United States Army Materiel Command

U.S. Army Materiel Command
Active1962–present
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeArmy Command
RoleDevelops, maintains, and supports materiel capabilities for the Army[1]
Sizemore than 60,000 military and civilians
Garrison/HQRedstone Arsenal
Motto(s)If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, communicates with it, or eats it – AMC provides it.
MarchArsenal for the Brave[2]
WebsiteAMC — The Army's Materiel Integrator www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/commandstructure/amc/
Commanders
Current
commander
LTG Christopher Mohan (acting)[3]
Command Sergeant MajorCSM Jimmy J. Sellers
Notable
commanders
Frank S. Besson, Jr.
Ferdinand J. Chesarek
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) is the primary provider of materiel to the United States Army. The Command's mission includes the management of installations, as well as maintenance and parts distribution.

AMC operates depots; arsenals; ammunition plants; and other facilities, and maintains the Army's prepositioned stocks, both on land and afloat.[4]

The command is also the Department of Defense Executive Agent for the chemical weapons stockpile and for conventional ammunition.

AMC is responsible for the business of selling United States Army equipment and services to allies of the United States and negotiates and implements agreements for co-production of U.S. weapons systems by other states.

History

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AMC was established on 8 May 1962 and was activated on 1 August of that year as a major field command of the U.S. Army. Lieutenant General Frank S. Besson, Jr., who directed the implementation of the Department of Army study that recommended creation of a "materiel development and logistics command", served as its first commander.

On Aug. 1, 1962, the various field activities and installations were transferred to AMC and the command became fully operational.

They came primarily from six of the technical services: Chief Chemical Officer, Chief of Engineers, Chief of Ordnance (the largest single source of AMC installations), the Quartermaster General, Chief Signal Officer, and the Chief of Transportation.[5] The seventh Technical Service, The Surgeon General, provided one medical depot, and several other installations and activities came from Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA) Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, the Continental Army Command, and the Chief of Research and Development.

Between January 1976 and August 1984, AMC was officially designated the United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command (commonly referred to as DARCOM).[6]

In December 2024, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, "in a dramatic and rare move," dismissed General Charles R. Hamilton, the AMC commanding general, following an Army investigation that concluded he had improperly intervened to arrange a battalion command position for a female lieutenant colonel he favoured.[7]

Locations

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AMC is currently headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and has operations in approximately 149 locations worldwide including more than 49 American States and 50 countries. AMC employs upwards of 70,000 military and civilian employees. AMC was located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia between 2003 and 2005 before being relocated to Alabama by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. From 1973 to 2003, AMC was headquartered in a building at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia, and prior to 1973, it was headquartered at what is now Reagan National Airport.[8]

Commanders

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General Charles R. Hamilton assumes command of AMC from General Edward M. Daly on 16 March 2023.
No. Commander[9] Term
Portrait Name Took office Left office Term length
1
Frank S. Besson Jr.
General
Frank S. Besson Jr.
2 April 196210 March 19696 years, 342 days
2
Ferdinand J. Chesarek
General
Ferdinand J. Chesarek
10 March 19691 November 19701 year, 236 days
3
Henry A. Miley Jr.
General
Henry A. Miley Jr.
1 November 197012 February 19754 years, 103 days
4
John R. Deane Jr.
General
John R. Deane Jr.
12 February 19751 February 19771 year, 355 days
5
George Sammet Jr.[10]
Lieutenant General
George Sammet Jr.[10]
1 February 19771 May 197789 days
6
John R. Guthrie
General
John R. Guthrie
1 May 19771 August 19814 years, 92 days
7
Donald R. Keith
General
Donald R. Keith
1 August 198129 June 19842 years, 333 days
8
Richard H. Thompson
General
Richard H. Thompson
29 June 198413 April 19872 years, 288 days
9
Louis C. Wagner Jr.
General
Louis C. Wagner Jr.
13 April 198727 September 19892 years, 167 days
10
William G.T. Tuttle Jr.
General
William G.T. Tuttle Jr.
27 September 198931 January 19922 years, 126 days
11
Jimmy D. Ross
General
Jimmy D. Ross
31 January 199211 February 19942 years, 11 days
12
Leon E. Salomon
General
Leon E. Salomon
11 February 199427 March 19962 years, 45 days
13
Johnnie E. Wilson
General
Johnnie E. Wilson
27 March 199614 May 19993 years, 48 days
14
John G. Coburn
General
John G. Coburn
14 May 199930 October 20012 years, 169 days
15
Paul J. Kern
General
Paul J. Kern
30 October 20015 November 20043 years, 6 days
16
Benjamin S. Griffin
General
Benjamin S. Griffin
5 November 200414 November 20084 years, 9 days
17
Ann E. Dunwoody
General
Ann E. Dunwoody
14 November 200828 June 20123 years, 227 days
18
Dennis L. Via
General
Dennis L. Via
28 June 201230 September 20164 years, 94 days
19
Gustave F. Perna
General
Gustave F. Perna
30 September 20162 July 20203 years, 276 days
20
Edward M. Daly
General
Edward M. Daly
2 July 202016 March 20232 years, 257 days
21
Charles R. Hamilton
General
Charles R. Hamilton
16 March 202322 March 20241 year, 6 days
-
Christopher Mohan
Lieutenant General
Christopher Mohan
Acting
22 March 2024Incumbent272 days

Major subordinate commands

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Formerly subordinate commands

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Other commands

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See also

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Comparable organizations U.S. Armed Forces systems commands

Notes

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  1. ^ "U.S. Army Materiel Command". Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  2. ^ "U.S. Army Materiel Command Band". U.S. Army Materiel Command. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  3. ^ Severi, Misty (23 March 2024). "Four-star Army general suspended after pressuring panel over unfit officer - Washington Examiner". Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  4. ^ Cotton 2019.
  5. ^ https://www.amc.army.mil/Organization/History/Overview/1962-1975/
  6. ^ "Records of the United States Army Materiel Command". archives.gov. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  7. ^ https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/12/10/army-secretary-fires-4-star-general-who-meddled-promotion-of-unfit-0
  8. ^ "AMC in the Seventies: a decade of celebration, change". army.mil. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  9. ^ Army.mil – AMC Former Commanders
  10. ^ Note: Sammet was listed as commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command despite his retirement 89 days later.
  11. ^ Alexandria Soller, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) (February 26, 2019) Staying ahead of modernization requirements, ensuring readiness
  12. ^ Tony Lopez (AMC) (September 21, 2018) JMC Commander promoted to Brigadier General
  13. ^ Elizabeth Behring (AMC) (May 10, 2019) Ensuring Readiness for the Strategic Support Area: Munitions Readiness
  14. ^ TACOM Public Affairs (May 31, 2019) Gen. Perna gets update on Soldier and ground systems readiness efforts
  15. ^ Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner, U.S. Army Financial Management Command (Oct. 31, 2019) Bennett takes command of realigned USAFMCOM
  16. ^ Army News Service (11 Feb 2019) Installation Management Command to realign under Army Materiel Command
  17. ^ Wendy Brown, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs (March 11, 2019) U.S. Army Garrison Japan Soldiers don Army Materiel Command patch
  18. ^ https://www.jmc.army.mil/Docs/History/FY98.pdf

References

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