US Army approves Jungle Tab as official skill badge

The U.S. Army has approved the service-wide wear of the Jungle Tab for soldiers who successfully complete the Jungle Operations Training Course, marking the badge's elevation to official skill tab status as the military sharpens its focus on jungle warfare capabilities.

An Army spokesperson confirmed the decision on August 3, saying the Jungle Tab will join the ranks of the Sapper Tab, Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab as an officially recognised qualification, according to Military Times. 

“The Jungle Tab will join the likes of the Sapper Tab, Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab as ‘an official skill tab,’” Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge said, adding that the service is finalising regulations governing the tab's approval and wear.

“We will officially publish and distribute formal implementation guidance to all commands upon publishing these regulations,” he said.

The announcement follows reports that a memorandum approving the tab had circulated on social media. The U.S. Army Pacific Command also confirmed the approval on X, inviting soldiers to share photographs of themselves wearing the newly recognised insignia.

The decision reflects the Army's broader effort to rebuild expertise in jungle warfare as it shifts strategic attention toward the Western Hemisphere. Earlier this year, the newly redesignated Army Security Cooperation Group-South assumed oversight of the Combined Jungle Operations Training Centre in Panama.

The demanding course is held at Base Aeronaval Cristóbal Colón in Panama, where participants train in what the Army refers to as the "Green Hell" — an environment of extreme heat, humidity and dense vegetation designed to test soldiers' endurance and tactical skills.

During the first phase, conducted jointly with Panamanian forces, trainees learn jungle survival fundamentals, including the use of machetes, fire-starting techniques, water purification and shelter construction. The second phase focuses on small-unit tactics, ambush operations, waterborne manoeuvres and movement through dense jungle terrain.

The course concludes with simulated operational missions in which soldiers are assessed on leadership, teamwork and mission execution.

The U.S. Army previously operated a jungle warfare training programme for decades before discontinuing it in 1999. Its revival forms part of a wider restructuring of the Army as it adapts for potential conflicts involving peer and near-peer adversaries, including reorganising command structures under the Western Hemisphere Command established last year.

By Sabina Mammadli