Eligibility for the Operation Inherent Resolve Medal requires 30 days of service—consecutive or non-consecutive—physically inside Iraq, Syria, their territorial waters out to 12 nautical miles, or the airspace above, on or after June 15, 2014. Combat engagement inside that area, or a combat wound requiring medical evacuation from it, qualifies you immediately with no time threshold. The award is formally called the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal (IRCM), established by Executive Order 13723 on March 30, 2016, and made retroactive to the operation’s start date.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 13723 – Establishing the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
Where You Had to Be
The Area of Eligibility (AOE) is narrow. It covers only the land areas of Iraq and Syria, the waters within 12 nautical miles of each country’s coast, and the airspace over that land and water.2Air Force’s Personnel Center. Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Service in Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, or elsewhere in the Gulf region does not count toward the IRCM, no matter how directly the work supported the anti-ISIS mission.
One boundary worth flagging: between October 2023 and June 2025 the Army broadened combat patch eligibility to a wider set of Central Command and Africa Command countries. That change applied only to the shoulder sleeve insignia. It did not expand the IRCM’s geographic footprint, and it did not add hostile fire pay or combat zone tax exclusions.
The 30-Day Requirement
You need 30 days inside the AOE while assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit operating there. The days can be consecutive or non-consecutive. An earlier version of the criteria set the non-consecutive threshold at 60 days, but the Department of Defense lowered it to 30 to match the consecutive standard.3Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Eligibility Criteria
Aircrew count differently. Each calendar day a crew member flies into, out of, within, or over the AOE counts as one qualifying day.4Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. DoDM 1348.33 Volume 2 – Manual of Military Decorations and Awards Two sorties over Iraq on the same day still count as one day toward the 30 needed.
When the 30 Days Don’t Apply
Two situations waive the time requirement entirely. The first is engagement in armed combat inside the AOE. The second is being killed or wounded in action while participating in an operation or performing official duties in the AOE, where the wound required medical evacuation from the area.
The medical-evacuation exception is combat-related only. A service member evacuated for a training accident or illness does not qualify under this waiver and would still need to accumulate the 30 days through other service.5MyNavyHR. Change to Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Criteria
Who Is Not Eligible
Civilian employees and foreign personnel do not qualify for the IRCM, even for service inside the AOE during qualifying operations. A single day of service also cannot count toward more than one campaign or expeditionary medal. If you served inside both the IRCM and Afghanistan Campaign Medal areas on the same day, that day is creditable to one medal, not both.6Department of the Navy. Change to Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Criteria
If You Already Received the GWOT Expeditionary Medal
Because the IRCM did not exist until March 2016, service members who deployed to Iraq or Syria between June 15, 2014, and March 30, 2016, originally received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) for that service. You remain qualified for the GWOT-EM, but you may apply to convert it to the IRCM if you meet all IRCM eligibility criteria. You cannot hold both for the same period.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 13723 – Establishing the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
For qualifying service on or after March 31, 2016, the IRCM is the only campaign or expeditionary medal authorized. No deadline has been published for converting older GWOT-EM service to the IRCM, but supporting documentation gets harder to locate the longer you wait.6Department of the Navy. Change to Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Criteria
Getting the Medal Added to Your Records
For active-duty members, the chain of command handles IRCM authorization once qualifying service is complete. The award should appear in your official personnel record and on the DD Form 214 at separation.
If the Medal Is Missing From Your Record
Veterans who find the IRCM missing or wrong on their records can request a correction through their branch’s Board for Correction of Military Records. The application is DD Form 149, filed under 10 U.S.C. § 1552, which lets each service secretary correct a record to fix an error or remove an injustice.7GovInfo. 10 USC 1552 – Correction of Military Records Claims Incident Thereto Include supporting documentation: deployment orders, travel orders, evaluation reports, or other records showing you served in the AOE during the qualifying period.8Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. DD Form 149 – Application for Correction of Military Record
If You Lost the Physical Medal
When the IRCM already appears on your records and you need a replacement piece, requests go to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Most branches accept the request online through the National Archives site, or you can write to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138.9National Archives. Replace Veterans Medals Awards and Decorations
Posthumous Requests
The IRCM can be awarded posthumously. The primary next of kin requests the medal by writing to the service member’s branch personnel command with a copy of the DD Form 214 or 215 and supporting deployment documentation. Army requests go to the Human Resources Command, Awards and Decorations Branch at Fort Knox, Kentucky.