RAAF ORB Readiness Badge

Royal Australian Air Force Operational Readiness badge. The ORB (Operational Readiness Badge) is awarded to Air Force members who satisfy individual readiness requirements to deploy in accordance with Defence instructions.

The ORB is a silver eagle mounted on a laurel-leaf, worn on the right breast pocket of service dress, ceremonial dress, mess dress and tropical dress. Members once awarded the ORB are required to wear the badge in accordance with the RAAF Manual of Dress.

As the ORB signifies a member is “individually ready”, any member who does not remain ready for deployment will forfeit the right to wear the readiness badge. Commanders are to control the issue of ORBs and are to ensure that the members under their command only wear the ORB when they are entitled to do so.

Members who lose their readiness status for reasons within their control are to cease wearing the ORB and the commander will re-award the ORB only when they regain their readiness to deploy.
Each year, a member must meet certain eligibility criteria. Personnel are required to sign an availability statement, confirming their availability to deploy at short notice for long periods.

Accordingly all personnel are to ensure that there are no legal, financial or personal impediments that will prevent their operational deployment.

Members are required to have an annual dental examination to assess their dental fitness, to be medically fit for long-term deployment to an activated bare base, and be able to undertake base combatant duties.
Members must also maintain their personal weapons proficiency, i.e. meet their individual weapons continuation training requirements, be proficient in the rank and employment to which they are posted, and pass their annual physical fitness test, once in each fiscal year. Each member has an ORB record updated by staff annually.