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).

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
AMCOM's distinctive unit insignia
Active	1997–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Major subordinate command
Size	7,700 civilian, 250 military, TBD contractors (as of 1996)
Part of	U.S. Army Materiel Command
Garrison/HQ	Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
Website	amcom.army.mil
Commanders
Commanding general	MG Lori L. Robinson
Notable commanders	GEN John Medaris (AOMC, 1958)

The U.S. ArmyAviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) is a United States Army command, managing the logistics and repair support of Army aviation, missile, and unmanned systems. It is a "major subordinate command" of Army Materiel Command. Aviation and Missile Command is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Alabama.

Operations

In 2019, the command's budget was $3.7 billion, and it maintained a global workforce of 15,000 military and civilian employees. ^[1] Its installations include: Corpus Christi Army Depot, Letterkenny Army Depot, and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

AMCOM is the leader in Foreign Military Sales, accounting for over 50 percent of total Army sales to allied forces and friendly foreign nations.^{[ citation needed ]}

AMCOM's Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) Activity provides worldwide command and control over a broad metrology and calibration program.

AMCOM works closely with the DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC), ^[2] which operates simulation facilities to evaluate missile components, such as seekers, in a variety of flight 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

• 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. ^[3]
• 22 October 1952 – The Transportation Corps Army Aviation Field Service Office (TCAAFSO) established at St. Louis, Missouri, as a Class II Activity under the jurisdiction of the Chief of Transportation.
• March 1955 – TCAAFSO and the Transportation Materiel Command (TMC) located in Marietta, Pennsylvania, which had logistical responsibility for rail and marine equipment, consolidated into the Transportation Supply and Maintenance Command (TSMC), headquartered at St. Louis, Missouri.
• 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 Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), the Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency (ARGMA), Redstone Arsenal, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and White Sands Proving Grounds. ^[4]
• July to 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 all of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, were transferred to NASA, eliminating the prospect of an Army space program. ^{[5] [6]}
• 1958 – The Pershing Project Manager's Office was created.
• 1 October 1959 – TSMC redesignated the Transportation Materiel Command (TMC).
• 23 May 1962 – The Missile Command (MICOM) was officially established at Redstone Arsenal, responsible for managing the Army's missile systems. MICOM became fully staffed and operational on 1 August 1962.
• 1 August 1962 – TMC placed under the jurisdiction of the Mobility Command (MOCOM), a major subordinate command of Army Materiel Command (AMC).
• 1 November 1962 – Transportation Materiel Command (TMC) redesignated to Aviation and Surface Materiel Command (AVSCOM).
• 28 February 1964 – AVSCOM redesignated to Aviation Materiel Command (AVCOM).
• 1 August 1966 – Assignment of AVCOM under MOCOM terminated, and AVCOM established as a major subordinate command of AMC.
• 23 September 1968 – Aviation Materiel Command (AVCOM) redesignated to Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM), returning to the prior acronym of "AVSCOM".
• 31 Jan 1977 – As part of a larger reorganization to Army Materiel Command, the missions and people of MICOM were split between Missile Materiel Readiness Command (MIRCOM) and Missile Research and Development Command (MIRADCOM).
• 1 July 1977 – AVSCOM was discontinued, with its readiness mission combined with that of Troop Support Command (TROSCOM), forming TSARCOM (Troop Support and Aviation Materiel Readiness Command). The aviation R&D mission of AVSCOM was assigned to Aviation Research and Development Command (AVRADCOM).
• 1 July 1979 – AMC decided the most logical and efficient way to meet the Army missile program's requirements is under the single command concept. Consequently, MIRCOM and MIRADCOM were deactivated and their facilities, missions, and people combined in place under the reinstituted MICOM.
• 1 March 1984 – AVSCOM was reestablished, and all the missions and activities of AVRADCOM and aviation-related missions and elements of the Troop Support and Aviation Materiel Readiness Command (TSARCOM) were transferred to AVSCOM.
• 1 October 1992 – The Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) was formed at St. Louis, Missouri, combining the missions of the Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) and the Troop Support Command (TROSCOM).

  

  AMCOM headquarters located at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

• 8 September 1995 – Congress approved the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission list, proposing that ATCOM would deactivate, and its mission and elements would relocate to Redstone Arsenal.
• 17 July 1997 – The Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) was provisionally established, merging the Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) with the Missile Command (MICOM).
• 1 October 1997 – The Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) was permanently established at Redstone Arsenal.
• 16 June 2005 – The Aviation and Missile LCMC was activated. It comprised all elements of the Aviation and Missile Command, the Program Executive Office for Aviation, and the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space. ^[7]

Source: ^[8]

Organization

AMCOM's main organizations are organized into centers:

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

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command is a LCMC. ^[9] Thus it has an associated contracting center. ^[10] This LCMC, Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command, was formerly Aviation and Missile Command.^{[ further explanation needed ]} This LCMC purchases about $1 billion worth of aircraft and missile parts each year. ^[1]

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 [11]	31 March 1958	2 years, 58 days
As U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
1		Major General Emmitt E. Gibson	17 July 1997 [11]	9 July 1999	1 year, 357 days
2		Major General Julian A. Sullivan, Jr.	9 July 1999 [11]	10 September 2001	2 years, 63 days
3		Major General Larry J. Dodgen	10 September 2001 [11]	1 December 2003	2 years, 82 days
4		Major General James H. Pillsbury	1 December 2003 [12]	19 July 2007	3 years, 230 days
5		Major General James R. Myles	19 July 2007 [13]	10 September 2010	3 years, 53 days
6		Major General James E. Rogers	10 September 2010 [14]	1 June 2012	1 year, 265 days
7		Major General Lynn A. Collyar	1 June 2012 [15]	12 June 2014	2 years, 11 days
8		Major General James M. Richardson	12 June 2014 [16] [17]	18 February 2016	1 year, 251 days
9		Major General Douglas Gabram	18 February 2016 [18]	14 February 2019	2 years, 361 days
10		William Marriott Acting	14 February 2019 [19]	10 June 2019	116 days
11		Major General K. Todd Royar	10 June 2019 [19]	12 August 2022	3 years, 63 days
12		Major General Thomas W. O'Connor Jr.	12 August 2022 [20]	10 July 2024	1 year, 333 days
13		Major General Lori L. Robinson	10 July 2024 [21]	Incumbent	1 year, 91 days

See also

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

References

1. U.S. Army (16 December 2019) AMCOM improves readiness in 2019, looks to future
2. Amy Tolson, Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs (10 December 2019) CCDC commanding general pays first visit to Aviation, Missile Center (AvMC)
3. 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.
4. "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.
5. 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."
6. 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.
7. "History | AMCOM website". amcom.army.mil. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025. On June 16, 2005, the Aviation and Missile LCMC was formally activated. It comprised all elements of the Aviation and Missile Command, the Program Executive Office for Aviation, and the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space.
8. "Evolution of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command". redstone.army.mil. Archived from the original on 11 October 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
9. "AMCOM: U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command"
10. Gen. Dennis L. Via, AMC Commanding General (6 April 2016) AMC announces Mission Command alignment
11. "Biographies: Redstone Arsenal Commanders and other historically important figures in Redstone Arsenal's history". U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
12. "Lt. Gen. James H. Pillsbury, U.S. Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general". U.S. Army. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
13. King, William (14 August 2024). "AMC names 2024 Hall of Fame inductees". U.S. Army. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
14. "Rogers Takes Reins of AMCOM and Redstone". U.S. Army. 9 September 2010.
15. Vaughn, Skip (12 June 2012). "Huntsville native returns as AMCOM commander". Huntsville Rocket.
16. "AMCOM Change of Command 6-12-2014 MG James Richardson.JPG". 24 June 2014.
17. Riopka, Melissa (12 June 2014). "Major General James Richardson takes over at US Army Aviation and Missile Command". WHNT News 19.
18. Hawkins, Kari (24 February 2016). "Gabram takes reins of Aviation and Missile Command".
19. "U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command welcomes new commander". U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
20. Belcher, Katherine (12 August 2022). "Maj. Gen. Thomas O'Connor takes command of AMCOM". U.S. Army. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
21. 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