The U.S. Army’s Total Army Personnel Command unit patch—officially designated as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia–Military Operations in Hostile Conditions insignia (SSI-MOHC) and previously designated as SSI-FWTS for Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service—was originally approved for the Total Army Personnel Agency on 1 October 1987.
It was redesignated for the U.S. Army Total Army Personnel Command on 8 December 1988 and worn until the Command’s inactivation and its replacement by the Army Human Resources Command on 2 October 2003. Somewhat confusingly, the Human Resources Command adopted the SSI-FWTS of the Army Reserve Personnel Command; this was worn until a new design was authorized with an effective date of 11 March 2019.
What’s more, this insignia was used as the centerpiece of the design of the Distinctive Unit Insignia (unit crest) of the U.S Army Human Resources Command between 2003 and 2019. That unit crest, also obsolete, consisted of this insignia placed between angular scrolls that created a strange, boxlike effect, with the top scroll inscribed “Total Army” and the lower scroll emblazoned with “Total Victory.”
The national colors of red, white and blue are used for the Total Army Personnel Agency patch, but with silver serving in lieu of white (not uncommon in heraldry). The gridlined globe stands for the worldwide scope of the Agency’s mission, while the upright sword placed atop it represents both military preparedness and the individual Soldiers the Agency served. Four outward-facing arrows, placed at the four primary points of a compass rose, allude to the four components of the Army that the Agency oversaw: Active duty, Army Reserve, Army National Guard, the civilian employees of the Army.