A subordinate unit of the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion is based at Fort Gordon, Georgia, home the U.S. Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence. It provides customized teams with expertise in multiple intelligence gathering disciplines to support United States Central Command and its U.S. Army component, the United States Army Central, as well as regionally aligned forces with global response capabilities, to promote regional stability, support allies and partner nations, and safeguard U.S. interests.
The Battalion was constituted originally in the Army Reserve as the 297th Army Security Agency Company on 21 November 1962 and activated 1 March 1963 at Atlanta, Georgia. It was reorganized and redesignated on 15 April 1966 as HQ and HQ Company, 297th Army Security Agency Battalion but was inactivated shortly afterward on 31 January 1968. It was redesignated yet again on 1 February 1990 when it became HQ and HQ Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion and was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army.
On 17 October 1991, the unit received its current designation of HQ, HQ and Service Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion and was activated at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; it relocated to Fort Gordon in 1994. Since that time, the Battalion—whose motto is “Always Forward, Yield To None"—has earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation and campaign streamer for Southwest Asia service in 2004-2005 in support of XVIII Airborne Corps. This was followed by an Army Superior Unit Award (2008-2009) for its support of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. As of Autumn 2023, the Battalion—referred to as "INSCOM's Contingency Force"—the 297th Military Intelligence Battalionis a battalion subordinate to the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
The 297th Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 16 December 1961. Its shield portion is divided into oriental blue, the primary branch color of Military Intelligence, and black, a color that denotes dependability as well as covert operations. The armored fist is a symbol of strength, while the lightning flash of the sword it holds embodies speed; holding the blade of the sword is a sign of vigilance and preparedness. Holding the sword aloft is a sign of leadership that reinforces the unit motto, “Vanguard.”
More guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.