Fort Custer Hosts 200 Soldiers for Expert Skills Assessment

Fort Custer Training Center hosted approximately 200 soldiers from more than nine states for a demanding Army skills assessment held October 4–9.

The week brought Michigan Army National Guard, Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve and active-duty personnel to the Augusta-area installation, placing a major multistate training event squarely in the Battle Creek region.

Fort Custer provided the facilities and varied terrain used as candidates demonstrated the individual skills required for three expert badges.

The assessment was organized around the Expert Infantryman Badge, Expert Soldier Badge and Expert Field Medical Badge, which are collectively known as E3B.

The U.S. Army Reserve’s E3B guidance describes the combined program as a test of readiness and expert-level performance across infantry, medical and broader soldiering specialties.

Each candidate pursued the badge connected to their military occupation, making the assessment a shared event with different professional standards under one umbrella.

An Army overview of E3B training explains that the process is designed to measure competence under pressure rather than simply attendance or classroom knowledge.

That distinction matters locally.

Fort Custer is already used for military education, unit training and leadership development, and the E3B gathering showed how the installation can support soldiers arriving from well beyond Michigan.

The Michigan National Guard operates a network of facilities across the state, with Fort Custer serving as a southern Michigan training hub.

State officials said the center’s combination of facilities and terrain gave candidates a challenging environment in which to demonstrate their tactical and technical proficiency.

Publicly released military photo coverage from Fort Custer shows a soldier treating a simulated casualty during the combined competition, illustrating the practical nature of the testing.

The event also highlighted the range of organizations that can train together at the site, from active-duty troops to Reserve and National Guard components.

For Battle Creek and Calhoun County, the assessment was another reminder that Fort Custer’s regional role extends far beyond its gates.

The installation’s ability to host a national group for a specialized evaluation adds another chapter to its long-running place in southwest Michigan’s military community.

When was the Fort Custer E3B assessment held?

The 2026 assessment took place October 4–9 at Fort Custer Training Center near Augusta.

How many soldiers participated?

Approximately 200 soldiers from more than nine states participated, according to the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

What does E3B mean?

E3B is the combined assessment for the Expert Infantryman Badge, Expert Soldier Badge and Expert Field Medical Badge.