NAVSUP Enterprise, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor enables forward operations and sustains fleet readiness throughout the Indo-Pacific. Naval Supply Systems Command provides supply, acquisition and logistics support to the Navy and joint force worldwide. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs military and civilian personnel across the globe. Together, NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable global supply chain management, acquisition, operational logistics, and Sailor and family services in partnership with the fleet to generate readiness and sustain naval forces.
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2026 13:40 |
| Story ID: | 574180 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Building Readiness Through Relationships, by Wesley Burgos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
