The 719th Military Intelligence Battalion traces its origins to the constitution of the 527th Interrogation Team in the Army of the United States on 18 April 1946; it was subsequently activated on 1 May 1946 until inactivation 31 October of the same year. Redesignated and reactivated as the 527th Headquarters Intelligence Detachment in February 1948, it was allotted to the Regular Army in May 1949.
For the next half-century, the unit would retain its numerical designation as the 527th while undergoing numerous reclassifications, including Military Intelligence (MI) Platoon, MI Service Platoon, MI Service Company, MI Company, and finally the 527th MI Battalion in July 1972. Based in Germany from 1962 until October 1997, the 527th MI Battalion was activated in Korea on 16 June 2000, followed by its redesignation as the 719th MI Battalion on 1 October 2009. As of Autumn 2023, it is based at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
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Also called a unit crest of DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 719th Military Intelligence Battalion was originally approved on 16 February 1979 while it was still designated as the 527th Military Intelligence Battalion. In its center is a dot inside a square oriented to present a diamond shape and centered on a disc with crosshatched lines; the disc represents a globe, while the square and dot are meant to simulate an observation device. An upward-pointing arrowhead indicates military readiness, and the rays emerging from the center symbolize all aspects of sound, vibratory, and light systems and the collection and dissemination of info from such systems. Crossed swords are an emblem of the two types of counterintelligence methods used by the Battalion, defensive and offensive. “Strive For Excellence” is the Battalion motto.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.