Infantry Combat Badge ICB

Infantry Combat Badge. The Army has two uniform embellishments to identify those members of the Army who have served in warlike operations in a direct combat role, or in a primary role in direct support to a combat team. These badges are the Army Combat Badge (ACB) and the Infantry Combat Badge (ICB). The Infantry Combat Badge (ICB) is awarded to a serving member of the Australian Army for service as an Infantryman in warlike operations.

Generally the award is reserved for members of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps who, in an infantry posting as part of an Infantry Battalion were deployed for, at least, 90 days to an operational area and subsequently awarded the Infantry Combat Badge. A non-RAInf member may only be considered if the recipient has been awarded it under the exceptional circumstances provision of the Defence Instruction (Army), whereby the non-Infantry member was employed in a primary role as an Infantryman.

This means where the member is posted to an Infantry Corps-coded position in an Infantry unit, and on operations, gives service, which is indistinguishable from that which entitles an Infantryman of the same unit to receive the ICB. The member’s Commanding Officer, in making a recommendation, to the Head of Corps, for the award of the ICB to a non-RAInf member, must certify that the member’s operational service to be indistinguishable as defined in the Defence Instruction (Army).

The ICB is only awarded for operational service retrospectively commencing from the Korean War.