In the United States armed forces, a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is the official relocation of an active duty military service member—along with any family members living with her or him—to a different duty location, such as a military base. A permanent change of station applies until mooted by another PCS order, completion of active duty service, or some other such preemptive event. This should not be confused with a Permanent Change of Assignment (PCA), which describes the reassignment of active duty personnel to a new unit within the same military post.