The us Department of defense has enlisted online travel Agency Priceline to create a new vacation destination for current and retired us military personnel.

The new website, American Forces Travel, will give the military community access to hotels, flights, car rentals and cruise deals. There will also be negotiating prices for holiday homes, apartments and packages for savings of up to 60 percent.

More than 1 million hotel offers will be available in more than 71,000 destinations worldwide.

The Department of defense has about 1.3 million people on active duty worldwide.

But at launch, U.S. troop Travel will be open to more than 6.5 million active and retired members of the U.S. military community.

All five units of the U.S. armed forces – including the army, marine corps, Navy, air force and coast guard-will participate in the program. Others who are eligible to become users are Medal of Honor recipients, as well as paid American red cross and USO personnel working outside the United States.

Department of defense civilians serving in the U.S. and beyond will also be able to register. Family members of all these groups will be able to use the site. 

For the first time, users will need to verify their eligibility with the Department of defense through a secure process.

Previously, employees could use travel agencies at military bases to book their vacations.

The Ministry of defence says it would like to create an online platform that is more modern, faster and accessible.

Priceline, which is part of Booking Holdings, was chosen after competitive bidding among many of the largest online travel agencies.

Priceline will continue to offer “opaque” prices for hotels, flights and car rentals, which can often bring discounts on its own website. But on American Forces Travel, users will not receive offers in which they would have to book without knowing the name of the hotel. All travel providers on American Forces Travel will be fully disclosed, says Seddin.

The servicemen ” have dedicated themselves to service and deserve our gratitude and our respect. To honor this service, we’ve negotiated deep discounts on personal travel, flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and more, ” says Brett Keller, CEO of Priceline.

American Forces Travel will also feature “packaged” booking options, which could mean savings of hundreds of dollars. Bundled options combine private prices that are usually only available with packages and that travelers cannot book on their own.

All transactions will generate a Commission. The Department of defense and Priceline would not disclose the Commission percentage, but said it would be used to support quality of life programs in each service industry.

Such programs include family and youth activities, fitness centers, sports fields and games, as well as entertainment programs. Active, reserve and guard members, as well as their families, have the right to use them. 

Part of the commissions will also go to the program “Morality”, “Welfare” and “Rest” on military bases. These programs are used to increase unit cohesion and increase individual and family readiness for service.