Six of those Soldiers were from the 576th RC. To compete for the ESB, Whitaker needed at least an 80-percent score in each of the Army Physical Fitness Test events and an expert score on his assigned weapon. Will Whitaker, 3rd Platoon leader with 576th Route Clearance Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, disassembles and reassembles his M4 rifle, which was the final task during the Expert Soldier Badge testing period Aug. He was able to bring the badge back to Fort Carson and will continue to bring awareness since it’s relatively new to the Army.įORT HOOD, Texas - 1st Lt.
“It was an opportunity that was offered to a few individuals in our battalion,” Whitaker said. Whitaker was grateful for the opportunity to compete for the ESB. Its purpose is to recognize excellence in Soldier combat skills and increase individual, unit and overall Army readiness. The ESB, which was established in mid-2019, was designed to test a Soldier’s proficiency in physical fitness, marksmanship, land navigation and other critical skills, according to a Training and Doctrine Command Public Affairs Release. Whitaker, a first lieutenant and the 3rd platoon leader with the 576th Route Clearance Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, participated in a two-week train up period at Fort Hood before the five-day competition Aug. He earned the Expert Soldier Badge in August at Fort Hood, Texas. The sweltering 100-degree Texas heat didn’t deter Will Whitaker from successfully completing his task. Will Whitaker, 3rd Platoon leader with 576th Route Clearance Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, completes mile 7 of the 12-mile ruck march on the final day of the Expert Soldier Badge testing period Aug. The test may also include five additional tasks selected by the brigade commander, to include reacting to an improvised explosive device, constructing fighting positions and marking CBRN-contaminated areas.FORT HOOD, Texas - 1st Lt. The test will include the ACFT, day and night land navigation, individual testing stations and a 12-mile road march. They will also need to be recommended by their chain of command. To qualify to take the ESB test, soldiers will need to pass the Army Combat Fitness Test and qualify as an expert on the M4/M16 rifle. The test will share about 80% of its warrior tasks with the EIB and EFMB and will be designed to be administered alongside those badges.īrigade commanders will decide when best to schedule tests. Standards for the badge will not be adjusted for age, gender or any other criteria. “And it will be just as tough to earn as the EIB and EFMB because the soldier will have to demonstrate fitness, weapons proficiency, navigation and warrior task skill at the expert level.” “Like the EIB and EFMB, the ESB test will be a superb venue for individual training in units and the badge will recognize a soldier’s mastery,” said Gen.
Soldiers in the infantry, Special Forces and medical career fields will not be eligible for the ESB. The badge is designed to improve lethality, recognize excellence and increase readiness. Officials said the new badge would recognize soldiers who are ineligible to earn the EIB and EFMB in their current military occupational specialties.Īrmy officials said they will implement the ESB early in fiscal 2020 and will finalize standards and regulations for the new badge by September 2019.Įarning the badge will test a soldier’s proficiency in physical fitness, marksmanship, land navigation and other critical skills, and demonstrate “a mastery of the art of soldiering,” officials said. The Expert Soldier Badge would be on par with two of the Army’s most prestigious and hard-earned skills badges - the Expert Infantry Badge and the Expert Field Medical Badge. Army Training and Doctrine Command unveiled a new proficiency badge during Army birthday celebrations last week. Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance.
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