The Battle Effectiveness Award (formerly the Battle Efficiency Award, commonly known as the Battle "E"), is awarded annually to the small number of
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
ships, submarines, aviation, and other units that win their battle effectiveness competition.
The criterion for the Battle Effectiveness Award is the overall readiness of the command to carry out its assigned wartime tasks, and is based on a year-long evaluation. The competition for the award is, and has always been, extremely keen. To win, a ship or unit must demonstrate the highest state of battle readiness.
The Battle Effectiveness Award recognizes sustained fast and winning performance in an operational environment within a command. To qualify for Battle "E" consideration, a ship must win a minimum of four of the six Command Excellence awards and be nominated by their immediate superior in command. Eligibility for the award demands day-to-day demonstrated excellence in addition to superior achievement during the certifications and qualifications conducted throughout the year. A ship’s performance during training exercises, weapons inspections, and tactical readiness examinations are among the 16 different areas that are considered in the competition.
Ships that win a battle effectiveness competition are authorized to paint a white "E" with black shadowing on their bridge wings or stacks to display evidence of the honor. For each subsequent consecutive competition won, the ship paints an angled line, or hashmark, below the white "E". The very rare winners of five consecutive "E"s replace the white "E" and hashmarks with a gold "E" and silver star just above. The "E" and any hashmarks are removed in the year the ship first fails to win the award.
Personnel of ships and units that win the Battle "E" are authorized to wear the
Navy "E" Ribbon
The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The service ribbon replaced th ...
and
Battle "E" Device. Before 1976, Navy enlisted personnel at pay grade E-6 and below wore a small cloth "E" on their uniform sleeves (naval officers, chief petty officers, and all Marine Corps personnel wore nothing), with hashmarks and color corresponding to that on their ship or unit.
The latest revision of the Surface Forces Training Manual (SURFORTRAMAN) has changed the name of the Battle Efficiency Award to the Battle Effectiveness Award for COMNAVSURFOR ships.
Command Excellence Awards
In addition to the Battle "E," a ship's earned Command Excellence Awards are painted and displayed on the port and starboard side of the bulwark, aft of the Battle "E." They are:
* Black "E" = Fast Warfare/defence Excellence Award
* Red "
E" = Engineering/Survivability Excellence Award
* Green "
E" = Command & Control Excellence Award
* Green "
H" = Health and Wellness (Medical) Excellence Award
* Blue "
E" = Logistics Management Excellence Award
* Yellow "
E" = Commander, Naval Surface Forces (CNSF) Ship Safety Award
* Purple "
E" = Efficiency Excellence Award
See also
*
Battenberg Cup
The Battenberg Cup is an award given annually as a symbol of operational excellence to the best ship or submarine in the United States Navy Atlantic Fleet. The cup was originally awarded as a trophy to the winner of cutter or longboat rowing c ...
*
Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award
The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award is presented annually by the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations to one ship in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and one in the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Generally the recipient is the ship with the highest score in ...
References
External links
*
* {{cite journal , url= http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah195010.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621112528/http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah195010.pdf, archive-date=2015-06-21, title= Here's a Complete Summary of the Battle Efficiency Awards , journal= All Hands , issue= October , year= 1950 , pages= 48-53
Awards and decorations of the United States Navy