ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Release, Oct. 25, 2006) - The Army activated the Installation Management Command Oct. 24 to consolidate and strengthen installation support services to Soldiers and their families through the full authority of command.
Lt. Gen. Robert Wilson assumed the IMCOM command at a Pentagon ceremony hosted by Lt. Gen. James Campbell, director of the Army Staff. The new command places the former Installation Management Agency, the former Community and Family Support Center and the Former Army Environmental Center under a single command as a direct reporting unit.
"Today we take the next step in the evolution of Army installation management ... in order to create a more efficient, effective and agile organization to ensure the best Army in the world is supported by the best installations in the world," Wilson said.
In keynote remarks, Campbell drew a parallel between the IMCOM and the new Army advertising slogan, "Army Strong." He defined "strong" as the ability to stand up for oneself, while "Army Strong" is the ability to stand up for everyone else.
"In my mind, the Installation Management Command shows that it is Army Strong each and every day," Campbell said, "with the strength to make an installation a community; a set of quarters a home; and complete strangers, friends.
"(IMCOM has the strength) to ease separation and connect the Soldier on-point with a family at home; the strength to genuinely care for the loved ones back home so that young Soldiers facing life and death can focus on the mission at hand."
As IMCOM commander, Wilson is dual-hatted as the Army's assistant chief of staff for installation management, reporting directly to the Army chief of staff. Brig. Gen. John A. Macdonald, former IMA director, became IMCOM's deputy commander.
Under IMCOM, CFSC is renamed the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, and becomes a subordinate command of IMCOM, commanded by Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, with its own flag. The AEC is now the Army Environmental Command - also a subordinate command, commanded by Col. Michael O'Keefe, with its own flag.
The flag casings and uncasings were a symbolic focal point of the activation ceremony and the three gold and red flags, standing together in a rank, seemed to further underscore the unity of purpose inherent in the new organization.
"The Army has never been in greater need of installations as flagships of readiness than it is now," Wilson said, citing the construction, personnel and equipment realignments required to support Base Realignment and Closure, Army Modular Force, and Global Defense Posture Repositioning. He said BRAC alone accounts for more than 1,200 actions that impact the IMCOM mission.
The Army announced the establishment of the Installation Management Command as a direct reporting unit in August. This initiative is part of Army efforts to reorganize its commands and specified headquarters to obtain the most agile command and control structures to support the expeditionary, modular force.
The full authority of command is vital to effectively direct the vast resources necessary to support troop deployments while meeting the needs of families, Army officials said in announcing the decision to form IMCOM. Consolidating the installation management structure under IMCOM optimizes resources, protects the environment and enhances well-being of the Army community. IMCOM will provide fast, efficient and agile support to commanders in the performance of their tactical and strategic missions.
The new command, currently headquartered in Virginia and Maryland, will relocate in 2010 to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in accordance with requirements of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure round. The deputy commanding general will locate in Texas, while the commanding general and ACSIM functions remain at the Pentagon.
The new command also will consolidate the four Installation Management Agency regions within the continental United States into two as required by BRAC. The Western Region will stand up in November at Fort Sam Houston, with consolidation taking place over the next few years. The Eastern Region will locate at Fort Eustis, Va., in 2010.
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