Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are cloth patches worn on the shoulders of US Army uniforms since World War I to identify the primary headquarters to which a soldier is assigned. Insignia is issued to commands, field armies, corps, divisions and brigades. Some other formations also have SSI's and rarely - a regiment may have one. They are created and assigned by the US Army Institute of Heraldry. When a unit is deactivated, so usually is the SSI, but it can be reassigned. Also an SSI can be deactivated and the unit will then usually wear the insignia of its next highest command (usually a division or a command).

Notes:

One asterisk (*) after a unit's date span (or an insignia's date span—preferred when available) indicates a unit has seen internal deactivations. See the corresponding unit article for more information. Two asterisks (**) after a unit's date span indicate the unit has been re-designated (e.g., a command re-designated to a brigade). A re-designation is often accompanied by a considerable reorganization or change to a different unit size.

Army elements or predecessors in joint units

Army groups

Numbered brigades

Non-numbered brigades

Coastal artillery districts (1920s) Source:

Numbered commands

Non-numbered commands

Corps

Departments

Divisions

Field armies

Missile commands (1957-1978)

Schools and educational units

Service commands (1942-1945)

Other

Notes:

One asterisk (*) after a unit's date span (or an insignia's date span—preferred when available) indicates a unit has seen internal deactivations. See the corresponding unit article for more information. Two asterisks (**) after a unit's date span indicate the unit has been re-designated (e.g., a command re-designated to a brigade). A re-designation is often accompanied by a considerable reorganization or change to a different unit size.

See also 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 SSI of the United States Army

Explanatory notes

References