Exchange’s 2020 Mission Report Chronicles Unprecedented Support of Military Communities During Pandemic

The Exchange’s 2020 Mission Report details how the Department of Defense’s largest exchange service protected and strengthened military shoppers’ hard-earned benefits during an unprecedented year.

The Exchange is giving Warfighters, military families and stakeholders an inside look at efforts to serve those who serve during the COVID-19 pandemic with the release of its 2020 Mission Report.

The annual report recounts the Department of Defense retailer’s agility in protecting and strengthening the Exchange benefit as COVID-19 transformed the day-to-day lives of Warfighters and their families.

“With 100% of Exchange earnings supporting the military community, it matters where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families shop,” said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull. “Thanks to military shoppers’ continued investment in their communities and prudent financial management, the Exchange is on track for growth in the post-pandemic era, continuing to honor its nearly 126-year commitment to improve Quality of Life for Warfighters and their families.”

The Exchange ended the 2020 fiscal year with $7.5 billion in revenue and $218 million in dividend-eligible earnings. Installations worldwide received $153 million in dividends that support critical Quality-of-Life programs such as Child, Youth and School Services; Armed Forces Recreation Centers; and more. In the past 10 years, the Exchange has distributed more than $2.1 billion to such programs.

The report also details the Exchange’s efforts to:

• Ensure a safe, sanitized and secure access to necessities during the pandemic.
• Provide military children attending school virtually overseas with grab-and-go meals.
• Establish a personal shopper program for quarantined troops.
• Launch curbside pickup and aggressively expand in-store pickup services.
• Deploy mobile field exchanges, 53-foot-stores on wheels.
• Launch the Digital Garrison app, a one-stop resource for installation-specific information in partnership with U.S. Army Installation Management Command.
• Support military communities through nine hurricanes and tropical storms.
• Provide meaningful career opportunities for Veterans and military spouses, drawing closer to its goal to hire 50,000 Veterans and spouses.

Financials included in the Exchange’s 2020 Mission Report are audited by EY, a third-party global financial services company. The report can be found at the Exchange’s online Community Hub at https://publicaffairs-sme.com/Community.