Executive Order 12985: Armed Forces Service Medal Eligibility

The Armed Forces Service Medal is a U.S. military decoration created by Executive Order 12985 in 1996 to recognize service members who took part in significant military operations where they faced no foreign armed opposition and no imminent hostile action. It fills the gap between the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, which covers operations involving hostile forces, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. Peacekeeping missions, prolonged humanitarian operations, and U.S. military support to the United Nations, NATO, or friendly foreign nations are the kinds of activities it covers. National and international military exercises are explicitly excluded, however large.¹²

The order applies retroactively to June 1, 1992, so qualifying service before it was signed still counts.¹

Who Qualifies

Eligibility has two layers. First, the operation itself must be formally designated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a qualifying significant activity, with a defined name, start and end dates, and a geographic area of eligibility. No one qualifies simply because their overseas duty felt significant; the designation is what unlocks the award.¹

Second, the individual must meet a time-in-area threshold. A service member permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that deployed to the designated area qualifies after 30 consecutive days there, or 60 nonconsecutive days. If the operation itself lasts fewer than 30 days, serving its full duration is enough.²

Aircrew qualify on a different measure. They earn credit by flying into, out of, within, or over the area of eligibility in direct support of the operation, again for 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days. Only the first sortie flown on a given day counts; extra flights that day do not add days.²

Support work done from outside the designated area does not qualify, no matter how essential it was to the mission. The service also has to have been honorable. The medal may be awarded posthumously to service members who met the criteria before their death.²³

Which Operations Have Been Designated

Designated operations span the range of post–Cold War U.S. deployments. A few recent examples:

DoD coronavirus response, from January 31, 2020 through June 1, 2023. Depending on the duty performed, service members were eligible for either the Armed Forces Service Medal or the Humanitarian Service Medal.⁴
Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, the Afghanistan evacuation effort, for service between August 31, 2021 and April 1, 2022.⁵
Southwest border operations supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In August 2025, the Secretary of Defense established a separate Mexican Border Defense Medal for that duty. Personnel who already received the Armed Forces Service Medal for border service may apply for the new medal instead, but cannot hold both for the same period.⁶

The current, complete list of designated operations is maintained by the Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness.³

Only One Medal, With Service Stars for Additional Operations

No service member ever receives more than one Armed Forces Service Medal. Additional qualifying operations are marked by service stars added to the medal or ribbon.¹⁷

The medal also cannot overlap with another campaign or service decoration for the same activity. If the same period qualifies for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or another campaign medal, the service member receives that award instead. And when only a single military branch takes part in an operation, the Armed Forces Service Medal is authorized only if that branch has no other suitable decoration available.¹

Requesting the Medal If You Never Received It

Veterans who qualified but never received the medal, or whose DD-214 does not show it, can request a correction through the National Archives. The fastest route is the eVetRecs online system, which uses ID.me for identity verification. A paper option is available by mail or fax using Standard Form 180.⁸

Requests need the veteran’s name used during service, service number, Social Security number, branch, dates of service, and date and place of birth. Next of kin can submit a request for a deceased veteran with proof of death. The National Archives does this at no charge, even though commercial services advertise the same research for a fee.⁸

What the Medal Looks Like

The medal is a bronze medallion one and three-eighths inches across. The obverse shows a torch adapted from the Statue of Liberty, encircled by the inscription “Armed Forces Service Medal.” The reverse carries an eagle from the Department of Defense seal, a laurel wreath at the base, and the words “In Pursuit of Democracy” across the top. The ribbon uses alternating green, gold, and blue stripes: green for life and growth, blue for the Department of Defense, and gold for honor.

1
GovInfo. Executive Order 12985 – Establishing the Armed Forces Service Medal
2
Department of Defense. DoDM 1348.33, Volume 2 – Manual of Military Decorations and Awards
3
U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Armed Forces Service Medal
4
Department of Defense. Termination of Award of the AFSM for COVID-19 Operations and Activities
5
MyNavy HR. Announcement of Approval of the Armed Forces Service Medal for Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome
6
U.S. Army. Hegseth Announces Establishment of Mexican Border Defense Medal
7
Air Force’s Personnel Center. Armed Forces Service Medal
8
National Archives. Request Military Service Records