Welcome Statement

Welcome to the U.S. Army Garrison - Rock Island Arsenal. We are a major Army installation located in the heartland of America on an historic island in the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois. The area is known as the Quad Cities - Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. We are approximately 160 miles west of Chicago and 180 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa.

Our installation is currently home to more than 70 Department of Defense, federal and commercial tenant organizations, including the headquarters of three major worldwide Army organizations, four regional Army offices, we also host the Rock Island site of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, a National Cemetery run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, a Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center, and the Marine Safety Detachment, Quad Cities (Coast Guard). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the Mississippi River's Lock and Dam 15 from the island. For more information look at our Island Fact Sheet under About RIA on the homepage.

The United States government has owned this island since a treaty with the Sauk and Mesquakie Native American tribes in 1804. An Act of Congress established us as a federal military reservation in 1809 and in 1816 the Army built Fort Armstrong. We are a National Historic Landmark with 13 historically significant sites. For a virtual tour of these locations go to our historic tour under About USAG-RIA > History on the homepage.

As the Garrison overseeing all base operations, our goal is to provide superior service and support to all of our current and future tenants and customers. You can help us by letting us know how we are doing. If you have used any of our services, I invite you to give us feedback. Click on the ICE button on our homepage to complete a feedback form.

As the only major military installation in Iowa and the only Army installation in Illinois, we provide a wide variety of products and services to military personnel and their families from all of the Armed Services. Some of our major services are a Commissary, Post Exchange, Health Clinic, Army Community Service office, Outdoor Recreation Office, Military Identification Card Office and Fitness Center.

For more information on our installation, I encourage you to browse this website. If you have any questions or would like a speaker to address your organization about any aspect of the installation, contact usarmy.ria.imcom-central.mbx.usag-agm@mail.mil.

Col. Kenneth J. Tauke
Garrison Commander