Defense Commissary Agency
The Defense Commissary Agency is an agency of the Federal government of the United States which is under the authority of the Department of Defense. The function of the Defense Commissary Agency is to provide civilian goods to military personnel, at reduced cost prices, in particular to those military members who are stationed outside the borders of the United States of America. Known also as the "DCA", the Defense Commissary Agency is the supervisory authority for clothing, food, and shopping establishments on military bases. Such stores are known by the term "Commissary", but also as the "Exchange" on United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Corps bases. The term "PX" (Post Exchange) is used to refer to commissaries of the U.S. Army and United States Air Force. The origins of the Defnese Commissary Agency can trace to the Second World War, when a rise in black market activity prompted the United States War Department to consider a central office through which goods and services could be provided to deployed soldiers, seamen, and airmen who would otherwise seek such goods through illegal means. The Defense Commissary Agency is a civilian agency but does employ United States armed forces personnel for liaison fuctions. Most such military personnel are from the Quartermaster and Supply Corps branches of the military services. The DCA also issues a limited series of awards and decorations, the highest of which is the Defense Commissary Agency Distinguished Service Medal.
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