Despite the rumors, Defense Department officials haven’t yet made a decision on whether to expand shopping privileges at their discount grocery stores to all DOD civilians.

An ongoing pilot program at 16 commissaries , launched in December 2024, is still scheduled to run through the end of the year, according to commissary officials. As of Aug. 12, sales have increased at the pilot stores by 4.98%, or $11.4 million, since then.

The pilot program is designed to test the feasibility of expanding commissary access to DOD civilians at all commissaries in the continental United States. But shoppers in at least one location in Hawaii were under the mistaken impression that DOD civilians would be allowed to shop there as of Aug. 15. A posting at the Pearl Harbor commissary before that date in

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