Combat Recognition Ribbon - Definition

The Combat Recognition Ribbon is a tentative military award of the United States Army which was first proposed in the mid 1980s as an Army equivalent to the United States Navy’s Combat Action Ribbon.

The primary justification for the creation of the Combat Recognition Ribbon is that the Department of the Army recognizes combat service with the Combat Infantryman Badge; however, this decoration is closed to all but infantry personnel or special case requests from members of other Army branches, provided a special order is issued for the Combat Infantryman Badge. The Combat Recognition Ribbon was initially proposed as an award for Army personnel who had served in combat situations, but for a variety of reasons had failed to meet the criteria for the Combat Infantryman Badge.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2005 required that the Secretary of the Army establish the Combat Recognition Ribbon (CRR). As of February 2005, the Department of the Army has begun the very initial stages of developing the Combat Recognition Ribbon. No specific date for implementation is yet available from the U.S. Army leadership.