The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia upon which the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) is based was approved on 20 January 1986. Its quartered shield features a background rendered in oriental blue and silver gray, the branch colors of the Military Intelligence Corps, while the four sections represent the four major functions of Military Intelligence—collection, analysis, production, and dissemination of intelligence info and data.
Centered over the four quadrants are a crossed sword and lightning flash with a knight’s helmet superimposed over the combination. The lightning is a reference to the unit’s electronic warfare capabilities, while the sword encapsulate the necessary components of protection and aggressiveness necessary in Military Intelligence operations because of their inherent physical danger.
More obscure is the meaning of the silver helmet, which alludes to the organization’s origins and Camp King in Oberursel, Germany. Its front-facing orientation implies vigilance and alertness, but the closed faceplate embodies the anonymity and aggressiveness required for covert collection of intelligence.
Related Items
513th Military Intelligence Brigade Patch (SSI)
513th Military Intelligence Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)