Headquarters Command Battalion is the premier headquarters command unit in the U.S. Army, and its motto is “Leadership and Service.” It is the Army’s largest battalion with approximately 6,000 active duty and reserve component Soldiers serving in the National Capital Region and conducting worldwide operations.
Headquarters Command Battalion’s primary mission is to:
Ensure the accountability, discipline and individual readiness of 6,000 assigned and attached Soldiers serving in 52 agencies within the National Capital Region in accordance with the provisions of Department of the Army Memo 600-8.
Other missions include supporting Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia and Fort McNair in the District of Columbia. The Headquarters Command Battalion partners with the Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Fort Meade, Maryland, Headquarters Battalions to provide unparalleled support to the more than 11,000 Soldiers assigned and attached to the Military District of Washington.
The Battalion’s Soldiers and Families live and work in a large geographic area which includes Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. For National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers on temporary orders, their Families are spread throughout the 50 states and numerous territories as well. This is a unique challenge, and as the National Capital Region transforms, the battalion provides a critical link in Soldier and Family readiness as we partner with numerous Army, joint and civilian service providers. As the single most efficient integrator of services and information, the battalion is an invaluable asset to the Army.
The battalion plays a critical role in the NCR one-stop in-processing of Soldiers, readiness tracking, Soldier and Family support services and numerous family advocacy and substance abuse programs. The battalion assists the 52 agencies as the sole vested UCMJ chain of command authority for Soldier issues for the commanding general, Military District of Washington. The battalion provides pre-deployment training, deployment and post-deployment support, mandatory Army Warrior Training, Army Physical Fitness Tests, weapons qualification and other training opportunities. The battalion runs all NCO school order of merit lists and required counseling, operates a robust NCO Mentorship Program and facilitates promotion boards, Soldier and NCO of the Quarter Boards and NCO professional development.
The Headquarters Command Battalion was activated as a provisional headquarters on June 1, 1992 at Fort Myer, Virginia, with four companies and over 1,000 Soldiers. In October 1993, the battalion was activated as a permanent unit and aligned with the Military District of Washington. Under General Order No. 16, all forces in the National Capital Region are aligned under the command responsibility of the commanding general, Military District of Washington. Subsequently in 2006, 52 agencies, consisting of 340 units and subunits were aligned under the Headquarters Command Battalion for command and control, accountability, discipline and individual readiness in accordance with AR 600-20.
Since 1993, the battalion has continually transformed and grown into its present day configuration. The current battalion consists of two companies – Headquarters Company, U.S. Army and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall at Fort Myer. The battalion is unique in that it has two distinct support channels – the Military District of Washington and the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command. All Soldiers assigned official billets to the battalion wear the Installation Management Command patch and uphold the motto of “Support and Defend.”
Headquarters Company, U.S. Army, was established by Headquarters, Military District of Washington on May 10, 1955. It is the only company in the Army authorized its own distinctive shoulder patch, unit crest and guidon.
Headquarters Company, U.S. Army is the largest and most diverse company in the Army with some 5,000 officers, noncommissioned officers and Soldiers assigned and attached to more than 200 Department of Defense and Department of Army agencies and staff elements within the National Capital Region and around the world. The company provides the necessary leadership, command and control, administrative and logistical support, Uniform Code of Military Justice chain of command authority and training for its Soldiers.
Headquarters and Headquarters Company was formed as a support company to the JBM-HH commander and his staff. In 1971, the company added the additional mission of supporting the Military District of Washington. On June 1, 1992, the company was realigned under the command and control of Headquarters Command Battalion, Fort Myer. Since 1992, the company has transformed into one of the largest companies in the Army with over 1,400 assigned and attached Soldiers serving in more than 140 Department of Defense and Department of Army agency units and subunits within the National Capital Region and around the world. The company provides the necessary leadership, command and control, administrative and logistical support, Uniform Code of Military Justice chain of command authority and training for its Soldiers. The company is officially an Installation Management Command asset and wears the IMCOM patch.
The Headquarters Command Battalion is a unique unit with a challenging mission. It takes pride in leading and serving the tens of thousands of Soldiers and Family members in the National Capital Region. The Soldiers and civilians in the battalion fully understand that to accomplish the Army’s mission, we have two and only two tasks: to assist in training Soldiers for any contingency operation, and to take care of the Soldiers and their Families. Everything they do supports one of those two critical tasks.
