| Combat Action Badge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Badge |
| Awarded for | Actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, and performing satisfactorily in accordance with prescribed rules of engagement after September 18, 2001 |
| Presented by | United States Army |
| Eligibility | U.S. Army soldiers not in an infantry, special forces, or medical MOS |
| Status | actively awarded |
| Established | May 2, 2005 |
| First awarded | June 29, 2005 (retroactive to September 18, 2001) |
| Total recipients | 68,686 in OIF (as of June 26, 2012) 37,914 in OEF (as of June 26, 2012) 3,828 in OND (as of June 26, 2012) 30 OIR (as of February 12, 2018)[1] |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Combat Medical Badge |
| Next (lower) | Expert Infantryman Badge[2] |
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, special forces, or medical MOS, for being "present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy and performing satisfactorily in accordance with prescribed rules of engagement" at any point in time after 18 September 2001.
On 2 May 2005, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (CSA) approved the creation of the CAB to provide special recognition to U.S. soldiers who personally engaged, or are engaged by, the enemy.[3] The CAB is intended to serve as a companion to the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and Combat Medical Badge (CMB) and was created to recognize the greatly expanded role of non-infantry soldiers in active, ground combat.[4]
U.S. Army infantrymen or special forces soldiers with the rank of colonel or below and who are a member of a brigade-sized or smaller infantry or special forces unit, receive the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) instead of the CAB.
- ^ "Dozens of combat badges awarded to soldiers who engaged against ISIS forces". military.com. June 19, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Army Regulation 600-8-22 Military Awards (June 24, 2013). Table 8-1, U.S. Army Badges and Tabs: Orders of precedence. p. 120 Archived October 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dalessandro, Robert J. (2007). Army Officer's Guide (51 ed.). Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stockpole Books. p. 571. ISBN 978-0-8117-3528-5.
- ^ AR 600–8–22, Ch 8-8a, 5 March 2019