On 18 September 2015, the 505th Military Intelligence Brigade was activated during a ceremony held a Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Comprising more than 600 multi-component (Active, Reserve, and National Guard) Soldiers, the 505th became just the seventh Military Intelligence Brigade in the Army—and the first ever in the Army Reserve.
The Brigade is a subordinate unit of the Reserve’s Military Intelligence Readiness Command, which collaborated with U.S. Army North, U.S. Army Reserve Command, and the Intelligence Support Command over a two-year period to bring about the creation of what was immediately dubbed the “Victory Brigade.” It supports U.S. Army North operations in NORTHCOM’s area of responsibility, including security cooperation missions with Canada and Mexico and force-protection efforts at military bases across the Continental United States.
As of Winter 2024, the 505th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater) remains allotted to the U.S. Army Reserve and is headquartered at Camp Bullis in Texas. Its subordinate units include one Military Intelligence Battalions also based at Camp Bullis, the
549th, along with the 383rd Military Intelligence Battalion in Kansas City, Missouri and the 377th Military Intelligence Battalion in Austin, Texas.
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“Out Front For Victory,” the motto adopted by the unit, serves as the foundation for the 505th Military Intelligence Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), an accouterment also called a unit crest. Its centerpiece is a black knight on a chessboard with oriental blue and golden yellow squares, the branch colors for Military Intelligence; the black knight reflects the covert nature of some of the Brigade’s work. A key on the left symbolizes security and control, and a lightning flash on the right denotes alacrity in responding to Intelligence requests as well as the speed of modern communications.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 (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.
For Enlisted personnel, the insignia is 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.
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.
Related Items
505th Military Intelligence Brigade Patch (SSI)