The 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Long-Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) organizational flash and Airborne background trimming insignia (oval) were both approved on 31 July 2007, almost nine months after the Battalion had received two such Detachments on 17 October 2006 as part of a reorganization slated to lead the Battalion’s parent unit, the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, toward becoming a Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.
These Detachments were deployed almost immediately in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning back to the Battalion’s home at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in October 2007. But in February of 2008, the two LRSDs were inactivated—less than eight months after the flash and oval had been approved for wear.
The flash is worn on the maroon beret reserved for personnel serving in Airborne-designated unit like the LRSD. Detachment Officers wear their non-subdued rank of insignia on the flash, which is centered on the stiffener of the beret, while NCOS and Junior Enlisted Soldiers would wear their Distinctive Unit Insignia, in this case the 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion.
Ovals are the common nickname for Airborne background trimming and are worn with Parachutist and Air Assault badges. The main portion of the badge is centered on the oval, (although the star and wreathed star on the top of two Parachutist badges will unavoidably protrude past the trim created by the oval). These two items are considered one when determining total number of badges and devices being worn.
The oval-badge combination is worn on the AGSU and ASU coats (including with the ASU Dress variation), the Class B AGSU shirt, and the blue or green Army Maternity Tunic (the latter only for Female Soldiers).
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163rd Military Intelligence Battalion Unit Crest (DUI)