The Expert Soldier Badge, or ESB, is a special skills badge 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 ...

. Similar in appearance to the

Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry or special forces MOS, for being "present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, a ...

, the ESB is awarded to soldiers who are neither

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

, nor

combat medic A combat medic, or healthcare specialist, is responsible for providing emergency medical treatment at a point of wounding in a combat or training environment, as well as primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury ...

s who demonstrate their competence in various warrior and mission essential tasks, land navigation, and physical fitness. The badge was approved on June 14, 2019 and entered service in October 2019, as a way for soldiers in other

military occupational specialties A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code (MOS code), is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a sy ...

to certify their competence within their occupation, as well as general combat skills.

History

The concept of the ESB (initially referred to as the Expert Action Badge) was initially proposed in 2015 as part of the

United States Army Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...

Non-Commissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

(NCO) 2020 Strategy, as one way to improve combat readiness in the Army. The ESB was first openly discussed on March 30, 2017, at an NCO Development Town Hall hosted by

Command Sergeant Major A command sergeant major (CSM) is a non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of a color-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is ap ...

David Davenport. Discussion mainly focused on the intent of the badge, as well as the possible criteria for award. The feasibility of the ESB was tested at

Joint Base Lewis-McChord A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...

in April of the same year, with 53 soldiers taking part in the event. The results of the test at McChord, as well as future testing, will be used to determine if the criteria for the badge appropriately conveys the badge's intent. The NCO 2020 Strategy, including the ESB, was further discussed in 2018 at a conference held at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

Criteria

The criteria for award of the ESB is that a soldier must perform in 30 Warrior Tasks (Skill Level 1) and

battle drill A battle drill is a type of standard operating procedure used in the training of infantry. Based on commonly encountered scenarios, battle drills are used to establish standardized actions of a team, allowing for a quick collective response without ...

s, and five unit–level mission essential tasks, chosen by a commander, in addition to completion of a 12-mile foot march, a land navigation test and the

Army Combat Fitness Test The United States Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the forthcoming fitness test for the United States Army. It was designed to better reflect the stresses of a combat environment, to address the poor physical fitness of recruits, and to reduce t ...

. Testing is conducted at the

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

-level, with units being given a week to set up the test course, a few days of training, and then a few days of testing.

Design

The design for the ESB is similar to that of the Combat Action Badge. It features the same

M9 bayonet The M9 Bayonet, officially known as the M9 Phrobis III, is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1986 by the United States. It has a blade and is issued with a sheath designed to double as a wire cutter. History The M9 bayon ...

and M67 fragmentation grenade, superimposed on a rectangular base, as found on the Combat Action Badge. The ESB does not, however, feature a wreath.

References

{{US Army badges Awards and decorations of the United States Department of Defense United States military badges Awards and decorations of the United States Army Awards established in 2019 2019 establishments in the United States

History

Criteria

Design

See also

References