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 (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.
For Enlisted personnel, the insignia is centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
Full 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.
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The U.S. Army Element, Special Operations Command Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 6 May 1997, just over tens after the United States Special Operations Command was established.
A red arrowhead, adapted from the DUI of the U.S. Special Operations Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, is the focal point of the Army Element’s unit crest. Silver wings attached to the arrowhead denote the organization’s airborne capabilities, while the two daggers (Fairbairn–Sykes knives favored by Special Operations personnel) are crossed to indicate total readiness, a concept reinforced by the unit motto SEMPER PREPARATE (“Always Ready”).
The use of black and silver suggest the ability to undertake both day and night operations, as well as over and covert actions.
Related ItemsU.S. Army Element, Special Operations Command, Europe Patch (SSI)
U.S. Army Element, Special Operations Command, Europe Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)
U.S. Army Element, Special Operations Command, Europe Beret Flash and Oval