Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge ( CAB ) is a military badge worn by U . S . Army soldiers . The emblem features both an M9 bayonet and M67 grenade . The Combat Action Badge may be awarded to any soldier not eligible for the Combat Infantryman Badge ( CIB ) or Combat Medical Badge ( CMB ) after the date of September 18 , 2001 performing duties in an area where hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay is authorized , who is personally present and " actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy " , and performing satisfactorily in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement . The CAB may be awarded to any branch of service or military occupational specialty including infantryman except when serving in a role where they would be eligible for the Combat Infantryman Badge . A silver badge 2 inches ( 5 . 08 cm ) in width overall consisting of an oak wreath supporting a rectangle bearing a bayonet surmounting a grenade , all silver . Stars are added at the top to indicate subsequent awards ; one star for the second award and two stars for the third award . However , only one can be awarded per " qualifying period ; " as defined in AR 600 - 8 - 22 , the only qualifying period for the CAB is the Global War on Terrorism . Thus , only one CAB can be awarded to any soldier at this time . In comparison to the CIB , the CAB has a silver rectangle backing rather than blue , and the CAB is 1 inch shorter in length than the CIB . History . Since the Combat Infantryman Badge was introduced in 1943 followed by the Combat Medical Badge in 1945 , other branches argued in favor of their own badges , but a War Department review board just after the war ruled these out . Unofficial combat badges for non - infantry soldiers were in some instances worn in violation of uniform regulations or included in personal award displays wherein the crossed - rifles and blue field of the CIB were replaced with the appropriate branch insignia and color . These unofficial combat badges began to appear shortly after the creation of the Combat Infantryman Badge and while the practice continued until the creation of an official non - infantry combat badge it never became widespread . Throughout the Vietnam War and afterward , troops serving in combat engineer and armored units continued to lobby for their own version of the EIB / CIB . Despite numerous staff studies and recommendations , the request never gained the support of senior army leadership . However , as soldiers from across the spectrum of military occupational specialties engaged in direct contact with enemy forces in the Global War on Terror , the proposal gained new traction . It appears that the concept for the current Combat Action Badge came from an article written for " Armor " magazine in Spring 2004 when Major Matthew De Pirro described the need for such a badge based upon the evolving face of warfare and the ongoing transformation of the army . De Pirro stated : Fellow troopers , I submit to you that our Army would be better served by recognizing our soldiers who have faced an enemy in direct - fire combat with a Combat Action Badge . We are an Army in transformation . A few years ago , we donned the black beret as a symbol of that transformation . It is time for the disparity of the Combat Infantry Badge to end . It is time for the perceived badge wars to end . It is now time to take our transformation one step further . It is time for the Combat Action Badge . The CAB was originally planned as a ribbon which was to have been known as the " Combat Recognition Ribbon " . However , as ribbons are generally seen as less prestigious than medals and badges , the CAB was then proposed as the " Close Combat Badge " ( or CCB ) , thus granting the award badge status vice ribbon . This was to be a combat award only for soldiers who did not hold the infantry military occupational specialty ( MOS ) , but who were deployed specifically to fulfill an infantry duty . This was in response to the large number of non - infantry ( tank crews , for example ) who were deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and whose units were reorganized to function as infantry ( motorized or light ) due to the lack of need for tanks and shortage of infantry . The change from the Close Combat Badge to the CAB may have come about thanks to a question put to Donald Rumsfeld in an April 2005 Afghanistan town hall meeting by a female military policeman as to why the CCB would not include military police soldiers in its awarding criteria despite the combat nature of the military police ' s job in Afghanistan and Iraq ' s 360 - degree battlefield . The CAB was approved on May 2 , 2005 , and was retroactively awarded to soldiers who engaged in combat after September 18 , 2001 . On June 29 , 2005 , General Peter J . Schoomaker awarded the badge for the first time to Sergeant s April Pashley , Michael Buyas , Manuel J . Montano , Timothy Gustafson and Sean Steans . Over one hundred thousand badges have been awarded since the creation of the award . Most commanders do not issue this award to qualified soldiers unless they are directly engaged in combat . Notably , it is granted exclusively for contact with enemy combatants , so actions by noncombatants like detainees or rioting civilians do not qualify . Soldier must be personally present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy , and performing satisfactorily in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement . There is no specific requirement for the enemy hostile contact to be direct . The award is not available to U . S . Army combat veterans of previous conflicts .