Shoulder sleeve insignia

332d Infantry Regiment andArmy of Occupation shoulder sleeve insignia worn on aWorld War I eraU.S. infantryofficer's coat.
Designer	United States Army
Year	1918 (1918)–present
Type	Patch
Material	Cloth

Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are distinctive cloth emblems worn on the upper left sleeve of theU.S. Army uniform to represent a soldier's current unit of assignment. When worn on the right sleeve, the insignia is known as the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Military Operations in Hostile Condition (SSI-MOHC), previously referred to as the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Former Wartime Service (SSI-FWTS)^[1] or simply the "combat patch".^[2] It signifies prior participation in combat or designated hostile environments with the represented unit. It is authorized for wear by soldiers assigned to divisions, corps, armies and certain other units designated by theDepartment of the Army.

Corps badges were first used during theCivil War as metal badges on caps or the uniform tunic. This continued during theSpanish-American War but with different badges.^[3]

Colored shoulder sleeve insignia were originally designed with bright colors and detailed symbols to reflect the lineage, honors, and heritage of U.S. Army units. These color patches were intended for wear on service or dress uniforms and not on combat uniforms when introduced, but that changed during World War I with the81st Infantry Division,^[4] who are regarded as the first unit to wear colored patches in a war-zone. While initially the patches were primarily for identification, they quickly became a symbol of pride and unit affiliation.

In 1918, the81st Infantry Division deployed to France after training atCamp Jackson, South Carolina. Its soldiers wore an olive drab felt patch featuring the silhouette of a wildcat named after Wildcat Creek,^[5] which ran through the training post. This patch, worn on the left shoulder, became the first officially recognized SSI in the U.S. Army.^[6] When challenged by other units, GeneralJohn J. Pershing ruled in favor of the 81st's right to wear the patch and encouraged other divisions to develop their own insignia. The patch was officially adopted by the Army on October 19, 1918, establishing the precedent for shoulder sleeve insignia across the force.

Historically, full-color SSI were worn:

• On the 81st Infantry Division's uniform during World War I
• On the brown service coat during World War II,
• On the green "Class A" uniform from the 1950s through the early 2000s,
• On the OG-107 utility uniforms during the late 1950s and 1960s.

They were also displayed onMilitary Police (MP)brassards, black or dark blue armbands with white "MP" lettering worn in garrison environments with both Class A and subdued field uniforms such as theBattle Dress Uniform orDesert Combat Uniform.

During this time, nearly all U.S. Army groups, field armies, corps, and divisions, as well as many major commands, had distinctive SSIs. These designs often contained symbolism relevant to the unit's origins, for example, the82nd Airborne Division's "AA" for "All-American", and the29th Infantry Division's blue-and-gray circle symbolizing its makeup ofUnion andConfederate states. Most units had unique patches, though armored divisions, theI Armored Corps, and theU.S. Army Armor Center used a shared triangular design with unit-specific numbers and, later, labels added to the patch.

With the transition to theArmy Combat Uniform in the mid-2000s, and the eventual retirement of the Army Green Class A Uniform in 2015, full-color SSI were phased out. In their place, theCombat Service Identification Badge was introduced which is a metal pin worn on theArmy Service Uniform.

In recent years, theArmy Green Service Uniform, commonly called the "pinks and greens", was reintroduced to reflect the WWII-era aesthetic. This uniform authorizes the return of full-color SSI on the left sleeve (ref: ALARACT 029/2021).^[7] Soldiers currently wear subdued SSI on combat uniforms when in the field or deployed and full-color SSI on the AGSU and combat uniforms when specified by regulation. The CSIB remains in use on the blue ASU but is not worn on the AGSU or AGSU Class B Shirt.

Subdued Shoulder Sleeve Insignia were developed to ensure uniform concealment and soldier survivability in field and combat environments. These patches are produced in low-contrast, camouflage-matching colors and have evolved alongside the Army's field uniforms.

• Type III OG-107 Olive Drab subdued SSI (1966–1980s)

TheOG-107 Olive Drab fatigues were in use during the Vietnam War. At the beginning of the conflict, soldiers went to war with full color insignia, white name tapes and black and gold US Army tapes. But in 1966, the Army authorized subdued or green and black versions of the SSI patches to be worn instead.^[8]

• BDU-era subdued SSI (1980s–2008)

TheBattle Dress Uniform (BDU) was the standard field uniform from the early 1980s until it was fully phased out in 2008. To match the BDU's woodland camouflage, subdued SSI were created in olive drab, dark brown, and black. These patches were sewn onto the uniform. These versions are now obsolete, in accordance with the retirement of the BDU.

• DBCU / DCU-era subdued SSI (1990s–2008)

TheDesert Battle Dress Uniform (DCBU) "Chocolate-Chips" and its successor theDesert Camouflage Uniform (DCU) were used primarily during OperationsDesert Shield/Desert Storm,Operation Gothic Serpent, early Middle East tensions and the initial stages ofOperation Enduring Freedom, andIraqi Freedom, subdued SSI were manufactured in light tan and coyote brown^[9] thread to match the desert color palette. Like their BDU counterparts, these patches were sewn on and have since been retired with the discontinuation of the DCU around 2008.

• UCP/ACU-erasubdued SSI (2005 —2019)

With the rollout of theArmy Combat Uniform (ACU) andUniversal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) in 2005, subdued SSI were reimagined with new color schemes: foliage green, gray, and black, occasionally incorporating maroon or red for units with distinctive branch colors (e.g., medical or artillery). These were the first Army-issued SSI designed withhook-and-loop backing, aligning with the ACU's modular configuration and shoulder loop fields. This allowed for easier removal, reassignment, and replacement, a significant shift from previously sewn-on insignia.

• OCP-era subdued SSI (2015–present)

TheOperational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), derived fromCrye Precision'sMultiCam, replaced UCP in 2015 and is now the standard combat uniform. Current SSI are designed in bagby green, spice brown, and tan, with no foliage green. They retain hook-and-loop fasteners and are worn on the left sleeve to denote current unit assignment, and optionally on the right sleeve as SSI-MOHC to indicate combat service with that unit or previous units assigned too in a combat zone.

The shoulder sleeve insignia is worn on the left sleeve of the U.S. Army uniform to identify a soldier's current unit of assignment. On combat uniforms such as the Army Combat Uniform and Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform, the SSI is attached to a hook-and-loop field on the upper arm, just below the shoulder seam.^[3]

In situations where a soldier's upper sleeve is obscured by body armor, such as theInterceptor Body Armor or theImproved Outer Tactical Vest, some units allow the SSI to be displayed on alternative areas such as the shoulder straps of the vest or on helmet covers. Certain units, such as the3rd Infantry Division and the101st Airborne Division, have authorized wear of the SSI on helmet covers for unit identification.

The specific SSI worn depends on the soldier's assignment within the unit and SOP (standard operating procedure). Soldiers generally wear the insignia of their division, corps, or separate brigade. If the soldier's unit falls under the operational control of a higher headquarters with a distinct SSI, they may be required to wear that higher headquarters' patch. For example,First Army directs all subordinate brigades under its command to wear the First Army SSI as a unit patch, regardless of the brigade's organic insignia.

The US Army's first official combat patch, or Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Military Operations in Hostile Conditions (SSI-MOHC), was authorized at the end of World War II to denote service in combat against hostile forces. The practice of wearing unit patches on the right sleeve to signify combat experience became official in 1945. While unit patches had been used before, this was the first instance of a specific patch to denote combat service. Soldiers who have participated in military operations in designated combat or hostile fire zones are authorized to wear the SSI of the unit they served with on their right shoulder. This insignia, officially designated as the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Military Operations in Hostile Conditions (SSI-MOHC) or formerly known as the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service (SSI-FWTS), is commonly referred to as a combat patch and represents former wartime service.^[2]

There is no minimum time-in-theater requirement to qualify for the SSI-MOHC. The only requirements to obtain or earn one are to serve in a hostile fire pay/imminent danger pay, combat zone tax exclusion pay or in a combat zone. If eligible for more than one SSI–MOHC, a soldier may alternate between them but may not wear more than one at a time. Orders are not issued for authorization of combat patches like in previous years when it was issued alongside a notice of authorization. In some cases, units produce patch certificates as a ceremonial gesture.

In the early phases of theGlobal War on Terrorism, soldiers sometimes received multiple combat patches due to changing command relationships during deployments. However, policy changed on March 27, 2007, to limit eligibility to a single SSI–MOHC per deployment. Under current policy, soldiers are authorized to wear the insignia of the lowest echelon unit (company level or above) with its own distinctive SSI (usually a brigade), with which they were assigned or attached in a combat zone. This change simplified patch entitlement and eliminated overlapping authorizations from multiple command levels.

While all U.S. Army groups, field armies, and corps have their own shoulder sleeve insignia, combat patches are generally not awarded to all soldiers serving under those commands. Only personnel assigned to or directly supporting the corps or army headquarters are typically authorized to wear those insignia as SSI–MOHC.

During theIsrael-Hamas War and theIran-Israel War, the US Army announced throughALARACT 069/2025 that from the dates of 7 October 2023 to 24 June 2025,^[2] all US Army Units from Active Duty, National Guard and the Reserves are authorized a SSI-MOHC Patch due to the increasing hostilities in the region ofCENTCOM andAFRICOM and with the culminating moment of theballistic missile attack on Qatar. This is a rare move as the SSI-MOHC, formerly known as SSI-FWTS or the "combat patch", has always been an earned item to those serving in regions that qualify one for hostile fire pay/imminent danger pay, CZTE, and in recognized combat zones, which are currently Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, Lebanon, Israel, Sinai Peninsula and Djibouti.

• 
  The81st Infantry Division "Wildcat" insignia; the first approved SSI.
• 
  1st Armored Corps insignia.
• 
  1st Armored Division insignia showing division nickname.
• 
  4th Armored Division insignia. The division chose not to add a nickname as befit their motto:Name Enough!
• 
  A soldier wears the173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team SSI on his ACU uniform while serving in Afghanistan
• 
  A soldier with the SSI of the89th Military Police Brigade on hisInterceptor Body Armor shoulder pad.
• 
  A soldier with the SSI of the34th Infantry Division on herMICH TC-2000 Combat Helmet.
• 
  Half scale insignia of the1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade worn on the right side of anAdvanced Combat Helmet.
• 
  SSI for the85th Infantry Division. WWI, WWII, 1970–1986, and present
• 
  SSI for the91st Infantry Division in World War II
• 
  Variation SSI for the 91st Infantry Division in World War II
• 
  SSI for the 91st Infantry Division in World War II
• 
  Soldiers with the 94th Military Police Company, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, places a 1st Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia – former wartime service atCamp Liberty, Iraq.
• 
  New York Army National Guard Soldiers of the 1569th Transportation Corps celebrate their "patch ceremony" on June 6, 2014 in Afghanistan.
• 
• 
  Soldiers with the 1487th Transportation Company-Ohio National Guard earn the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Former Wartime Service, April 28, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
• 
  Soldiers with the 1487th Transportation Company-Ohio National Guard earn the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Former Wartime Service, April 28, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
• 
  U.S. Army Sgt. Ashanti Harris, assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, receives a combat patch from U.S. Army Lt. Philip Riglick, assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala province, Iraq, Aug. 21, 2010.
• 
  A paratrooper assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division displays his newly-awarded shoulder sleeve insignia-former wartime service patch during a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, July 4, 2015

• Distinctive unit insignia
• Combat Service Identification Badge
• Emblems of the United States Air Force
• Divisional insignia of the British Army
• Formation badges for theBritish Army equivalent
• Tactical recognition flash
• US Army Institute of Heraldry

• Field army insignia of the United States Army
• Corps insignia of the United States Army
• Division insignia of the United States Army
• Brigade insignia of the United States Army
• Miscellaneous shoulder sleeve insignia of the United States Army

• Dalessandro, Robert J. & Knapp, Michael G.,Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Forces, 1917–1923, (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing) 2008.

• Media related toShoulder sleeve insignia at Wikimedia Commons
• US Army Patches & Crests atFlickr

• 1918 establishments in France
• Heraldry of the United States Army
• Military equipment introduced in the 1910s
• United States Army uniforms
• United States military unit insignia
• Sleeves

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