{"id":12583,"date":"2026-08-01T19:29:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=12583"},"modified":"2026-08-01T19:29:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:29:29","slug":"quality-of-life-on-the-front-lines-exchange-accelerates-mission-support-in-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/08\/01\/quality-of-life-on-the-front-lines-exchange-accelerates-mission-support-in-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Quality of Life on the Front Lines: Exchange Accelerates Mission Support in Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

USAG HUMPHREYS \u2013 <\/strong>Army & Air Force Exchange Service Director\/CEO Brad Bingham visited Exchange locations across Korea last week, meeting with associates and leaders on the ground to hear firsthand how the Department of War\u2019s largest retailer is supporting Warfighters and their families across the peninsula.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cConnecting with military communities and listening to associates are vital,\u201d Bingham said. \u201cSeeing operations in person and being out in the community goes a long way in helping us accelerate and optimize mission support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bingham, President\/Chief Operating Officer Marla Randolph and Pacific Region Commander Col. Jason Beck visited nearly 30 Exchange sites across Korea\u2014from the bakery and distribution center at USAG Humphreys to the Express at Camp Bonifas, which is only about 1,300 feet from the Korean\u00a0Demilitarized Zone. They also visited Camp Casey and Camp Hovey, talking with Exchange associates and managers about the importance of bringing convenience, value and a taste of home to Warfighters and families.<\/p>\n

During the team\u2019s stop at Humphreys, Bingham met with Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, Eighth Army commanding general, to discuss sustained support after implementation of a new tour model last fall for Soldiers serving in South Korea.<\/p>\n

Standard accompanied tour lengths have been extended from 24 months to 36 months, and unaccompanied tours are now 24 months. Extending the duration of accompanied and unaccompanied tours is expected to reduce Soldier turnover and improve Quality of Life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur priority is to stay in lockstep with the mission so Exchange support can continue to be a true Quality-of-Life force multiplier for those on the peninsula,\u201d Bingham said.<\/p>\n

Across Korea, the Exchange supports nearly 55,000 authorized shoppers affiliated with all branches of service with five department stores, 18 Express convenience stores, seven Military Clothing stores, four movie theaters and more than 450 concession partners.<\/p>\n

Exchange support goes beyond retail. As an official provider of meals for the Department of War Education Activity, the Exchange served nearly 600,000 meals to students attending eight schools in South Korea last year. Meals are offered in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s nutrition standards. Whole grains, lean proteins, fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk are offered daily.<\/p>\n

The Exchange\u2019s bakery at Humphreys supports the meal program and more than 130 other facilities across Korea, including dining facilities and restaurants for all branches of Service, commissaries and morale, welfare and recreation programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a nutritional readiness standpoint, having a bakery on Humphreys keeps food secure as ingredients, production and visitors are tightly controlled,\u201d Bingham said.<\/p>\n

The Exchange continues to invest in the customer experience across Korea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are finalizing requirements to open our first mental health clinics at Humphreys as well as Osan and Kadena Air Bases,\u201d Bingham said. \u201cThe clinics, with U.S.-licensed clinicians, will be open to military families, retirees, Veterans and Department of War civilians and retirees.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Humphreys, a second Panda Express location is planned\u2014and the restaurant will have a drive-thru. Three Express stores are adding an Express Kitchen, making quality grab-and-go meals convenient. At Camp Casey, renovations of the main Exchange and shopping center are in progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese upgrades are all about improving\u00a0daily\u00a0Quality of\u00a0Life for\u00a0troops\u00a0and families,\u201d Bingham said. \u201cIn 2025, shopping with the Exchange in Korea generated more than $7 million for the Services\u2019 Quality-of-Life programs. It truly does matter where you shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 60th-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In 2025, the Exchange generated $307 million for military Quality-of-Life programs. In the last 10 years, the Exchange has returned $2.4 billion to military communities. The Exchange is a nonappropriated fund entity of the Department of War and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on X at https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

USAG HUMPHREYS \u2013 Army & Air Force Exchange Service Director\/CEO Brad Bingham visited Exchange locations across Korea last week, meeting with associates and leaders on the ground to hear firsthand how the Department of War\u2019s largest retailer is supporting Warfighters and their families across the peninsula. \u00a0\u201cConnecting with military communities and listening to associates are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":12584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[361,24,310,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eg","category-executive_leadership","category-pacific-region","category-press_releases"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/08\/01\/quality-of-life-on-the-front-lines-exchange-accelerates-mission-support-in-korea\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Quality of Life on the Front Lines: Exchange Accelerates Mission Support in Korea","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/08\/01\/quality-of-life-on-the-front-lines-exchange-accelerates-mission-support-in-korea\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/08\/01\/quality-of-life-on-the-front-lines-exchange-accelerates-mission-support-in-korea\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/Bingham-PAC.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/Bingham-PAC.jpeg"},"articleSection":"EG","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julie Mitchell"}],"creator":["Julie Mitchell"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-08-02T00:29:29Z","datePublished":"2026-08-02T00:29:29Z","dateModified":"2026-08-02T00:29:29Z"},"rendered":"