U.S. Army Materiel Command | |
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![]() United States Army Materiel Command shoulder sleeve insignia | |
Active | 1962–present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Army Command |
Role | Develops, maintains, and supports material capabilities for the Army[1] |
Size | more than 60,000 military and civilians |
Garrison/HQ | Redstone Arsenal |
Motto(s) | If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, communicates with it, or eats it – AMC provides it. |
March | Arsenal for the Brave[2] |
Website | AMC — The Army's Materiel Integrator www |
Commanders | |
Current commander | General Gustave F. Perna |
Notable commanders | Frank S. Besson, Jr. Ferdinand J. Chesarek |
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. It 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.
AMC operates depots; arsenals; ammunition plants; and other facilities, and maintains the Army’s prepositioned stocks, both on land and afloat.[3] The command is also the Department of Defense Executive Agent for the chemical weapons stockpile and for conventional ammunition.
AMC is responsible within the United States Department of Defense for the business of selling Army equipment and services to allies of the United States and negotiates and implements agreements for co-production of U.S. weapons systems by foreign nations.
AMC is currently headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and is located in approximately 149 locations worldwide, including more than 49 American States and 50 countries. AMC maintains employment of upwards of 70,000 military and civilian employees.
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision relocated AMC to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Personnel began relocating to Redstone in 2006 and the command was completely relocated by summer 2011, affecting one in every six AMC employees across the command, or approximately 11,000 people in 25 states. AMC was previously (since 2003) headquartered on Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Before that (1973-2003), AMC was headquartered in a building at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to Alexandria, AMC was headquartered at what is now Reagan National Airport.[4]
Between January 1976 and August 1984, AMC was officially designated the United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command (commonly referred to as DARCOM).[5]
Commander[6] | Date assumed command |
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Lieutenant General Frank S. Besson, Jr. | 2 April 1962 |
General Ferdinand J. Chesarek | 10 March 1969 |
General Henry A. Miley, Jr. | 1 November 1970 |
General John R. Deane, Jr. | 12 February 1975 |
Lieutenant General George Sammet, Jr. | 1 February 1977 (acting) |
General John R. Guthrie | May 1977 |
General Donald R. Keith | August 1981 |
General Richard H. Thompson | 29 June 1984 |
General Louis C. Wagner, Jr. | 13 April 1987 |
General William G.T. Tuttle, Jr. | 27 September 1989 |
General Jimmy D. Ross | 31 January 1992 |
General Leon E. Salomon | 11 February 1994 |
General Johnnie E. Wilson | 27 March 1996 |
General John G. Coburn | 14 May 1999 |
General Paul J. Kern | 30 October 2001 |
General Benjamin S. Griffin | 5 November 2004 |
General Ann E. Dunwoody | 14 November 2008 |
General Dennis L. Via | 28 June 2012 |
General Gustave F. Perna | 30 September 2016 |
See also: United States Army Medical Materiel Agency (an LCMC)
Comparable organizations