Army Service Forces The Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II , the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces . They were created on February 28 , 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 " Reorganizing the Army and the War Department " and War Department Circular No . 59 , dated March 2 , 1942 . Origins . In March 1942 , there was a sweeping reorganization of the Army . This was the result of dissatisfaction with the existing structure , with the United States Army Air Forces in particular seeking greater autonomy . However , the main driver was the Chief of Staff , General George Marshall , who felt overwhelmed by the large number of officers and agencies — at least 61 — with direct access to him . The Chief of Staff wanted no more than three commands reporting to him , so everything which did not fit into the Army Ground Forces or Army Air Forces became part of the Services of Supply , which were renamed the Army Service Forces on 12 March 1943 , as it was felt that the term " supply " did not accurately describe their broad range of activities . Army Service Forces brought together elements of five different components of the Army : elements of the War Department General Staff , especially its G - 4 component ; the Office of the Under Secretary of War ; the eight administrative bureaux ; the nine corps area s , which became the service commands ; and the six supply arms and services , which became known as the technical services . Technical Services . Six Technical Services found themselves part of Army Service Forces when they were grouped in 1942 : the Corps of Engineers , Signal Corps , Ordnance Department , Quartermaster Corps , Chemical Corps and Medical Corps . A seventh technical service , the Transportation Corps was established as the Transportation Division 28 February 1942 under Executive Order 9082 . It was renamed the Transportation Service in April 1942 and became a corps in its own right on 31 July 1942 . The Transportation Corps took over control of the ports of embarkation , regulating points and railways . Unlike the chiefs of the combat arms , who had their offices abolished and their authority transferred to the Chief of Army Ground Forces , neither the duties nor the structure of the technical services were altered by their becoming part of the Army Service Forces , but their status changed , and the chiefs no longer had direct access to the Chief of Staff or the Secretary of War . Each of the Technical Services ran its own procurement and field depots . Insignia . According the website of the U . S . Army Institute of Heraldry , the insignia of the Army Service Forces consisted of " a blue five - pointed star , one point up , 1 inches in diameter on a white background within a red border , outside diameter 2 inches , inside invected of six . " The patch was approved on July 30 , 1941 and has had numerous designations . It redesignated as the " Army Service Forces " patch in March 1943 ; " Technical and Administrative Services " in June 1946 ; and " DA Staff Support " in 1969 . The shoulder sleeve insignia is now authorized for personnel assigned to Department of the Army Field Operating Agencies . From 1980 through 2006 it was worn by members of the U . S . Army Trial Defense Service .