In some of these armies, soldiers serving in an assault pioneer platoon can be identified by a specialist skill badge of two crossed felling axes sewn on their uniforms.
The wearing of beards by assault pioneers has also been a traditional practice at various times in infantry battalions of British and Commonwealth armies, such as those of Australia and Canada.
In the Australian and Canadian armies, on special occasions some battalions may still parade a ceremonial detachment of assault pioneers in historical uniforms wearing leather aprons, gauntlets and gaiters, and carrying the various tools of their trade such as felling axes, crosscut saws, hatchets and billhooks, picks and shovels.
Assault pioneers do not replace combat engineers; the latter have a much greater range of skills, capabilities and resources.
While assault pioneers normally function in a specialist role, they are infantry soldiers first and are fully capable of engaging in combat as needed.