Excellence in Armor (EIA) is a program of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Training and Doctrine Command that awards outstanding Armor and

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s whose performance is routinely above the standard and demonstrate superior leadership potential. The EIA was initially proposed in May 1984 and implemented in October 1987. The program rewards outstanding armor and

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

soldiers with a Certificate of Achievement, a

challenge coin A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they might be given to prove membership when asked and to enhance morale. They are also coll ...

from the U.S. Army's Chief of Armor, awarding of the personnel development skill identifier (PDSI) “E4J,” and will set the soldier apart from their peers during promotion boards.Office of the Chief of Armor, Excellence in Armor
benning.army.mil, updated 25 October 2016, last accessed 24 March 2018Excellence in Armor, Building Tomorrow's NCO Corps Today
U.S. Army Armor School, Office of the Chief of Armor, benning.army.mil, dated May 2018, last accessed 2 February 2020Thunderbolt Blast, Armor School Newsletter
U.S. Army, dated Spring 2020, last accessed 1 June 2020 According to

U.S. Army Armor School The United States Army Armoured warfare, Armor School (formerly Armored Force School) is a training school located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its primary focus is the training of United States Army soldiers, non-commissioned officers, Warrant Of ...

, the EIA program identifies outstanding Armor Branch soldiers in the ranks of Private (E-1/OR-1) through Sergeant (E-5/OR-5) and

2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

(O-1/OF-1a) through

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(O-3/OF-3) who have demonstrated performance and leadership potential in

One Station Unit Training One Station Unit Training, sometimes referred to as One Site Unit Training, is a term used by the United States Army to refer to a training program in which recruits remain with the same unit for both Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Indi ...

(OSUT) or Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course (ABOLC) under the auspices of the 194th Armored and 316th Cavalry Brigades of the U.S. Army Armor School. Other Armor Branch soldiers who have earned the Expert Soldier Badge can also earn the EIA by submitting a request to the U.S. Army Armor School. One of the established goals of the program is to "increase combat readiness across Armor and Cavalry units through identification and promotion of highly qualified highly motivated armor and cavalry soldiers."

References

{{USArmy decorations Awards and decorations of the United States Army