Headquarters Battalion United States Army (HQBN USA)is the premier headquarters command unit in the U.S. Army, and its motto is “Legion.” It is the Army’s largest battalion with over 6,500 active duty and reserve component Soldiers serving in the National Capital Region and conducting worldwide operations.
HQ BN USA’s primary mission is to:
Ensure the accountability, discipline, and individual Readiness of more than 6,500 assigned and attached Soldiers serving in 62 agencies around the National Capital Region.
Other missions include supporting JBM-HH in Virginia and Fort McNair in the District of Columbia. The HQ BN USA 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 (MDW).
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 HQ BN USA plays a critical role in the National Capital Region one-stop in-processing of Soldiers, Readiness tracking, Soldier and Family support services, and numerous family advocacy and substance abuse programs. The battalion assists 62 agencies as the sole vested UCMJ chain of command authority for Soldier issues for the Commanding General, Military District of Washington (MDW). The HQ BN USA provides command and control, command climate programs, and AR 350-1 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 HQ BN USA was activated as a provisional headquarters on June 1, 1992 at Fort Myer, Virginia with four companies and approximately 1,000 Soldiers. In October 1993, the battalion was designated a permanent unit and aligned with the Military District of Washington. Under Department of the Army General Order Number 1977-16, all forces in the National Capital Region are aligned under the Senior Commander responsibility of the Commanding General, Military District of Washington. Thus, HQ BN USA functions as a Summary Court-Martial Convening Authority for MDW. As a result, 62 separate agencies and offices in the NCR—consisting of more than 300 units and subunits—have been aligned under the HQ BN USA for leadership, command and control, accountability, command climate, command discipline, UCMJ, individual Readiness, and training in accordance with AR 600-20, AR 350-1, and other applicable regulations.
Since 1992, the battalion has continually transformed and grown into its present day configuration. Today, the battalion consists of two companies: Headquarters Company, United States Army; and Headquarters & Headquarters Company, United States Army Garrison, Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall. Both companies are co-located with the battalion in Building 417 on Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall.
Headquarters Company, United States Army is the largest company in the U.S. Army and consists of approximately 3,500 uniformed personnel in Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA)—the Secretariat and the Army Staff. The company also support Soldiers in the National Guard Bureau, the Army Reserves, and the Army National Military Cemeteries (including Arlington National Cemetery). Initially established by the Military District of Washington on May 10, 1955, it is the only company in the U.S. Army authorized its own distinctive guidon, unit crest, and shoulder patch (in the shape of the Pentagon).
Headquartersand Headquarters Company, United States Army Garrison, Joint Base Myer – Henderson Hall is the second largest company in the U.S. Army and supports all Joint Activities in the National Capital Region, to include approximately 2,100 uniformed personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the White House agencies, the State Department, the National Security Council, and many others. Initially established along with the original Fort Myer in the post-Civil War 19th Century, all Soldiers assigned official billets to the company now wear the Army Materiel Command patch.
The HQ BN USA 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 and around the world. The Soldiers and Civilians in the battalion fully understand that to accomplish the Army’s missions, they have two important tasks: to assist in training Soldiers and ensuring that they are ready for any contingency operation worldwide, and to take care of the Soldiers and the Family members themselves. Everything we do supports one of these two critical tasks.
The battalion is unique in that it has two distinct command channels—the Military District of Washington and the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, recently aligned under Army Materiel Command (AMC). All Soldiers assigned official billets to the battalion staff wear the AMC patch and uphold the mottos of “Sustain, Support, and Defend!” and “Legion!”
