FORT BENNING, Ga. -- Significant changes are coming to the manual and task requirements for the Expert Infantryman Badge.
Since 1944, the Expert Infantryman Badge has set a high standard for Infantry training in the Army. It has evolved into 30 tasks -- 10 each in three lanes of weapons, patrol and medic. Now, new changes are about to be implemented.
Master Sgt. Charles Evans from the Office of the Chief of the Infantry is leading the effort to rewrite the manual for all 30 tasks in the EIB. He conducted a pilot program recently at Fort Benning, Georgia, with U.S. Infantry Soldiers across multiple military occupational specialties.
"Their feedback was really essential to rolling out this new standard, making sure it was validated before it hit the horse," said Evans. "Just working out all the kinks and making sure that all the tasks were applicable, realistic and up to date with the latest doctrine."
Most of the changes in the manual are intended to standardize and streamline the options for units in how to conduct the testing. Nevertheless, there will be significant changes to some of the tests themselves.
Indirect fire, move under fire, grenades, CPR and care under fire are all being reworked. And with this year's first EIB event coming to Fort Benning in September, the burden rests upon this pilot program to finalize these changes quickly and push out the new manual.
"The reason we did this event was to make sure it wasn't just written from a single perspective, that it had feedback from all the different types of units across the Army," said Evans.
The purpose of the EIB is to recognize infantrymen who have demonstrated a mastery of critical skills that build the core foundation for individual proficiency that allow them to locate, close with and destroy the enemy through fire and maneuver and to repel an enemy through fire and close combat.
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