Terenas' trial program shortens the whole event to less than two weeks - seven days for training and five days for testing.Īt first, there was pushback because the changes could have meant more soldiers would fail the tests. The existing process of training for and testing for a badge takes about 45 days, which can be a tall order for units. We had badges that had the same damn tasks, but they all had different standards," Terenas explained. "We had this legacy system that took too long. Medics will perform most tasks with other soldiers but break away to conduct their specific job tests for the EFMB. But small differences in each of the tests have required detailed adjusting. The tests themselves have a great deal of overlap, which should have made it simple to roll them together. However, he said that the number of badges awarded is one of the easiest surface-level ways to see how ready a unit is to fight. What does resonate is telling folks that being one of the first to earn it will set them apart in future promotion boards."īut Terenas stressed to that testing more isn't "about the badge." Instead, it's about "sets and reps" for skills all soldiers should have.
"They see it as an unnecessary reputational risk," the senior leader added. Some leaders in non-combat units also might not be comfortable with skills tested for the badges and don't want to risk failing the event in front of their soldiers. "It's required a lot of education, motivation, and change management for it to take off - we aren't where we need to be yet." It's new and not ingrained in the non-infantry culture the way EIB is part of the infantry culture," one senior Army officer told on the condition of anonymity to speak freely on the topic. "Biggest challenge is motivating non-infantry folks to try and get their ESBs. Army)īut a major factor is the culture in units, where leaders may have a hard time motivating non-combat troops to spend a lot of time training for combat tasks.
Mark Jason Fabro, a Motor Transport Operator assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division stands proud after receiving his Expert Soldier Badge, ESB, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii on Sept.
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