During the American Civil War, prior to a formalized counterintelligence service, the Union Army created the Bureau of Military Information, the predecessor to Military Intelligence, and put famed detective Allan Pinkerton in charge of catching confederate spies and gathering intelligence. Pinkerton and his men often carried badges similar to these.

On 13 August 1917, during World War I, ACI was officially created as the Corp of Intelligence Police (CIP) under the Military Intelligence Division (MID). The first CIP agents carried this badge while investigating hundreds of cases of subversion, sabotage, terrorism, and foreign spies, while also conducting counter-espionage operations.

In 1920, ACI agents still operating as the Corps of Intelligence Police under the Military Intelligence Service within the U.S. were assigned to either Eastern, Western, or Southern Departments, and briefly carried badges such as this one.

Immediately prior to World War II, the CIP had very few agents and carried this badge. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, CIP was renamed to the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) and rapidly expanded.

During World War II, many agents assigned to CIC detachments in the Pacific Theater carried a different version of the badge to distinguish themselves.

Primary badge carried by CIC Special Agents in World War II and into the Cold War. ACI agents who carried this badge were directly involved with some of the biggest intelligence and special operations known to history, but much of CIC's involvement in those historical events remains largely unknown to the general public.

Before the end of World War II, an Inspector General report led to a temporary merger of U.S. based CIC agents with the Military Police Command under the Security Intelligence Corps. This pilot program was a failure and therefore halted, ultimately restoring the CIC stateside after less than a year.

Badge carried by ACI Special Agents through much of the Cold War until 2011.

Badge carried by operational ACI Special Agents, regardless of assignment until 2025.

With the establishment of ACI Command (ACIC), reinforced law enforcement (LE) and intelligence mission, and new LE authorities for civilian agents, a new badge was issued that is now carried by all ACI Special Agents world-wide.