PABRADĖ, Lithuania — Nearly 200 U.S. Army Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment earned the Norwegian Sports Federation Sports Badge during a multi-event fitness test conducted at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, May 20-22, 2026, becoming among the first American formations to earn the award since it was authorized for wear with U.S. Army dress uniforms in March.
Of 233 Soldiers who attempted the test, 196 met the standards — an 81 percent pass rate. Testing was conducted across three days beginning with push-ups, the standing high jump and a sprint on May 20, and concluding with a nine-mile ruck march.
The Norwegian Sports Federation Sports Badge, known in Norwegian as the Idrettsmerket, was established in 1915 to recognize sustained athletic achievement across speed, strength, flexibility and sustained physical activity. The Norwegian Sports Federation extended its testing authority to members of the American uniformed services in March 2026, allowing U.S. service members to administer and earn the badge without prior coordination through the Norwegian embassy.
1st Lt. Nelson Ramsey, the officer in charge of the event, said that the unit moved quickly after the authorization was announced.
“Planning took about a week and a half,” Ramsey said. “We wanted to give Soldiers an opportunity while deployed here in Lithuania to do something that they can remember this deployment by.”
Ramsey said he initially expected about 75 soldiers to participate. Sign-ups exceeded that estimate by nearly three times.
“That is way more than I expected,” he said. “The units were really encouraging this as a great opportunity to participate in a foreign award while deployed.”
Coordination required clearance from host-nation authorities for the use of the training area roads, medical coverage across multiple check points and registration data formatted for two separate Norwegian record keeping systems.
1st Sgt. James Stauffer, senior enlisted leader of Apache Company, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, said events like the badge test reinforce the standard Soldiers must meet in an armor company.
“We’re in a tank company,” Stauffer said. “Breaking track isn’t a light job. You’ve got to be physically prepared to lift it, put it back together and get back in the fight.”
Spc. Rosario Cundari, an infantryman assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, said the test reflected the standards Soldiers should already be meeting.
“All the physical aspects you should already be doing,” Cundari said. “You should already be able to do the sprint, high jump and the ruck. We're Soldiers. That's Tuesday for us.”
Cundari, who already wears the Norwegian Foot March Badge, will attempt his second foot march on May 26 — a separate Norwegian award requiring an 18.6-mile ruck to be completed with 25 pounds of equipment within a time standard based on age and gender.
The badge itself is awarded in bronze for a Soldier's first through fourth time earning it, silver for the fifth through eighth, and gold on the ninth. Once earned, it is authorized for permanent wear on the U.S. Army uniform. The progression is separate from the Norwegian Foot March, a different award offered through the Royal Norwegian Embassy, which grants bronze on a Soldier's first completion, silver on the second through fourth, and gold on the fifth. Ramsey said the unit plans to conduct a second iteration to accommodate Soldiers who missed the first event.
V Corps is the U.S. Army's only forward-deployed corps, serving as the senior tactical headquarters for Army forces in Eastern Europe to deter conflict and provide combat-ready forces alongside our NATO allies. V Corps is operationalizing and expanding the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line with Allies, rapidly integrating emerging technologies into training and tactical plans.
(U.S. Army article by Sgt. Max Elliott)