110th IO Battalion Dons 58th EMIB Unit Patch for the First Time
Story by Maj. Brendan Cassidy
With the sharp snapping of several dozen velcro patches, a symbolic yet significant change was implemented for a modern battalion with deep historic roots.
Today marked the Patch-Over ceremony for the 110th Information Operations Battalion, a 107-year old formation of the Maryland Army National Guard. After the orders carried down from the brigade to the battalion and finally company leadership, the state flag insignia patch was swapped en masse for that of the 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (EMIB).
The change was prompted by the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Adam Kavalsky, who offered remarks for the occasion. “Today marks a step forward in the unit and for the Maryland National Guard, showing our maturity and progress as a battalion.”
While only officially designated as an expeditionary military intelligence brigade since 2015, the 58th EMIB has existed since 1917 and first contained infantry regiments as old as the American Revolution, one of which was part of the legendary “Maryland 400” in the 1776 Battle of Long Island.
While the ceremony made official what had been the de facto chain of command for a few years, the unit patch to many in the military means far more than simply an administrative technicality: it is a symbol and expression of the very unit itself.
Addressing the formation, 58th EMIB commander Col. B. Clay Jackson said “The synergy between Military Intelligence and Information Operations has always been there, and I hope you’ll take pride in this patch moving forward.”
The 110th IO Battalion is based at the Annapolis Readiness Center in Annapolis, Md. Founded in 1915 as a field artillery battery, since 2009 the unit’s mission is to conduct tactical through strategic level Information Operations in support of global military operations by training and deploying culturally aware and regionally focused IO teams to defeat adversary information operations and gain information superiority in the information environment. The unit is also prepared to provide support to state and local authorities during governor-declared state emergencies.
