Colloquially called a shoulder patch or unit patch, the SSI-MOHC (Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Military Operations in Hostile Conditions) insignia worn by U.S. Army personnel assigned to the United States Transportation Command was approved on 7 December 2001. The United States Transportation Command is one four functional Unified Combatant Commands. Established in 1987, it is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base and has three service component commands: Air Mobility Command (Air Force), Military Sealift Command (Navy), and Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (Army).
In the color version of the patch, the shield-shaped insignia has a background of brick red and a seahorse of golden yellow, the two colors traditionally used in the heraldry of Transportation units. Adapted from the United States Transportation Command badge, the seahorse is superimposed over a sun that is rising over a blue, gridlined demi-globe, an image that alludes to the organization’s location in Illinois while also highlighting the Command’s worldwide mission to deliver air, land, and sea transportation capabilities to the Department of Defense.
Between the seahorse and the sun is a black, upright spear that symbolizes military readiness and the Command’s leadership role during wartime and in peacetime operations. Referenced above, the seahorse is a visual representation of the three service component commands (Army, Navy, Air Force).