The government shutdown has already affected some services on military installations, but the impact varies, according to Military Times’ review of several installation Facebook pages.
For example, family centers at some bases are open, like those at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, but classes are canceled. At Fort Riley, Kansas, the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, as well as its general Army Community Services office and outreach/mobilization office, is closed.
Child care varies. At Fort Riley, five child development centers remain open, but the Whitside North CDC for hourly care is closed.
At Kadena Air Base, Japan, its child and youth programs are open. The installation’s government housing office reports there will be potential delays to customer service. At Whidbey Island, the government housing office will have “diminished” ability to provide oversight and advocacy for military personnel during inspections of privatized housing for move-out and move-in. The government housing office at Fort Riley is closed.
Defense officials issued guidance for operations during the lapse of appropriations, which expired at midnight Sept. 30, and it’s similar to previous guidance for operations during such a shutdown.
Meanwhile, House lawmakers are pushing for specific legislation to guarantee military pay during government shutdowns. While Oct. 1 paychecks are not affected, the Oct. 15 paychecks would be affected, unless House and Senate lawmakers can reach a new short-term funding agreement.
According to DOD guidance, officials expect to furlough about half of the 741,477 civilian employees, which also affects some operations on base.
Here’s some general information about operations during the shutdown.
Military personnel
Active-duty troops, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, are required to continue reporting for duty, but their paychecks will stop as of Oct. 15 unless a new funding deal is reached. Military retirees and annuitants would continue to receive their pay, which is funded from a different source.
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., has introduced legislation to ensure that troops, including the Coast Guard, would continue receiving pay and benefits in the event of a government shutdown. That authority would continue until regular appropriations are passed into law, or until Jan. 1, 2027. To date, 56 lawmakers have signed on to support the proposed Pay Our Troops Act of 2026. The bipartisan push also would guarantee pay and allowances for civilian personnel at the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security who directly support service members and contractors providing mission-essential support to troops.
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The shutdown could also delay some specialty pays and stipends.
Certain DOD programs and activities may be excepted from being shut down, based on national security requirements to be determined. One example is activities in direct support of military operations and activities, including those forces assigned to combatant commands.
Among the highest priorities, according to DOD guidance, are operations to secure the U.S. southern border; Middle East operations; Golden Dome; depot maintenance; shipbuilding; and critical munitions.
The shutdown also limits permanent change of station moves for military personnel. Moves are primarily limited to troops moving to an excepted activity — activities granted an exemption from the shutdown.
Temporary duty travel and conference participation should be canceled, with some exceptions.
Civilian defense workers
Unlike troops, not all civilian defense staffers are required to keep working in the event of a shutdown. DOD civilian personnel who aren’t necessary to carry out or support excepted activities are furloughed; only the minimum number of civilian employees necessary to carry out those activities are excepted from furlough.
Some DOD civilians are required to work without pay; others continue to work and get paid because they aren’t paid by annual appropriations. Government employees are guaranteed back pay after the shutdown ends, but the situation still causes uncertainty and financial hardship in some cases.
This also affects thousands of military spouses who work as civilians for many government agencies.
Military medical
Inpatient care in DOD medical treatment facilities continues, as does critical medical and dental outpatient care in medical and dental facilities. Elective surgery and other elective procedures aren’t exempted, and could be postponed or cancelled.
Private sector health care under Tricare isn’t affected by a shutdown, and specialty medical care for wounded warriors would continue. However, office hours could be curtailed because of staffing issues.
Child care and MWR
Child care may be decided base by base, depending on installation staffing and demands. Families should contact their local installation child development center and check the installation’s social media pages for updates. Generally, family child care homes aren’t affected.
Morale, welfare and recreation activities that receive any taxpayer funding will operate during a shutdown if they are deemed necessary to support essential operations. That includes mess halls, physical training and “child care activities required for readiness.”
Nonessential activities could be shuttered.
Military exchanges
Activities and organizations funded entirely by nonappropriated funds, such as the military exchanges and many MWR activities, will generally remain open. The exchanges are largely funded by sales revenue, not taxpayer dollars. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, for example, operates more than 5,000 facilities, including exchange stores, convenience stores, gas stations, food courts and malls in the U.S. and more than 30 countries.
Part of the military exchanges’ profits go to help fund some MWR activities.
DOD schools
Previously, schools around the world operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity continued educating children during a shutdown. However, sporting events and extracurricular activities, including sports practices, can only continue if they are fully funded by nonappropriated funds. At Kadena Air Base, for example, sports and extracurricular activities are canceled.
Commissaries
Military grocery stores should not be affected unless the shutdown lasts several months. Defense Working Capital Fund activities, which include the Defense Commissary Agency, are allowed to continue operating until cash reserves are exhausted. For commissaries, that would be about 60 days, unless cash reserves run out before then.
Defense officials have also provided exceptions for the 58 overseas commissaries, including Puerto Rico and Guam, to allow them to stay open, and sites “determined to be in remote U.S. locations where no other sources of food are reasonably available for military personnel.” According to the American Logistics Association, those identified as remote are Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California; Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska; and Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. Those commissaries with exceptions must continue to operate even after working capital fund cash reserves are exhausted.
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Veterans Affairs operations
Hours and appointment availability could be changed because of the budget impasse, but VA hospitals will remain open and operational.
Some department information hotlines could be shuttered during a shutdown, and some VA central office staff would be furloughed until new funding is approved. But compared to other departments, the impact on overall VA operations would be minimal.
We’ve covered just a few of the general impacts here. Check with your installation officials about specific effects.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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