BATTALION HISTORY

The U.S. Army Mission Support Battalion began its proud heritage in 1936 when the War Department ordered the establishment of a program that would produce an Army exhibit for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City.

In 1951, the Army authorized the unit’s Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA), and the U.S. Army Mission Support Battalion was formally established under the Army’s Chief of Information at Cameron Station, VA. The Mission Support Battalion’s mission was to tell the Army story to the American people. The unit continued to provide exhibits on behalf of the Secretary of the Army and other Department of Defense agencies for the next two decades.

In 1971, following the establishment of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, the Mission Support Battalion was realigned from the Headquarters, Department of the Army to U.S. Army Recruiting Command and renamed the U.S. Army Recruiting Support Center.

In 1985, the commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command re-designated the center as the Recruiting Support Command.

In June 1995, as part of a base closure decision, the command moved from Cameron Station, VA to Fort Knox, KY. In August 1995, the command was re-designated as the Recruiting Support Battalion and given the additional task of conducting national conventions to present a positive image of the Army to the public. Since that time, these exhibits have represented the Army at trade shows and professional conventions across the country.

In November 1997, the unit became part of the Area Support Group. In July 1999, the group was re-designated as the Recruiting Support Brigade, with the Recruiting Support Battalion as a subordinate unit.

In October 2001, the Recruiting Support Battalion took the lead in introducing the American public to the “Army of One” brand, logo and recruiting message. The new branding replaced the “Be All You Can Be” theme and images that had been a recruiting mainstay for 20 years.

In February 2002, the U.S. Army Accessions Command was established to meet the human resources needs of the Army from initial contact with recruiters to first unit of assignment, the command's goal was to transform volunteers into soldiers and leaders for the Army.  In October 2002, the Recruiting Support Battalion and Recruiting Support Brigade were re-designated as a subordinate unit to the U.S. Army Accessions Command as the U.S. Army Accessions Mission Support Battalion (MSB) and U.S. Army Accessions Support Brigade (ASB), respectively.

In January 2012, with the disestablishment of U.S. Army Accessions Command, the Accessions Support Brigade was reassigned to the Army Marketing and Research Group and placed under the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.  In June 2017, the Accessions Support Brigade was re-designated as the Marketing and Engagement Brigade (MEB).  In October 2018, the Marketing and Engagement Brigade with its subordinate units were placed under the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) as a strategic marketing asset.

Today, the battalion deploys across the United States to connect America’s people with the Army and support the Army’s accessions mission by generating interest in Army service opportunities.  The battalion uses modern exhibit equipment with skilled noncommissioned officers and civilian exhibitors.

In addition, the battalion provides the Army accessions enterprise with custom-designed graphics, custom-manufactured incentive awards, exhibit components and other multi-media items. These items are produced in the battalion’s contractor-operated 53,000 square foot fabrication and maintenance facility.