CAMP ZAMA, Japan (March 11, 2019) -- One by one, Col. Phillip Gage, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, removed the U.S. Army Installation Management Command patches on the arms of Soldiers here March 8 and replaced them with U.S. Army Materiel Command patches.
Gage and USAG Japan Command Sgt. Maj. Billy Norman held a patch-changing ceremony in front of garrison headquarters to commemorate the garrison's command change to the AMC. Although the Soldiers have a new command, however, their mission remains the same.
"What it's all about is getting our mission done, which is taking care of our community and making sure the Army in Japan is ready," Gage said. "So even though the patch may change, the mission does not, and our professional force will keep taking care of our community."
The command change officially took place for garrisons around the world March 1, and other than the patches, Gage said it is unlikely Soldiers and members of the community will see much difference.
"We're not expecting all the logos and the letterhead to change," Gage said. "As of right now, none of that stuff changes. The colors don't change. You're still assigned to IMCOM as a command. We just have a new boss."
Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, IMCOM commander, will report to AMC Commander Gen. Gus Perna, instead of Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark Milley, Gage said.
Gage said the change is a positive opportunity for IMCOM.
"It's a historical moment in the Army any time you change a command and you put it under another command," Gage said. "You're witnessing the Army adapting to its new environment, and that is what we're doing."
For example, the Logistics Readiness Center formerly fell under the garrison, but changed to AMC, and now the two organizations will have the same command again, Gage said.
"Now with the garrison wearing the same patch as the LRC, it really is just putting the family back together in a lot of ways," which will improve the level of team, Gage said.
"We can always improve relationships, and this is one good step to do that," Gage said.
About 20 Soldiers, including Gage and Norman, received the new patches as the garrison's civilian section heads looked on.
"We have a command that's changing the organizational structure to another command and we've got to commemorate those sorts of things," Gage said. "What's important about this is that it's just going to make us better."
AMC, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, also oversees Army Contracting Command; Army Aviation and Missile Command; Army Sustainment Command; Army Communications-Electronics Command; Joint Munitions Command/Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command; Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command; Medical Research and Materiel Command; Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command; and Army Security Assistance Command, according to the AMC website.
IMCOM, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, handles the day-to-day operations of Army installations around the world, according to the IMCOM website. Army installations are communities that provide many of the same services as small cities, such as fire, police, housing and child care, and IMCOM helps installation officials provide those services.
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