As the British Army withdraws from Germany by 2019 the UK is going have to find space for essentially two whole divisions of service personnel, their families and a plethora of equipment.
This is part of the Army 2020 restructuring and requires considerable commitment to enhancing military accommodation over the next three years.
But if not handled efficiently, the process could become a logistical nightmare.
Southern England will bear the brunt of the redeployment. Aldershot, the traditional home of the British Army, will host a total of 4,000 troops. And the six bases spread across Salisbury Plain will accommodate another 15,000.
Eastern England with the force's focus around Colchester will host 3,500. Further north the Midlands will house 9,000 and the northeast 7,500.
Scotland by contrast only gets 4,000 – which has led to some muttering amongst Scottish nationalists.
Reabsorbing equipment from Germany will also be a major task. Defence Support Group facilities at Andover, Ashchurch and Donnington will be kept busy, as will their onsite services at the various barracks.
In particular DSG acts as the main storage provider for equipment that needs to be kept in a controlled humidity environment.
This rationalisation of the military estate means that seven sites are to be disposed of.
In addition Marchwood Military Port is to be sold off, but the MoD intends to lease it back rather than relocate the vital Sea Mounting Centre.
The latter has been instrumental in supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as maintaining the garrisons in Cyprus and Germany.
In recent years the Royal Navy has greatly enhanced its sealift capabilities in order to move the army's heavy equipment.
DIO intends to upgrade 800 rooms for single soldiers and 450 homes for families at sites being used to relocate forces from Germany.
However this is just a drop in the ocean as DIO is going to spend £1bn building 7,800 new rooms for single soldiers and 1,900 family homes.
There is an air of urgency to all this as the bulk of the withdrawal from Germany is to be completed by 2016. Whether such an ambitious building programme can be completed by then remains to be seen.
In Hampshire and Wiltshire the county and district councils and police will be bracing themselves to cope with the inevitable problems that will come with such a large influx of people.
Health and social services are also likely to feel the strain at a time when public spending is being cut back.
While retaining military salaries in the UK will be good for the economy, inevitably communities will have to take the rough with the smooth as the bedding in process settles down.
