The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Combat Service Identification Badge, or CSIB, features a dagger intersected by three lightning flashes on the outline of an arrowhead. Arrowheads are commonly used to represent Native American heritage or culture in U.S. military heraldry, and here it stands for the basic survival and special warfare skills Native Americans developed and which are taught to Special Forces personnel. Lightning flashes represent both the speed at which Special Forces units can strike, as well as their three methods of insertion into hostile territory: air, land, and water. The dagger reflects the unconventional nature of Special Forces operations.
The insignia is worn by all units subordinate to 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne).
SF Group | Area of Responsibility |
1st | Pacific |
3rd | Sub-Saharan Africa |
5th | Middle East / Central Asia / Horn of Africa |
7th | Central and South America, Caribbean |
10th | Europe |
19th (ARNG) | Southeast Asia / Pacific |
20th (ARNG) | Central and South America, Caribbean |
1st Special Forces Command Airborne is headquartered at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in eastern North Carolina, which is also the headquarters for the United States Army Special Operations Command.