United States Army Medical Materiel Agency

The United States Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA), a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) at Fort Detrick, Maryland, serves as the U.S. Army's executive agent for strategic medical acquisition and logistics programs.

The USAMMA is a unique and multifaceted organization that acts as the Army Surgeon General’s central focal point and Executive Agent for strategic medical logistics programs and initiatives. The Agency’s mission is to develop, acquire, provide, and sustain world class solutions and capabilities to enable medical readiness globally. Accordingly, the USAMMA’s principal skills and technologies focus on the medical logistician’s role in lifecycle management, sustaining and modernizing the medical force (Active, Guard, and Reserve), supporting exercises and contingency operations, and promoting medical logistics information and knowledge. The Agency’s core competencies described below are those business products and services that support our mission and collectively define the Agency’s unique contribution within the Army Medicine.^[1]

USAMMA Mission Statement: To develop, tailor, deliver, and sustain medical materiel capabilities and data in support of readiness and healthcare operations globally.

USAMMA Vision Statement: Lead the acquisition and sustainment of medical materiel equipment and technology.^[1]

Our core competencies reflect the unique, collective abilities shared across the USAMMA in support of the Army Health System primarily for the Active, National Guard, Reserve, and Army Prepositioned Stocks (COMPOs 1, 2, 3, and 6, respectively). They relate outwardly to the USAMMA contributions to Army Medicine and the Military Health System across the medical materiel acquisition-logistics continuum in support of unified land operations.^[1]

Equipping the Medical Force: Forecast, plan and execute a variety of medical materiel readiness missions by providing a full-range of medical materiel solutions and support. Developing and procuring medical technologies and materiel, performing medical set assembly functions and materiel delivery or fielding for the operating and generating forces worldwide. Provide acquisition project management and related force management expertise as the materiel developer for commercial and non-developmental items, manager for medical cataloging, integrated acquisition logistics including maintenance, and medical materiel life cycle management in support of operating and generating forces.^[1]

Sustaining the Medical Force: Support wide-array of program elements for the medical Army Force Generation efforts across the force pools and centrally manage the Army Prepositioned Stocks and The Surgeon General contingency program and other readiness support programs designed for all Army components during unified land operations. Deploy the medical logistics support team. Provide Army Medical Department National Maintenance Program expertise and Sustainment Maintenance functions and technical proficiency. Develop policies and procedures to ensure medical maintenance supportability and training requirements, equipment reliability and maintainability, and maintenance repair and services of medical equipment and technologies. Deploy the Forward Repair Activity-Medical^[1]

History

USAMMA's origin is traced to the early part of World War II when the Army Surgeon General recognized the need to develop Army medical materiel support to the rapidly expanding mobilization forces. The genesis of USAMMA began in 1943 when the Procurement Division of the Supply Service, Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG), was renamed the Purchase Division and transferred to the Army Medical Purchasing Office in Manhattan, New York. Later that year, the Inventory Control Branch, Distribution and Requirements Division, OTSG, was also transferred to the Army Medical Purchasing Office. The Medical Testing Laboratory transferred from Binghamton, New York, in February 1943. Later that year, the Contract Termination Branch was added. In 1944, the Renegotiation and Stock Control Divisions were moved from the OTSG to New York.

On 21 May 1953, the Army Medical Supply Control Office was organized at Brooklyn, New York, and assigned to the Surgeon General. On 30 April 1965, the unit was re-designated the Army Medical Supply Control Office and on 1 January 1957, the office was again re-designated as the Army Medical Supply Support Activity, a Class II off-post activity of the Surgeon General.

On 2 April 1965, the activity transferred from Brooklyn to Valley Forge General Hospital, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and was renamed the United States Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA), effective 15 April 1965.

In 1974, USAMMA moved to Fort Detrick, Maryland and in 1994 was placed under the newly formed United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

Today, USAMMA operations comprise 19 locations worldwide, including three stateside depots that serve as distinct Centers of Excellence (COE):

Medical Maintenance Division (MMOD)-Tobyhanna (Penn.): COE for audiometer calibration, optical equipment, dental hand-piece rebuild, Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Direct Exchange (DX) program, Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) lab equipment, and the Army Medicine X-ray acceptance program.

MMOD-Hill (Utah): COE for anesthesia, pulmonary, and field medical equipment.

Defense Distribution Center San Joaquin (Calif.): COE for medical imaging equipment, special purpose test, measurement & diagnostics equipment (TMDE-SP), and runs a certified X-ray tube head rebuild program.

Commanders of USAMMA and its precursors

COL David Gibson 2016

COL Alejandro Lopez-Duke 2014

COL Gregory D. Evans 2012

COL Jeffery M. Unger 2010

COL Timothy E. Lamb 2008

COL William R Fry 2006

COL Michael D Daley 2004

COL David W. Williams 2002

COL Roger Olsen 2000

COL James J. Canella 2000

COL Darryl W Lloyd 1998

COL James P. Normile III 1996

COL Richard I Donahue 1994

COL Mack C. Hill 1992

COL Philip E Livermore 1990

COL Leon L Holland 1988

COL Lawrence J. Ryan Jr. 1985

COL James C. Huff Jr 1983

COL Frank W.B. Axtens 1977

COL Fred L. Walter 1975

COL F. Bruce Wells 1973

COL Russell E. Julian 1969

LTC Harry T Whitaker 1966

LTC Alfred G. Edmond 1965

LTC Edward J. Anderson 1962

COL Jesse N. Bulter 1959

COL Eli E. Damon 1956

LTC John J. Zurchur III 1955

LTC Alfred R. Cannon 1953

COL Bernard J. Kotte and MAJ John H. Trenholm 1950

MAJ Alfred R. Cannon and LTC Augustus J.D. Guenther 1947

LTC George T.O. Reilly and LTC C. Bower 1947

COL Clark B. Williams 1946

MAJ Leonard H. Beers and MAJ Ellsworth W. Pohl 1945

References

• This article contains information that originally came from US Government publications and websites and is in the public domain.