Also used for the Combat Service ID Badge of the U.S. Army Element, U.S. Special Operations Command, the design of this Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) was originally approved for wear on 15 September 1988, but was cancelled on 22 May 1990 and a revised version was authorized to replace it. The replacement insignia was amended to correct the description on 14 August 1996, followed by a second amendment on 19 June 2002 to correct the description and to extend its wear to the U.S. Army Element, Joint Special Operations Command.
The insignia is an adaptation of the official seal of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), a unified combatant command tasked with the oversight of the four component commands from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Black is employed as an allusion to special ops carried out under cover of darkness, while the color yellow (gold) denotes excellence and high achievement.
An upright spearhead signifies the combat capabilities at Command’s disposal; it is also a visual reference to the phrase “tip of the spear” indicating the first action in a military response. Three bands on the spearhead represent the three component commands that made up SOCOM at the time of the insignia’s most recent redesignation, namely the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Though not mentioned in the blazon, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command has been a component command in SOCOM since it was established in 2006.
Related Items U.S. Army Element, SOCOM Unit Crest (DUI)U.S. Army Element, SOCOM Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)
U.S. Army Element, SOCOM Beret Flash and Oval