Soldiers who completed the Army's jungle warfare school can now wear the Jungle tab on their uniform, regardless of where they serve. The Army approved a service-wide authorization to wear the tab as an official skill badge late in July.
The new rule was laid out in a July 22 memorandum, signed by Jules W. Hurst III, Assistant Secretary of the Army Manpower and Reserve Affairs, which appeared on social media and the Army subreddit this week. The Army confirmed to Task & Purpose Friday afternoon that the tab had been approved to be worn across the service, like the Ranger or Sapper tabs.
The Jungle tab originally recognized soldiers who graduated from the Jungle Operations Training Center at Fort Sherman in Panama, also known as the “Green Hell,†until the school shut down in 1999 with the closure of the fort. Jungle warfare training was conducted in Hawaii in the years that followed.Â
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“Retroactive eligibility is authorized for service members who executed unit level raining at JOTC in Fort Sherman, Panama from 1990 until closure in 1999 or completed training at the Hawaii or Panama based Jungle Schools,†the memo says. “Retroactive eligibility is granted for both courses.â€
On Friday evening, U.S. Army Pacific posted about the news to social media, saying “And some of y'all said it was never going to happen.â€
Before this change, only four Army tabs were considered permanent: Special Forces, Ranger, Sapper and the President's Hundred. The tabs are worn on soldiers' left shoulder, above their unit insignia.
The jungle tab shows that a soldier completed the course, which teaches survival and combat skills in a jungle environment, as well as waterborne operations and land navigation through a thick and humid area. Previously, the tab was approved for soldiers who finished the Jungle Operations Training Course in Hawaii, but only if they were assigned to units under Army Pacific. The 12-day course in Hawaii is run by the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Academy.
Soldiers are required to submit a Personnel Action Request with proof of completion of jungle school to their battalion commanders for any retroactive tab approval, the memo said.
The installation that was formerly Fort Sherman transferred to Panama, which operates it as Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón. In October 2025, the U.S. reestablished its jungle school at the base, part of a wider return to former bases in Latin America, as the military turned its focus to the region. Since reopening the course has seen soldiers, as well as airmen and Marines, go through the school alongside members of Panama's security forces.
The revised Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama is a 21-day experience split into three phases. It initially covers survival tactics, while the second phase covers combat tactics such as ambushes and reconnaissance. The finale is the “Green Mile†event.
