The 711th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion’s origins as a Signal Corps unit are clearly on display in its Distinctive Unit Insignia. A white saltire on an orange field incorporates both colors of the Signal Corps, and the lightning flash crossed that is here crossed with an arrow usually refers to the speed of modern electronic signal equipment; here, it is a symbol of celerity and force, while the arrow recalls the Battalion’s ancestral unit and its war against the Creeks.
Additionally, the saltire is taken from the state flag of Alabama, and it is also an allusion to the Confederate flag and the unit’s ten Civil War campaigns fighting for the Confederacy. “Smash To The Stars” is the unit motto.
The 711th Combat Sustainment Support Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved on 11 November 1974 for the 711th Command Signal Operations Battalion. It was redesignated from the 711th Signal Battalion on 23 November 1979. On 1 September 2010, the 711th Signal Battalion headquarters in Mobile became the 711th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB). It is now known as the 711th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
As of Autumn 2023, the Battalion is a subordinate unit in the 226th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 62nd Troop Command, Alabama Army National Guard.
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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.
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.