The Army’s newest badges will be in soldiers’ hands very soon.
Soldiers are expected to be able to purchase the Army’s new Master Combat Badges at Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, outlets around Friday, said Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ruth Castro.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer announced in October that the Army had authorized the Master Combat Badge for soldiers who have earned both the Combat Infantryman Badge, or CIB, and an Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB. The two badges are awarded to soldiers in the infantry and Special Forces.
For the most part, the new Master Combat Badge will look the same as existing combat badges. The main difference is that the wreath will be gold rather than silver.
Two other versions of the badge will be awarded to medics and soldiers in all other military occupational specialties who have earned both a combat and expert badge in their respective fields.
Castro told Task & Purpose that all three versions of the badge will be available at AAFES: The Master Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Combat Medical Badge, and the Master Combat Action Badge.
The CIB is awarded for serving in direct ground combat, while soldiers who receive the EIB have passed a rigorous set of tests on infantry skills. With the introduction of the Master Combat Badge, soldiers who have been awarded both badges will no longer have to decide which one to wear. Both look similar and are worn in the same place on soldiers’ uniforms above their ribbons. As a result, soldiers who qualify for both have typically worn one.
The Army decided to authorize the Master Combat Badge because soldiers often decided to wear their CIB instead of their EIB, Weimer said during the 2024 Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, D.C.
“I’ll be honest with you, not all CIBs are equal,” Weimer said in October. “It’s just a true statement. They’re not equal. But all EIBs are equal, aren’t they? And I’m here to tell you the failure rate on the EIB is pretty high because it’s hard to get. That’s why it’s called ‘expert.’ And so, the Master Combat Badge will actually identify that you have both.”
Weimer also announced in October that the Army had approved the Mariners and Mountaineering Badge He added that the Mountaineering Badge would no longer look like the Ram’s Head Device, which was only authorized for Vermont National Guardsmen.
Both the Mountaineering and Mariner Badges are still in the design and prototype phase, Castro said, adding, “We’ll provide further updates as these badges near the final phase of the production and distribution process.”
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