Soldiers who deployed to 14 countries in Africa and the Middle East between October 2023 and June 2025 are now authorized to wear combat patches, according to a policy released last week.
The policy covers soldiers assigned or attached to units supporting operations within U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command nations listed in the memo, allowing them to wear the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia for Military Operations in Hostile Conditions, or SSI-MOHC.
The memo lists the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
“These changes acknowledge the inherent risks and challenges faced by soldiers in these locations and timeframes,” according to an Army release. “Awarding the combat patch reflects the Army’s commitment to recognizing the contributions and sacrifices of all soldiers serving in these operational environments.”
The authorization timeline covers soldiers deployed to those countries between Oct. 7, 2023, and June 24, 2025. Those dates bookend the Hamas attack on Israel up to the recent Iranian attack al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for the U.S. bombing of nuclear sites in Iran.
Somalia is notably absent despite ongoing U.S. airstrikes and operations in that nation, and the death of two Navy SEALs — Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan G. Ingram — who were killed off the Somali coast in January 2024 during an Iranian weapons seizure mission.
There is no baseline time-in-theater requirement, and the policy applies to the Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers.
An exception to the policy waives the standard requirement that soldiers receive hostile fire, imminent danger pay and combat zone tax exclusion before being eligible to wear the patch.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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