Soon after he reached the United States, Aurand went to see Eisenhower, who was now the Chief of Staff of the Army.
Aurand had thought of retirement, but Eisenhower offered him his old post of commanding general of the Sixth Service Command, and he accepted.
In February 1946, Lieutenant General LeRoy Lutes, who had succeeded Somervell as the Chief of Army Service Forces, asked him to perform another assignment.
He had been impressed by the work Aurand has done closing down the SOS in the China Theater, and wanted him to do the same in the Africa-Middle East Theater.
Long a backwater, it now consisted of about 3,100 troops.
Aurand accepted this assignment, and it turned out to be far more enjoyable than China.
The work was completed and his command ended on May 23, 1946.
Lee, now the commander of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, offered Aurand a position on his headquarters staff in Naples, and Lutes offered him command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation.
Aurand, still planning to retire, declined both offers, but when Eisenhower offered him the position of Director of Research and Development at the War Department, he accepted.

Soon after taking over, Aurand submitted a $600 million budget for Army Research and Development, but two thirds of money was for projects related to the Air Force, and with impending creation of an independent United States Air Force and United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947, the future of the Army Research and Development was unclear.
In September 1947, the Research and Development Division was abolished and its functions given to the Service, Supply, and Procurement Division, which soon after was renamed the Logistics Division.
Aurand became the first commander of the Logistics Division, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on January 22, 1948.

Aurand emphasized long-term projects rather than ones aimed at improving existing equipment.
When Kenneth Royall, the new Secretary of the Army queried Aurand about progress on missiles, Aurand replied that six missiles were under development, and his preference was for their continued development, rather than the immediate deployment of a version of the German V-2 rocket with some minor improvements.
This was prudent; any major re-equipment purchase would have quickly exhausted the available funds.
Between 1948 and 1950, $5 billion was allocated for procurement, about a third of the Army's total budget of $14,8 billion.
Most of the equipment had been purchased during World War II.
Aurand had to report to Royall that the Army had 15,526 tanks, but only 1,762 were serviceable.

On March 21, 1949, Bradley, who had succeeded Eisenhower as Chief of Staff, appointed Aurand the Commanding General, United States Army, Pacific, a position he held until his retirement On August 31, 1952, when he was replaced by John W. O'Daniel.
Aurand enjoyed Hawaii so much that he decided to buy a house and settle there.
In 1960, Eisenhower, now the president, appointed Aurand to the South Pacific Commission.
He was also a columnist for the The Honolulu Advertiser.
Aurand left Hawaii in 1963, and moved to St Louis, Missouri.
In 1977, he moved again, to Laguna Hills, California, where he died on June 18, 1980.
His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
His papers are in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.
Soon after he reached the United States, Aurand went to see Eisenhower, who was now the Chief of Staff of the Army. Aurand had thought of retirement, but Eisenhower offered him his old post of commanding general of the Sixth Service Command, and he accepted. In February 1946, Lieutenant General LeRoy Lutes, who had succeeded Somervell as the Chief of Army Service Forces, asked him to perform another assignment. He had been impressed by the work Aurand has done closing down the SOS in the China Theater, and wanted him to do the same in the Africa-Middle East Theater. Long a backwater, it now consisted of about 3,100 troops. Aurand accepted this assignment, and it turned out to be far more enjoyable than China. The work was completed and his command ended on May 23, 1946. Lee, now the commander of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, offered Aurand a position on his headquarters staff in Naples, and Lutes offered him command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation. Aurand, still planning to retire, declined both offers, but when Eisenhower offered him the position of Director of Research and Development at the War Department, he accepted.
Soon after taking over, Aurand submitted a $600 million budget for Army Research and Development, but two thirds of money was for projects related to the Air Force, and with impending creation of an independent United States Air Force and United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947, the future of the Army Research and Development was unclear. In September 1947, the Research and Development Division was abolished and its functions given to the Service, Supply, and Procurement Division, which soon after was renamed the Logistics Division. Aurand became the first commander of the Logistics Division, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on January 22, 1948.
Aurand emphasized long-term projects rather than ones aimed at improving existing equipment. When Kenneth Royall, the new Secretary of the Army queried Aurand about progress on missiles, Aurand replied that six missiles were under development, and his preference was for their continued development, rather than the immediate deployment of a version of the German V-2 rocket with some minor improvements. This was prudent; any major re-equipment purchase would have quickly exhausted the available funds. Between 1948 and 1950, $5 billion was allocated for procurement, about a third of the Army's total budget of $14,8 billion. Most of the equipment had been purchased during World War II. Aurand had to report to Royall that the Army had 15,526 tanks, but only 1,762 were serviceable.
On March 21, 1949, Bradley, who had succeeded Eisenhower as Chief of Staff, appointed Aurand the Commanding General, United States Army, Pacific, a position he held until his retirement On August 31, 1952, when he was replaced by John W. O'Daniel. Aurand enjoyed Hawaii so much that he decided to buy a house and settle there. In 1960, Eisenhower, now the president, appointed Aurand to the South Pacific Commission. He was also a columnist for the The Honolulu Advertiser. Aurand left Hawaii in 1963, and moved to St Louis, Missouri. In 1977, he moved again, to Laguna Hills, California, where he died on June 18, 1980. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His papers are in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.
Henry Aurand