United States Army Aviation and Missile Command

For the telecommunications equipment manufacturer, see Micom.

Not to be confused with Army Materiel Command (AMC), the U.S. Army's materiel provider and higher authority to Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM).

Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command
Headquarters AMCOM at Redstone Arsenal
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army Materiel Command (AMC)
Size	7,700 civilian, 250 military, TBD contractors (as of 1996) [1]
Garrison/HQ	Redstone Arsenal
Website	www.amcom.army.mil
Commanders
Current commander	MG Lori L. Robinson
Notable commanders	General John Medaris (AOMC, 1958)
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The United States Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) is a research and development and product management command of the United States Army. It develops, acquires, fields and sustains aviation, missile and unmanned aerial vehicles. AMCOM is primarily responsible for lifecycle management of Army missile, helicopter, unmanned ground vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicle weapon systems.

The central part of AMCOM's mission involves acquisition and sustainment support for aviation systems, missile systems, and Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) throughout their product life cycle, from initial concept to safe disposal. The command is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, has a 2019 "budget of more $3.7 billion, and a global workforce of more than 15,000 military and civilian employees". ^[2] Its other installations include Corpus Christi Army Depot; Letterkenny Army Depot, and the Army Aviation Center at Fort Novosel.

AMCOM works closely with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC) ^[3] , which operates simulation facilities to evaluate missile components, such as seekers, in a variety of flights and countermeasures environments. AMCOM also has access to several wind tunnels to test full-size helicopters, a vertical motion simulator for flight control evaluation and a crash-testing tower used to improve safety.

Chronology

The U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) was formally established on 23 May 1962 at Redstone Arsenal to manage the army's missile systems.

• October 1948: The Chief of Ordnance designated Redstone Arsenal as the center for ordnance research and development in the field of rockets.
• 1 June 1949: The Chief of Ordnance officially activated the arsenal, becoming the site of the Ordnance Rocket Center.
• 28 October 1949: The Secretary of the Army approved the transfer of the Ordnance Research and Development Division Sub-Office (Rocket) at Fort Bliss, Texas, to the Redstone Arsenal as the Ordnance Guided Missile Center. ^[4]
• 1 February 1956: The U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) established at Redstone Arsenal.
• March, 1958: Organizations placed under the new Army Ordnance Missile Command (AOMC) included the ABMA, Redstone Arsenal, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, White Sands Proving Grounds and the Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency (ARGMA). ^[5]
• July–October 1958: The ABMA's scientific and engineering staff, including Wernher von Braun and the Saturn I team at Redstone Arsenal, were transferred to the newly created NASA Marshall Space Flight Center at the southern half of Redstone Arsenal. Nearly the entirety of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were transferred to NASA, completely crushing any hope of an independent Army space program. ^{[6] [7]}
• 1958: The Pershing Project Manager's Office was created.
• 23 May 1962: U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) was officially established, being fully staffed and operational on 1 August 1962.
• 28 February 1964: The U.S. Army Aviation and Surface Material Command was redesignated as the U.S. Army Aviation Materiel Command (AVCOM).
• 23 September 1968: AVCOM was redesignated the U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM).
• 1 July 1977: AVSCOM was discontinued, and its readiness mission was combined with that of the U.S. Army Troop Support Command (TROSCOM) to form the U.S. Army Troop Support and Aviation Materiel Readiness Command (TSARCOM). AVSCOM's aviation research and development mission assigned to the newly established U.S. Army Aviation Research and Development Command (AVRADCOM).
• 1 March 1984: AVSCOM was reestablished and all the missions and activities of AVRADCOM and aviation related missions and activities of the Troop Support and Aviation Materiel Readiness Command (TSARCOM) were transferred to AVSCOM.
• 1 October 1992: The U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) was established, consolidating the existing missions of AVSCOM and TROSCOM, and having their missions and organizations transferred to other commands.
• 8 September 1995: Congress approved the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission list, which disestablished ATCOM and transferred its mission and organizations to Redstone Arsenal, merging with the Army Missile Command to subsequently form AMCOM.
• 17 July 1997: The Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) was provisionally established.
• 1 October 1997: AMCOM was formally established at Redstone Arsenal with the merger of the U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) at Redstone Arsenal and the U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) at St. Louis, Missouri ^[1]

Components

AMCOM's TMDE Activity provides worldwide command and control over a broad metrology and calibration program. AMCOM is also the leader in Foreign Military Sales, accounting for over 50 percent of total Army sales to Allied forces and friendly foreign nations. ^[1] AMCOM's main organizations are organized into "centers":

• Acquisition Center – responsible for contracting support.
• AMCOM Logistics Center (ALC) – responsible for logistics support.

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command is a LCMC. ^[8] Thus it has an associated contracting center. ^[9] This LCMC Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command was formerly Aviation and Missile Command (1997). This LCMC "purchases about $1 billion worth of aircraft and missile parts each year." ^[2]

List of commanding generals

No.	Commanding General		Term
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration
As U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency
1		Major General John Bruce Medaris	1 February 1956 [10]	31 March 1958	2 years, 58 days
As U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
1		Major General Emmitt E. Gibson	17 July 1997 [10]	9 July 1999	1 year, 357 days
2		Major General Julian A. Sullivan, Jr.	9 July 1999 [10]	10 September 2001	2 years, 63 days
3		Major General Larry J. Dodgen	10 September 2001 [10]	1 December 2003	2 years, 82 days
4		Major General James H. Pillsbury	1 December 2003 [11]	19 July 2007	3 years, 230 days
5		Major General James R. Myles	19 July 2007 [12]	10 September 2010	3 years, 53 days
6		Major General James E. Rogers	10 September 2010 [13]	1 June 2012	1 year, 265 days
7		Major General Lynn A. Collyar	1 June 2012 [14]	12 June 2014	2 years, 11 days
8		Major General James M. Richardson	12 June 2014 [15] [16]	18 February 2016	1 year, 251 days
9		Major General Douglas Gabram	18 February 2016 [17]	14 February 2019	2 years, 361 days
10		William Marriott Acting	14 February 2019 [18]	10 June 2019	116 days
11		Major General K. Todd Royar	10 June 2019 [18]	12 August 2022	3 years, 63 days
12		Major General Thomas W. O'Connor Jr.	12 August 2022 [19]	10 July 2024	1 year, 333 days
13		Major General Lori L. Robinson	10 July 2024 [20]	Incumbent	1 year, 25 days

See also

• Anti-aircraft warfare
• Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

References

1. "AMC Permanent Orders 344-1". 9 December 1996. Archived from the original on 15 October 2004.
2. U.S. Army (16 December 2019) AMCOM improves readiness in 2019, looks to future
3. Amy Tolson, Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs (10 December 2019) CCDC commanding general pays first visit to Aviation, Missile Center (AvMC)
4. McCleskey, C.; D. Christensen. "Dr. Kurt H. Debus: Launching a vision" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
5. "Redstone Arsenal Complex Chronology, Part II: Nerve Center of Army Missilery, 1950–62 – Section B: The ABMA/AOMC Era, 1956–62". Redstone Arsenal Historical Information. United States Army. Archived from the original on 16 July 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
6. Hall, R. Cargill; Neufeld, Jacob, eds. (1998). "The U.S. Air Force in Space: 1945 to the Twenty-first Century [Proceedings of Air Force Historical Foundation Symposium at Andrews AFB, Maryland, September 21-22, 1995]" (PDF). media.defense.gov. USAF History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington, DC. pp. 38–39 / pdf p. 47–48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2025. The rise of NASA sounded the death knell of Army and Navy pretensions to a major military space role. When NASA commenced operations on October 1, 1958, it relied on the aeronautical research facilities and personnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. But to achieve space capability quickly, NASA needed an infusion of programs, facilities, and funding from the military services. With little objection from the Navy, NASA received Project Vanguard's personnel and facilities, including its Minitrack satellite tracking network, and more than 400 scientists from the Naval Research Laboratory. Potential Army losses, however, proved far more sweeping and contentious. They eventually included the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), whose sympathetic director had visions of turning it into the "national space laboratory," and a portion of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency that included Wernher von Braun's team and its giant Saturn booster project. The major Air Force loss proved to be its manned space projects, which NASA combined under the designation Project Mercury."
7. Spires, David N. (1998). Bradley, George W. III; Sturdevant, Rick W.; Eckert, Richard S. (eds.). "Beyond Horizons: A Half Century of Air Force Space Leadership" (PDF). media.defense.gov (Revised ed.). pp. 65 / pdf p. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2025. To achieve space capability quickly, NASA needed an infusion of space programs, facilities, and funding from the military services. In the NASA raid on service assets, the Air Force emerged the clear victor. With little objection from the Navy, NASA received Project Vanguard's personnel and facilities, including its Minitrack satellite tracking network, and more than 400 scientists and engineers from the Naval Research Laboratory. Potential Army losses, however, proved far more sweeping and contentious. Newly-appointed NASA administrator, Keith Glennan, considered the Army space program most important for providing the agency credible space design, engineering, and in-house resources. He initially requested transfer of Cal Tech's contracted Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), whose sympathetic director had visions of turning it into the "national space laboratory," and a portion of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency that included the von Braun team and its giant Saturn booster project. General Medaris, however, strongly objected and waged a public campaign to stall the process and reverse the decision. His effort produced a compromise. The JPL would be transferred to NASA by 3 December 1958, while the Huntsville complex would remain under the Army's jurisdiction and support NASA on a contractual basis. Medaris might postpone but he could not prevent a transfer. A year later the Army would lose to NASA its entire space operation at Huntsville, which would be renamed the Marshall Space Flight Center.
8. "AMCOM: U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command"
9. Gen. Dennis L. Via, AMC Commanding General (6 April 2016) AMC announces Mission Command alignment
10. "Biographies: Redstone Arsenal Commanders and other historically important figures in Redstone Arsenal's history". U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
11. "Lt. Gen. James H. Pillsbury, U.S. Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general". U.S. Army. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
12. King, William (14 August 2024). "AMC names 2024 Hall of Fame inductees". U.S. Army. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
13. "Rogers Takes Reins of AMCOM and Redstone". U.S. Army. 9 September 2010.
14. Vaughn, Skip (12 June 2012). "Huntsville native returns as AMCOM commander". Huntsville Rocket.
15. "AMCOM Change of Command 6-12-2014 MG James Richardson.JPG". 24 June 2014.
16. Riopka, Melissa (12 June 2014). "Major General James Richardson takes over at US Army Aviation and Missile Command". WHNT News 19.
17. Hawkins, Kari (24 February 2016). "Gabram takes reins of Aviation and Missile Command".
18. "U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command welcomes new commander". U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
19. Belcher, Katherine (12 August 2022). "Maj. Gen. Thomas O'Connor takes command of AMCOM". U.S. Army. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
20. Gordon, Michelle (11 July 2024). "Robinson takes over as AMCOM commander, O'Connor heads to Pentagon for a new role". U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. Retrieved 11 July 2025.

External links

• Official site