Commonly referred to as a shoulder patch or unit patch, the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) for the United States Army Military Police Command, Panama was approved on 6 October 1994.
Shoulder Sleeve Insignias are manufactured in nonsubdued (i.e., colored) and subdued versions, with the latter conforming to the color scheme of the current Operational Camouflage Pattern or the now-defunct Universal Camouflage Pattern that was introduced with the introduction of the Army Combat Uniform in the early 2000s.
At the time the insignia was approved, nonsubdued versions were worn the left sleeve of the Class A Army Green Uniform; today, it would be worn on the right sleeve as the wearer’s former unit if it qualifies for the Military Operations in Hostile Conditions classification. Subdued versions are worn on the ACU and other Utility uniforms.
The hexagon-shaped insignia is rendered almost entirely in green and yellow, official branch colors of the Military Police Corps. An upright sword denotes the Command’s total military awareness, while the chevrons are used to simulate arrows that create a narrow aperture through which the sword passes, recalling the passage of ships through the Panama Canal while simultaneously emphasizing the military nature of the Command by highlighting the sword.