U.S. Army Authorizes Army-wide Wear of Jungle Warfare Tab
The Army has officially approved the Jungle tab as a permanent skill badge for all soldiers, expanding its use beyond the Pacific region.
The United States Army has broadened the eligibility for the Jungle tab, making it an official, Army-wide skill badge as of last month. The policy change, detailed in a July 22 memorandum signed by Assistant Secretary of the Army Jules W. Hurst III, extends the badge to all soldiers who completed the Jungle Operations Training Center course in Panama between 1990 and 1999 or in Hawaii since 2013, provided they were assigned to the Army Pacific area of responsibility.
The 12-day curriculum, delivered by the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, covers land navigation, combat tracking, small-unit tactics, knot tying, rope systems and primitive survival techniques in a jungle environment. Previously, the tab could only be worn by those serving in the Pacific theater. To display the badge, soldiers must file a Personnel Action Request with documentation of course completion, which may be applied retroactively.
The move reflects a renewed emphasis on jungle warfare as the U.S. pivots toward great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific. The Jungle tab now joins the President’s Hundred, Special Forces, Ranger and Sapper tabs as the fifth permanent individual skill insignia.
Why it matters
It signals the Army’s renewed focus on jungle combat skills as the U.S. shifts strategic attention to the Indo-Pacific region.
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