Heraldic Program Office (1919–1960) Heraldic and other military symbols have been used by the
U.S. Armed Forces and federal government agencies since the beginning of the
American Revolution. However, there was no coordinated military heraldry program until 1919, when an office within the
War Department General Staff was established to approve and coordinate
coats of arms and insignia of army organizations. In 1924, formal staff responsibility for specific military designs was delegated to the
Quartermaster General of the Army. As the needs for symbolism by the military services and the federal government expanded, the scope of the services furnished by the Quartermaster General evolved into the Heraldic Program Office. The expansion of the army during
World War II, and the subsequent increased interest in symbolism, contributed to the growth of the Heraldic Program Office. It was further expanded by , approved September 1957, , which delineated the authority of the
Secretary of the Army to furnish heraldic services to military departments and other branches of the federal government.
The Institute of Heraldry (1960–present) Department of the Army
General Order No. 29, dated 10 August 1960, placed The Institute of Heraldry under the control of the Quartermaster General of the Army, effective 1 September 1960. The
Adjutant General assumed responsibility of the institute in 1962, when the Office of the Quartermaster General ceased to exist because the Army reorganized. In 1987, another realignment subordinated the institute to the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command (present-day
U.S. Army Human Resources Command). In April 1994, The institute moved from
Cameron Station to
Fort Belvoir,
Virginia. In October 2004, another realignment assigned responsibility for the institute to the
Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, Headquarters, Department of the Army. == Roles ==