IMCOM-Europe History

On Oct. 24, 2006, the U.S. Army inactivated the Installation Management Agency and activated the Installation Management Command 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; Wilson assumed a dual-hatted position as the assistant chief of staff for installation management and commanding general of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command reporting, directly to the Army chief of staff.

The new IMCOM 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.

Under IMCOM, CFSC was renamed the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, and AEC was renamed the Army Environmental Command, both becoming IMCOM subordinate commands.

IMCOM creation was 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 the command received was vital to effectively direct the vast resources necessary to support troop deployments while meeting the needs of families.

IMCOM task is to provide fast, efficient and agile support to commanders in the performance of their tactical and strategic missions.

The IMCOM EUROPE Region, one of six IMCOM regions oversees all facets of installation support in Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, including environmental programs, construction, morale, welfare and recreation, family care, force protection, logistics, and public works, as well as the planning, programming and budget matters that provide the resources for these functions.

Its beginning as IMA-E

On Oct. 1, 2002, senior Army leadership created the Installation Management Agency as a critical component of the Army's ongoing effort to transform into a more agile and responsive force.

Maj. Gen. Larry J. Lust, assistant chief of staff for installation management, hosted the event with Mr. Russell B. Hall, Director of the Installation Management Agency Europe. More than 100 U.S. and German guests attended.

October 7, 2002 marked the official beginning of the organization that assumed responsibility for all base support operations for soldiers, civilians and family members aligned with USAREUR.

The new organization was given the mission to provide equitable, effective and efficient management of army installations worldwide to support mission readiness and execution; enable the well-being of Soldiers, civilians and family members; improve the Army’s aging infrastructure and preserve our environment.

The history of Installation Management Agency-Europe Region (IMA-EURO) began in March of 2002. Mr. Russell Hall asked USAREUR staff principals for 20 action officers to form a transition team to look at five areas: Human Relations (U.S. and Local National); Resources; Organization and Mission; Decision Making Processes and Communications.

The 20 team members came from PIM; Civilian Personnel Directorate; Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; Equal Employment Opportunity; Resource Management; Engineers; Logistics; and the 26th Area Support Group.

The Europe transition team worked throughout the summer of 2002 on the development of staff annexes as to how the Europe Region would support USAREUR and vice versa.

Civilian Personnel Directorate also conducted a series of separate briefings to managers and supervisors of employees being swept into IMA-EURO, those in USAREUR offices that would be moving in bulk to IMA, such as the Engineers and Morale Welfare and Recreation, and other employees.

Mr. Hall was officially appointed Regional Director, U.S. Army Installation Management Agency, European Region on August 8, 2002. Two months later, the colors of the new IMA Europe Region were unfurled during an activation ceremony at the Patrick Henry Village Pavilion in Heidelberg.