The 530th Military Police Battalion was originally constituted on 10 March 1945 in the Army of the United States under its current designation of HQ and HQ Detachment (HHD), 530th Military Police Battalion. Activated 20 April 1945, the Battalion took part in the Luzon campaign before Japan’s surrender in September of that year and was inactivated in Japan in October 1946.
It was redesignated as HHD, 319th Military Police Battalion and allotted to the Organized Reserves on 18 March 1947 and activated the following month (11 April). In November 1950, it was reorganized and redesignated as HQ and HQ Company (HHC), 319th Military Police Battalion, but was inactivated in April 1952. The Battalion was redesignated with its original numeric designation of 530th Military Police Battalion in June 1953; nearly forty years later, on 16 December 1991, its HHC would be redesignated as HHD, bringing the Battalion back full circle to its original designation.
Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has been called into active Federal service on at least two occasions, the first at Omaha, Nebraska in February 2003 and the second in March 2008 when it was deployed to Iraq. For its role in supporting of what was the world’s largest internment facility at the time, the HHD, 530th Military Police Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service between 20 March 2008 and 6 January 2009.
Still allotted to the Army Reserve, the 530th Military Police Battalion is assigned to the 300th Military Police Brigade, 200th Military Police Command.
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More familiarly known as a “unit crest” or DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 530th Military Police Battalion was approved on 13 September 1999. Its predominant colors of green and yellow are the official colors of the Military Police branch, while the black used throughout the insignia denotes strength. A seven-pointed mullet (star shape) suggests a fortress to represent security and containing prisoners, who are represented by the two swords with points down and are referred to specifically in the unit motto “Securing The Vanquished.”
The sea lion with sword is imagery used frequently in official Philippine government seals and flags and is a reference to the Battalion’s World War II Luzon campaign.
You can find guidance on wear of the DUI in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.