Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Requirements

The requirements for the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal depend entirely on when you served. For service between September 11, 2001, and September 10, 2022, the standard was broad: 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days of active duty supporting a designated counter-terrorism operation, with no overseas deployment required. For service on or after September 11, 2022, the Department of Defense narrowed the rules sharply, and only direct support of a designated operation or actual combat with a terrorist threat now qualifies.¹ If you served during the earlier era and never received the medal, there is no filing deadline to request it now.²

Requirements for Service Before September 11, 2022

The original standard, set by Executive Order 13289 in March 2003, covered most people who served in uniform after 9/11.³ You qualified if you served on active duty for at least 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days in support of a designated anti-terrorism operation. Initial accession training, meaning basic training, does not count toward either total.¹

You did not have to deploy. Personnel stationed in the United States qualified as long as their duties supported the designated operations. That covered logistics specialists, intelligence analysts, security forces, recruiters meeting surge-period goals, and a wide range of other support roles.

The time requirement was waived entirely for anyone who, while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, engaged in actual combat or was killed or wounded, provided the death or injury was not caused by misconduct.⁴ That broad standard is why millions of service members earned the medal in the first two decades after 9/11.

Requirements for Service On or After September 11, 2022

The Department of Defense fundamentally changed the standard effective September 11, 2022. Indirect support no longer qualifies. You now need one of the following:¹

Direct service in a designated counter-terrorism operation, meaning you are deployed on orders for that operation or you directly support it on a full-time basis while assigned to an organization conducting it. The minimum remains 30 days, and consecutive and non-consecutive days now count the same way.
Physical combat with a foreign terrorist organization, or with an individual inspired by one, while on active duty. There is no minimum time requirement for this route.

“Directly” is the operative word. Being stationed at a base that generally supports counter-terrorism efforts is no longer enough. You have to be assigned to an organization actively conducting the operation or deployed specifically for it. The medal will remain available until the national emergency originally declared after the September 11 attacks is formally terminated.¹

Which Operations Qualify

The Department of Defense publishes an updated list of counter-terrorism operations that qualify service members for the medal. As of the most recent list, the approved operations are:⁵

Operation Noble Eagle, September 11, 2001 to present
Operation Enduring Freedom, September 11, 2001 to present, including sub-operations Juniper Shield, Octave Shield, and Spartan Shield
U.S. Africa Command Counterterrorism Execute Order, September 6, 2012 to present
Operation Inherent Resolve, June 15, 2014 to present
Operation Pacific Eagle – Philippines, October 5, 2017 to present
Operation Enduring Sentinel, September 1, 2021 to present
Operation Prosperity Guardian, December 18, 2023 to present
Operation Poseidon Archer, January 11, 2024 to present
Operation Pandora Throttle, May 13, 2024 to present

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn also qualified during their active periods under the pre-2022 rules. The list is updated periodically as operations are added or concluded.

How This Differs from the Expeditionary Medal

The Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal are separate awards. The Expeditionary Medal recognizes deployment to specific combat zones; the Service Medal recognizes support service regardless of location. You can earn both if you meet the criteria for each, but the same days of service cannot count toward both. If a 30-day window earned you the Expeditionary Medal, you need a separate qualifying period for the Service Medal.⁶

Veterans who deployed overseas and also served stateside in support roles during separate periods may be entitled to both. If your DD-214 lists only one, your service history may still support a claim for the other.

How to Request the Medal

The process depends on whether you are still in uniform.

Active-Duty Service Members

Submit documentation through your local S-1 or personnel administration office. Gather deployment orders, record briefs, and any documentation showing your assignment to a qualifying operation and the dates you served. The administrative staff verifies eligibility against branch regulations before updating your record.⁷ Army personnel can initiate the process with DA Form 4187 through their chain of command.⁸

Veterans

Start with your DD Form 214, which lists your service dates, assignments, and awards on record.⁹ If you don’t have a copy, request one through the National Archives’ eVetRecs system at vetrecs.archives.gov, or mail a Standard Form 180 to the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138.¹⁰

To have the medal added to your record, send the SF-180 with supporting evidence (deployment orders, pay records showing relevant duty stations, assignment documents) to the National Personnel Records Center. Electronic submission is also available through the milConnect portal using the Defense Personnel Records Information Retrieval System.¹¹ Pay records reflecting hazardous duty pay or specific duty locations can strengthen a request when the personnel file is incomplete.

There is no statutory or regulatory time limit for requesting campaign, expeditionary, or service medals.² You can submit a request years after separation.

When the medal is approved, the correction appears on a DD Form 215, which amends your original DD-214.¹² Keep both documents together for benefits and employment verification.

If Your Request Is Denied

When a records correction is denied and you believe you were wrongly excluded, you can petition your branch’s Board for Correction of Military Records. Federal law authorizes each Service Secretary to correct any military record to fix an error or remove an injustice.¹³ You generally need to file within three years of discovering the error, though the board can waive that deadline in the interest of justice.

Each branch has its own board:¹⁴

Army Review Boards Agency for the Army
Board for Correction of Naval Records for the Navy and Marine Corps
Air Force Review Boards Agency for the Air Force and Space Force
Board for Correction of Military Records of the Coast Guard

The petition is a written application explaining the error, supported by whatever documentation you have. If your personnel records were damaged or incomplete and an initial request was denied for lack of documentation, the board has authority to weigh the available evidence and grant relief.

1
Department of Defense. DoDM 1348.33, Volume 2 – Manual of Military Decorations and Awards: DoD Service Awards
2
U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOTEM) and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOTSM)
3
The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 13289 – Establishing the Global War on Terrorism Medals
4
Air Force’s Personnel Center. Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
5
U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Global War on Terrorism Service Medal – Approved Operations
6
Navy.mil. Changes to the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
7
U.S. Army Reserve. CG Policy 21-01 – Military Awards Processing
8
U.S. Army Human Resources Command. DA Form 4187 – Personnel Action
9
National Archives. DD Form 214 – Discharge Papers and Separation Documents
10
National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
11
U.S. Department of War. Help Center Listing – Military Records
12
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 215 – Correction to DD Form 214/214-1, Certificate of Uniformed Service
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1552 – Correction of Military Records: Claims Incident Thereto
14
National Archives. Correcting Military Service Records