Our History

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) was established 1 July 1984 under the jurisdiction of the Commanding General (CG), U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) ("the Command"), pursuant to General Orders No. 13-1, Headquarters, Department of the Army, dated 8 June 1984. The organization was designated from "Agency" to "Activity" by Permanent Orders 26-2, dated 2 October 1984, Office of the Surgeon General, - date: 1 October 1984.

The procurement and contracting functions of USAMRDC, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research were consolidated in 1977 to form a single contracting group within Headquarters (HQ), USAMRDC. The Commander, USAMRDC, was designated as the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA), and in 1984, USAMRAA was established as a separate subordinate command element with a direct line of contracting authority from the HCA through the Commander, USAMRAA, to the Contracting Officers (KOs) in accordance with Department of Army policy. The Command Judge Advocate's Office within USAMRDC provided Legal support for the contracting function.

In 1993, USAMRAA converted to civilian leadership with the establishment of a civilian Director.

In 1994, the USAMRDC was renamed the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). The HCA designation remained at the USAMRMC level.

In October 1994, the responsibilities of the Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC) were assigned as a collateral duty to the Director, USAMRAA. The PARC is not an element of the USAMRAA; it is a special staff office of the USAMRMC whose duties are also set forth in the USAMRMC 10-1.

In 2015, the assignment of HCA moved from USAMRMC to the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM).

In October 2018, the Secretary of the Army assigned USAMRMC and its logistics commands to the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

In January 2019, the assignment of HCA moved from MEDCOM to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement (DASA(P)). The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASAALT) officially changed the term PARC to Senior Contracting Official (SCO) in February 2019.

In June 2019, USAMRMC was renamed back to USAMRDC and USAMRDC and its subordinate units, including USAMRAA, were assigned to the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC).

In May 2020, ASAALT moved the HCA back to MEDCOM and appointed the CG of the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) as the MEDCOM HCA.

On 1 October 2022, USAMRDC and most subordinate units, including USAMRAA began the transition to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) in accordance with the 2019 and 2020 National Defense Authorization Acts. Also on 1 October 2022, the assignment of the HCA moved from MEDCOM to DHA.