A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height consisting of a shield blazoned: Per fess wavy Azure and barry wavy of four Argent and of the first, in chief a mullet Or.
The shield is in two colors, blue and white, the colors of the Minnesota State flag. The white appears in two wavy bars across the lower half of the shield, symbolizing water, as the name "Minnesota" is said to be derived from the Sioux Indian language as meaning "water tinted like the sky" or "sky-tinted water." A gold star in the upper half of the shield symbolizes the North Star, as Minnesota is widely known as the North Star State.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for State Staff and Detachment, Minnesota National Guard on 11 September 1933. It was redesignated for Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment and noncolor bearing units of the Minnesota Army National Guard on 24 February 1969. The insignia was redesignated effective 24 February 1983, for Headquarters, State Area Command, Minnesota Army National Guard. It was redesignated for the Minnesota Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters and amended to update the description and add a symbolism effective 1 October 2003.