{{Infobox military unit , unit_name = 297th Military Intelligence Battalion , image = 297th MI BN DUI.svg , image_size = 160 , caption =

Distinctive Unit Insignia A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...

, dates = 1962–1968
1990–present , country = {{flag, United States , allegiance = , branch = {{flag, United States Army , type = , role = , size = , command_structure = 513th Military Intelligence Brigade , garrison =

Fort Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, garrison_label = , equipment = , equipment_label = , nickname = "INSCOM's Contingency Force" , patron = , motto = ''Always Forward, Yield to None'' , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , battles = , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , current_commander = , current_commander_label = , ceremonial_chief = , ceremonial_chief_label = , colonel_of_the_regiment = , colonel_of_the_regiment_label = , notable_commanders = , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Coat of arms , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = Known as "

INSCOM The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for United States Army commanders, partners in the Intelligence Community, and nationa ...

's Contingency Force", the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion (297th MI BN) is a battalion subordinate to the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, located at

. Its mission is to provide operational, all source

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

to the Commander, U.S. Army Central Command (CENTCOM). Battalion intelligence operations include all source analysis, collection management, battlefield damage assessment, imagery (national and theater) exploitation and dissemination. The battalion sustains itself and the Brigade Headquarters by providing food service, maintenance,

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

and communications support. The 297th MI BN provides tailored, multi-disciplined intelligence teams and capabilities in support of

USCENTCOM The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...

, USARCENT, and regionally-aligned/Globally-responsive forces to defeat adversaries, promote regional stability, support partner nations and allies, and protect U.S. interests.

Lineage & honors

*Constituted 21 November 1962 in the Army Reserve as the 297th

Army Security Agency The United States Army Security Agency (ASA) was the United States Army's signals intelligence branch from 1945 to 1976. The Latin motto of the Army Security Agency was ''Semper Vigiles'' (Vigilant Always), which echoes the declaration, often ...

Company. *Activated 1 March 1963 at

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. *Reorganized and redesignated 15 April 1966 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 197th Army Security Agency Battalion. *Inactivated 31 January 1968 at Atlanta, Georgia. *Redesignated 1 February 1990 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion; concurrently withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army. *Redesignated 17 October 1991 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion, and activated at

Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

(organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).

History

The 297th Military Intelligence Battalion was originally constituted in the United States Army Reserves as the 297th Army Security Agency Company on 21 November 1962 and assigned to the

Third United States Army Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. It was activated on 1 March 1963 in

, Georgia. The unit was reorganized and redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Security Agency Battalion on 15 April 1966. It was inactivated on 31 January 1968 and relieved from assignment to the Third United States Army. On 1 February 1990 the unit was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion and concurrently removed from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army. The unit was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Service Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion on 1 February 1990 and was activated at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. During June and July 1994, the elements at Fort Monmouth moved to Fort Gordon, Georgia. The battalion was subordinate to the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, a force projection brigade. The battalion was composed of the Headquarters and Headquarters Service Company, A Company and C Company, all located at Fort Gordon, and elements of B Company, were collocated with the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) at

Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...

, Georgia and US Central Command (USCENTCOM) at

MacDill AFB MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Florida. The Intelligence Support Element-McPherson (ISE-M), was collocated with the U.S. Army Central Command (ARCENT) at

Fort McPherson Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Georgia, bordering the northern edge of the city of East Point, Georgia. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Ar ...

, Georgia. There were two Corps Military Intelligence Support Elements (CMISE), one at Fort Hood, Texas with the III Corps and one at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

. Their mission was to enhance INSCOM's support to the warfighting corps commanders. The Army's JSTARS detachment was also part of the battalion. It provided Army crewmembers to JSTARS and was located at

, Georgia. In 1999 while located at MacDill, Air Force Base, B Company became officially recognized as C Company. C Company, located at Fort Gordon, became officially recognized as B Company. In October 2004, the CMISE mission in support of III U.S. Corps became integrated in Fort Gordon operations, reducing the Battalion's number of remote CMISE to one. Also, JSTARS was redesignated the 138th MI Company and was subordinated to INSCOM HQ. The Vanguard Battalion's mission is to provide operational, all source intelligence to the Commander, U.S. Army Central Command. Battalion intelligence operations include all source analysis, collection management, battlefield damage assessment, imagery (national and theater) exploitation and dissemination. The battalion sustains itself and the Brigade Headquarters by providing food service, maintenance, military police and communications support.

Coat of arms

Description

Per bend azure and sable, in dexter base a gauntlet argent grasping a lightning flash sword bendwise blade of the like, grip gules, pommel and quillon or.

Symbolism

The colors oriental blue and silver gray are traditionally associated with military intelligence. The armored fist represents strength; the lightning flash denotes speed. The fist seizes the blade of the sword to indicate readiness and vigilance. Black denotes dependability and suggests covert capabilities. The fist, upraised and grasping the sword, suggests leadership, highlighting the unit's motto.

Motto

The motto of the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion is ''"Always Forward, Yield to None"'', signifying the rapid deployment of the battalion and its ability to perform its mission anywhere in the world.

External links

297th Military Intelligence Battalion

513th Military Intelligence Brigade

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