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Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

Criteria

a. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal may be awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 1 July 1958 participate as members of U.S. military units in a U.S. military operation in which service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), in significant numbers and encounter during such participation foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise place in such a position that in the opinion of the JCS, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it does not materialize.

b. The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal may be authorized for three categories of operations: U.S. military operations; U.S. military operations in direct support of the United Nations; and U.S. operations of assistance to friendly foreign nations.

c. The medal shall be awarded only for operations for which no other U.S. campaign medal is approved.

 

     A bronze service/campaign star is added to the ribbon to denote each subsequent award.

     A silver service star is added to the ribbon to denote the 5th, 10th, etc.
 

At the present time, JCS has designated 22 operations for which the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal may be awarded.

Lebanon 1 Jul 58 - 1 Nov 58
Quemoy and Matsu Islands 23 Aug 58 - 1 Jun 63
Taiwan Straits 23 Aug 58 - 1 Jan 59
Vietnam 1 Jul 58 - 3 Jul 65
Congo 14 Jul 60 - 1 Sep 62
Laos 19 Apr 61 - 7 Oct 62
Berlin 14 Aug 61 - 1 Jun 63
Cuba 24 Oct 62 - 1 Jun 63
Cambodia 29 Mar 73 - 15 Aug 73
Thailand (Support of Cambodia) 29 Mar 73 - 15 Aug 73
Congo 23 Nov 64 - 27 Nov 64
Dominican Republic 28 Apr 65 - 21 Sep 66
Korea 1 Oct 66 - 30 Jun 74
Cambodia 11 Apr 75 - 13 Apr 75
Vietnam 29 Apr 75 - 30 Apr 75
Mayaguez 15 May 75
Grenada 23 Oct 83 - 21 Nov 83
Lebanon 1 Jun 83 - 1 Dec 87
Libya 12 Apr 86 - 17 Apr 86
Persian Gulf 24 Jul 87 - 1 Aug 90
Panama 20 Dec 89 - 31 Jan 90
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq 1 Dec 95 - TBD
Former Republic of Yugoslavia - pending

g. The following designated U.S. operations in direct support of the United Nations have been designated for this award:

Congo 14 Jul 1960 - 1 Sep 1962
Somalia (Operations Restore Hope & United Shield) 5 Dec 1992 - 31 Mar 1995
Former Republic of Yugoslavia (Operations Joint Endeavor & Joint Guard) 1 Jun 1992 - 20 Jun 1998, only for participants deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia
Former Republic of Yugoslavia (Operation Joint Forge) 21 Jun 1998 to a date to be determined

h. The following designated U.S. operations of assistance for a friendly foreign nation have been designated for this award:

Vietnam 1 Jul 1958 - 3 Jul 1965
Laos 19 Apr 1961 - 7 Oct 1962
Cambodia 29 Mar 1973 - 15 Aug 1973
Thailand (Only those in direct support of Cambodia operations) 29 Mar 1973 - 15 Aug 1973
El Salvador 1 Jan 1981 - 1 Feb 1992
Lebanon 1 Jun 1983 - 1 Dec 1987
Persian Gulf (Operation Earnest Will) 24 Jul 1987 - 1 Aug 1990
Southwest Asia (Operation Southern Watch) 1 Dec 1995 - 18 Mar 2003
Southwest Asia (Maritime Intercept Operation) 1 Dec 1995 - 18 Mar 2003
Southwest Asia (Vigilant Sentinel) 1 Dec 1995 - 15 Feb 1997
Southwest Asia (Operation Northern Watch) 1 Jan 1997 - 18 Mar 2003
Southwest Asia (Operation Desert Thunder) 11 Nov 1998 - 22 Dec 1998
Southwest Asia (Operation Desert Fox) 16 - 22 Dec 1998
Southwest Asia (Operation Desert Spring) 31 Dec 1998 - 18 Mar 2003
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