U.S. ARMY 640TH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE BATTALION UNIT CREST (DUI)

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.

Enlisted personnel wear the insignia 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.

More 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.
 

A gold-and-black checkered pattern in the chief (top third) of the 640th Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia is chock-a-block with symbolism regarding the Battalion’s mission and operations. First, the colors themselves denote excellence (gold) and stealth (black). Second, the contrast between the two tones and their alternating alignment recalls the progression from day into night and thus the round-the-clock operations performed by the unit, as well as the overt (gold) and covert (black) nature of those operations. Lastly, the pattern forms the illusion of a chessboard; combined with the chess knight, it embodies strategy and determination.

The branch colors for Military Intelligence are oriental blue and silver gray, found here in the knight and the gray partition in the lower two-thirds of the shield portion of the insignia. A gold lightning flash connotes the speed at which modern Military Intelligence operations take place, from acquisition to analysis to dissemination, and it also emphasize the role of that combat electronic warfare can play in the modern battlespace. "We Shall" is the Battalion motto.

The Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 640th Military Intelligence Battalion was approved on 5 August 1999. Elements of the Battalion would be deployed in early 2006 in support of the War on Terrorism, with a Detachment from the Battalion being tapped for a Navy Unit Commendation in May 2014 for its exceptionally meritorious service between 28 February 2006 and 9 February 2007.

As of Autumn 2023, the status of the 640th Military Intelligence Battalion is unclear. We encourage customers who have information on the Battalion's history since 2014 or on its current status to email us so we may share it with visitors to the Web site.