Battle Effectiveness Award

The criterion for the Battle Effectiveness Award is the overall readiness of the command to carry out its assigned wartime tasks, and is based on a year-long evaluation.

[2] Eligibility for the award demands day-to-day demonstrated excellence in addition to superior achievement during the certifications and qualifications conducted throughout the year.

A command's performance during training exercises, weapons inspections, and tactical readiness examinations are among the 16 different areas that are considered in the competition.

Ships that win a battle effectiveness competition are authorized to paint a white "E" with black shadowing on their bridge wings or stacks to display evidence of the honor.

For each subsequent consecutive competition won, the ship, aviation squadron, or other command paints an angled line, or hashmark, below the white "E".

Crewmembers paint a gold "E" on the stack of the USS Rankin
Crew members aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) assemble on the ship's bridge wing to admire the painting of a gold "E". The painted green H is for the Force Health and Wellness Unit Award
USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641) awarded with the Battle "E" for most outstanding ballistic missile nuclear submarine in 1974, 1975 and 1976