Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer delivers remarks during the Association of the United States Army forum in Washington on Oct. 16, 2024. Weimer said the Army is rolling out a new Master Combat Badge that allows combat veterans who have earned expert qualifications in their field to wear a single badge displaying both honors. (Henry Villarama/U.S. Army)
Soldiers will soon be able to show that they served in combat and excel in their job field by wearing a single badge on their uniform.
A new Master Combat Badge is being rolled out for combat veterans who also have earned skills-related honors, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer said.
The service currently awards Combat Infantryman Badges to infantry soldiers and Special Forces troops who served in active ground combat, and Expert Infantryman Badges to those who pass the rigorous test.
Equivalent badges are awarded to experts in medical and non-infantry career fields.
However, soldiers aren’t allowed to wear their expert and combat badges together.
Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Weimer announced that the Army Senior Enlisted Council had voted unanimously to approve a more inclusive badge, AUSA said in a statement.
Further details weren’t provided. However, the news website Task and Purpose reported that the Army will introduce three versions: the Master Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Combat Medical Badge and the Master Combat Action Badge.
They will look like existing combat badges, except the wreath depicted on them will be gold rather than silver, Task and Purpose reported.
A new badge for Army mariners and a mountain badge for Army Mountain Warfare School graduates have also been approved, according to AUSA.
Weimer also announced Tuesday that the Army is redesigning its physical training uniform, as the present design “doesn’t represent who we are as warfighters.”
The current outfit, which is all black with gold lettering, was introduced in 2017.
Weimer didn’t provide many clues as to what the new uniform might look like.
“It’s going to look a little different than what we’ve done in the past,” Weimer was quoted by AUSA as saying. “We’re not going to get locked into the same T-shirt.”
Further testing needs to be carried out before the design is finalized, Weimer said, adding that the new uniform should be ready sometime next year.
