Commissary agency: 15 years of service, 140 years of history Published Oct. 17, 2006 By Dr. Peter D. Skirbunt Defense Commissary Agency historian FORT LEE, Va. (AFPN) -- The Defense C o m m i s s a r y Agency will mark its 15th anniversary Oct. 1. Congress and the Department of Defense created DeCA in 1991 by consolidating the military services' retail grocery operations into one organization. "With sales of over $5 billion, all 'at cost' to our customers, this agency continues to save taxpayer dollars while delivering a vital military benefit important to military family quality of life and the recruiting and retention of military personnel," said Patrick Nixon, DeCA Director. "The word 'DeCA' has become synonymous for leading change and achieving results. We're proud to have accomplished so much in our short lifetime as an agency." The commissary benefit itself is almost 140 years old. In 1866, Congress authorized the Army to sell food items, at cost, to officers and enlisted men, starting July 1, 1867. These sales were authorized at every Army post with a subsistence warehouse. Sales areas were simply a table or counter in the warehouse, and the official stock list was only 82 items. Starting in the early years of the 20th century, commissaries have become similar to civilian grocery stores and supermarkets in terms of both layout and the number of items offered for sale. In the last 15 years, store facilities have been further upgraded, more people have become eligible to enjoy the benefit, and customer savings have increased. In 1991, commissaries provided average customer savings of 20 percent when compared with local grocery chains. Today, the average savings are more than 30 percent.With the funding of customer surcharge dollars, the agency has strived to provide military families with a shopping experience comparable to civilian sector stores. Recently, DeCA has opened 86 new stores, remodeled or renovated 64 existing ones, and upgraded and modernized more than a hundred more. In 2007, DeCA will open its "store of the future," a prototype upon which facets of other stores will be modeled at Naval Base San Diego. The Congress-mandated surcharge has remained at 5 percent since 1983. The number of items stocked by commissaries has increased, from about 13,000 in the largest stores in 1991 to 17,000 in 2006. National Guard and Reserve personnel were granted full commissary benefits in 2004.