In today’s information age, all Signal units play a vital role in the success of any military operation—but the 21st Signal Brigade serves a very special echelon of people in the context of those operations. Since 2003, the brigade has been tasked with C4 Systems (Command, Control, Communications, and Computers) Support to the President, Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commanders, and sundry other Federal Agencies. It is also responsible for the Army’s share of the Global Information Grid encompassing the Continental United States.
Constituted and activated in 1965 as the 21st Signal Group, the unit was deployed to Vietnam, where it headquartered at Nha Trang and provided signal communications for I and II Corps Tactical Zones (an area of over 10,000 square miles). Until its inactivation in 1971, the Group participated in over a dozen campaigns and was awarded Meritorious Unit Commendation, giving it every right to adopt the motto “Edge Of The Sword" and the official nickname (Special Designation) "Razor Sharp."
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21st Signal Brigade Patch (SSI)
21st Signal Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)With its redesignation as the 21st Signal Brigade and reactivation at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the brigade assumed its new responsibilities. It currently controls three Signal Battalions—the 114th, the 302nd, and the 56th—and was the recipient of an Army Super Unit Award for 2008-2009. Organizationally, it is considered a major subordinate command of 7th Signal Command.
The 21st Signal Brigade’s CSIB brings the unit’s motto to visual life, featuring a shield with a sword placed over the background image of a lightning flash. (Note: CSIB stands for Combat Service Identification Badge.) The flash, a standard image in Signal insignias, represents modern communications; its placement behind the sword and between the two Signal Colors of orange and white symbolize the union of the unit’s tactical and strategic aspects. The sword’s hilt is a satellite dish, with its obvious connotations, while the globe at the base of the sword stands for the unit’s worldwide reach. The Brigadel's
Distinctive Unit Insignia, or unit crest also has a sword prominently displayed.