Formed in the second half of the 1960s, the IAMMS gathers schools from various nations, 16 of which are full members. The remaining nations have either an observer status or a guest status. Among the 16 full member, 13 are European, namely Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, the latter retaining, by statute, the responsibility of the secretariat.
In general, IAMMS annual meetings are organized one year in winter and the following year in summer, and are considered as a gathering of commanders and technical personnel of many nations, which serves as a platform for exchanging ideas and sharing mutual experiences. The hosting nation proposes a topic, which is then developed after being approved by other nations.