The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade ("Six-Six-M-I" and 66th MIB) is a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

brigade, subordinate to

United States Army Intelligence and Security Command 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 natio ...

and based at Wiesbaden Army Airfield,

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

, Germany. After years of history as a counter intelligence/intelligence group with headquarters in Munich and geographically dispersed detachments, it became a brigade on 16 October 1986, but was inactivated in July 1995. Reformed again as an intelligence group in 2002, it became a brigade again in 2008. The unit's mission is to provide intelligence support to U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army Africa. Part of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade supports near real-time missions for deployed soldiers such as operations in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and also

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Members of the brigade provide mission support by utilizing databases running on

computer cluster A computer cluster is a set of computers that work together so that they can be viewed as a single system. Unlike grid computers, computer clusters have each node set to perform the same task, controlled and scheduled by software. The newes ...

s and communicate on encrypted networks, such as the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...

-certified TACLANE encrypted network. The 66th MIB includes the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion. Soldiers of the 66th MIB can be individually attached to other U.S. Army units in the course of their duties. Members are also on duty at

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

installations, such as

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall, or more simply RAF Mildenhall , is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station located near Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a List of Royal Air Force stations, ...

. One brigade soldier was killed in action near a

Forward Operating Base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may contain an airbase, hospital, machine shop, and othe ...

in Afghanistan in 2010. Unit members analyze sources in, among other languages,

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. The 24th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion (BN) is the largest unit within 66th MIB. The 24th Military Intelligence Battalion conducts intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) synchronization; and all-source intelligence analysis, production, and dissemination in support of national, joint, and

USAREUR United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

requirements. Headquartered in

Wiesbaden, Germany Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden forms a conurbation with a population of aro ...

, the 24th MI BN supports allies across the European Theater with intelligence requirements. Soldiers in the brigade ideally hold qualifications in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

and

counter-intelligence Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting ac ...

, depending on their specific roles. Some also hold military (NWC, NDU, AFSC etc.) and/or civilian academic degrees. Entrance and intermediate training of military intelligence personnel is provided by the

United States Army Intelligence Center The United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) is the United States Army's school for professional training of military intelligence personnel. It is a component of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC ...

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army military base, installation, in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeast Arizona, approximately north of the Mexico–United States border, border with Mexico and at the northern end of the Huac ...

, Arizona.

Organization 2023

As of May 2023 the brigade consists of the following units: * 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, in

(Germany) ** 1st Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), at Wiesbaden Army Airfield ** 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, at Wiesbaden Army Airfield (detachments throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

) ** 24th Military Intelligence Battalion (ISR), at Wiesbaden Army Airfield ** 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Army Reserve), at

Fort Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,324 at the 2020 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command an ...

** 709th Military Intelligence Battalion, at

RAF Menwith Hill Royal Air Force Menwith Hill (RAF Menwith Hill) is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which provides communications and intelligence support services to the United Kingdom and th ...

Misconduct in the past

* Soldiers of 66th MI Brigade have been involved in various degrees at the detention facility of

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib ( or ; ) is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghra ...

(interrogation, analysis, witnessing detainee abuse).

Leadership

The current head of the unit is the Brigade Commander, COL Steven J. Curtis.

Shoulder sleeve insignia

Description On a silver gray hexagon, one point up, with a oriental blue border in height and in width overall, an oriental blue hexagon bearing a yellow sphinx superimposed by a silver gray dagger hilted black. Symbolism Oriental blue and silver gray, representing loyalty and determination, are the colors of the Military Intelligence branch. Yellow/gold symbolizes excellence. The hexagon borders reflect the numerical designation of the unit. The sphinx, a traditional military intelligence symbol, indicates observation, wisdom and discreet silence. The unsheathed dagger reflects the aggressive and protective requirements and the element of physical danger inherent in the mission of the unit. Background The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 27 August 1987 for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. It was cancelled on 17 July 2002. The insignia was reinstated effective 18 June 2003 and redesignated as an exception to policy for the 66th Military Intelligence Group, with description and symbolism updated. (TIOH Drawing Number A-1-740)

Distinctive unit insignia

Description A Gold color metal and enamel device in width overall consisting of a hexagon composed of a chequy of (6) Black and White sections (one angle up), surmounted throughout by a smaller hexagon (flat side up) composed of a chequy of nine sections of Gold and Blue (oriental) with the center square charged with a Gold sphinx head, facing to the left, all above a Gold scroll inscribed "HONOR VALOR AND SECURITY" in Blue (Oriental) letters. Symbolism The black and white symbolize enlightenment and knowledge both day and night around the world. The chequy represents the unit's tactical and strategic capabilities in counterintelligence. The sphinx is a traditional intelligence symbol and indicates observation, wisdom and discreet silence. The hexagon within a hexagon "6-6" further distinguishes the numerical designation of the organization. Background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 66th Military Intelligence Group on 16 July 1969. It was redesignated for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade on 8 October 1986. The insignia was redesignated effective 16 October 2002, with the description updated, for the 66th Military Intelligence Group.

Lineage

Constituted 21 June 1944 in the Army of the United States as the 66th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment. Activated 1 July 1944 at Camp Rucker, Alabama. Inactivated 12 November 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. Activated 10 November 1949 in Germany. Allotted 20 September 1951 to the Regular Army. Reorganized and redesignated 20 December 1952 as the 66th Counter Intelligence Corps Group. Reorganized and redesignated 1 January 1960 as the 66th Military Intelligence Group. Redesignated 25 July 1961 as the 66th Intelligence Corps Group. Redesignated 15 October 1966 as the 66th Military Intelligence Group. Reorganized and redesignated 16 October 1986 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. Reorganized and redesignated 16 October 1992 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. Inactivated 16 July 1995 in Germany. Redesignated 28 February 2002 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 66th Military Intelligence Group. Activated 16 October 2002 in Germany. Redesignated July 2008 as the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade.

References

External links

66th Military Intelligence Brigade Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:066 66 Military units and formations established in 1986 Military units and formations of the United States in the Cold War Military units and formations of the United States in the War on Terror Military units and formations of the United States Army in World War II Organisations based in Hesse United States military in Germany