Commonly called a unit crest or DUI for short, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Special Troops Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was approved on 14 December 2006, just seven months after it had been reverted back to state control in the Vermont, Colorado, and Michigan Army National Guard and while it was still designated as the 172nd Armor Regiment. Though it had begun its existence as an Infantry Regiment, it had been designated as an Armored or Armored Cavalry since 1959, a heritage revealed by the symbolism in the unit crest. Scarlet, yellow, and blue coloring, coupled with the silhouette of a stag’s head adapted from the 86th Infantry Brigade’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia point to the Special Troops Battalion affiliation with that unit; the stag’s head is also an allusion to the crest of the Vermont Army National Guard, the organization in which the unit was first constituted in 1921.
The cross beside the stag’s head recalls the 172nd Armor Regiment, the direct predecessor unit of the Special Troops Battalion (STB). Embattlements on the top of the pile in the center are a reference to the STB’s Engineer Company, while the two lightning bolts denote the STB’s Signal Company, as well as the Battalion’s ability to deploy rapidly when needed. The pistol stands for the Military Police platoon, part of most STBs, and the key is an emblem of Military Intelligence, another typical component in an STB. The Battalion’s 24/7 capabilities are expressed through the contrast of black and gold symbolizing night and day. A red background behind a lightning bolts indicates courage and sacrifice; the blue back background stands for trust and loyalty. The gold used throughout the insignia is a sign of honor and high achievement. PROCINCTU ET FIDELIS, the unit motto, translates into English as “Prepared and Faithful.”
Full 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.