Constituted in the Regular Army as the 165th Military Intelligence Service Detachment on 27 September 1951 and activated the following 18 October. It was reorganized and redesignated on 1 September 1952 as the 165th Military Intelligence Service Company and on 28 March 1954 as the 165th Military Intelligence Company; it would serve under this title until 25 January 1958 and its inactivation at Fort Bragg (now named Fort Liberty).
The company was reactivated on 1 June 1962 in Germany and was subsequently reorganized and redesignated as HHC, 165th Military Intelligence Battalion on 1 July 1972. It was inactivated for less than a year starting on 1 July 1983, and on 16 April 1984 it was redesignated as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 165th Military Intelligence Battalion and activated in Germany. During the 1990s, the Battalion was deployed to conflict zones in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Albania, followed by two yearlong stints in the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. For its deployment in 2003-2004, it received a Meritorious Unit Commendation before its inactivation in August 2006. On 13 November 2019, it was belatedly awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its tour lasting from 30 January 2005 to 21 February 2006.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 165th Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly called a unit crest or a DUI for short, was approved on 16 February 1979. It predominant oriental blue and silver gray tones are the colors of the Army Intelligence and Security Branch. In its center is a torch, symbolic of the illumination provided by the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence data; its presence on a black background infers the secrecy and stealth often involved in the process. In lieu of a flame is a ribbonlike shape that folds back upon itself as an allusion to the work involved in the counterintelligence mission of the Battalion. “Quality Pride Success” is both the motto of the Battalion and the formula for successful Military Intelligence missions.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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 (ASU, 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.