The evolving face of the battlefield has been recognised with the release of the new Army Combat Badge (ACB). The ACB recognises the service of non-infantry regular and reserve personnel who are force-assigned to a combat team or battle group and participate in war fighting against an armed enemy on warlike operations.

CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy said the decision to issue the ACB reflected how Australian soldiers were involved in a new type of warfare. “We see now in our combined arms teams that infantry, armour and combat service support are all essentially doing the same job,” Lt-Gen Leahy said.

“A good example of this was AMTG1, who I have just welcomed home. There, the infantry and the armour troops had been doing the same task. Battle groups and combat teams are now a part of the hardened and networked Army, a part of complex warfare and a part of combined arms warfare. So we can now recognise the performance of all of the people in those combat teams and battle groups.”

The ACB is similar to the Infantry Combat Badge (ICB) and has similar qualifying conditions, but does not replace the ICB. Members who wear the ICB or are eligible to be awarded the ICB are not entitled to wear or be awarded the ACB. The badge can only be issued once, and there is no retrospectivity, so issue will be limited to those personnel who were on qualifying operations at the time the badge was introduced. This includes the AMTG in Iraq and the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan.

There are also provisions for the ACB to be issued in special circumstances, such as when personnel become involved in direct combat during peacekeeping operations. Details on eligibility and authority to wear the badge will be contained in a soon to be released Defence Instruction.

Lt-Gen Leahy said he was very pleased with the design of the new burnished-bronze badge, which features crossed swords over a laurel wreath. “It’s fitting recognition for the service people have done in difficult and dangerous circumstances,” he said. “I hope that soldiers will wear it with pride.”