DCUC’s Sub-Councils: Past, present and future

We recently wrapped our 2022 Overseas Sub-Council Conference in Florence, Italy. Sub-Councils are an important part of DCUC’s work because they give us an opportunity to focus on regional issues. While serving the military and veteran communities is our common mission, this can look different depending on where you are. The needs of a veteran in Oklahoma will be different than a junior enlisted officer serving in Germany. DCUC’s sub-councils bring together credit unions that share common challenges and allow member credit unions to discuss and share actionable information and knowledge, thus meeting the unique needs of every member.

In 1967, six defense credit unions – Pease Air Force Base FCU, NH; Fort Belvoir FCU, VA; Finance Center FCU, IN; Lackland Air Force Base, TX; Redstone Arsenal FCU, AL; and Andrews Air Force Base FCU – were granted authorization by the Department of Defense to establish branches on installations in  West Germany. This authorization came after extensive efforts from DCUC and its partners. It required coordination between the DoD, the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions (now known as the NCUA), and the State Department. The authorization to serve overseas quickly expanded from West Germany to England, Italy, Korea, the Philippines, and beyond. In 1969, four additional credit unions were authorized to operate: Keesler FCU, MS; Barksdale FCU, LA; San Diego Navy FCU, CA; and Fairchild FCU, WA.

While the program started in 1967, after just a little over a year in February 1969 the program was already an overwhelming success. In just that short period of time, these credit unions loaned $26 million, enrolled 43,000 members, and deposited over $5 million!

 

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