North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal with Clasp 'ISAF'

In order for Australian personnel to officially accept and wear a foreign award, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) medal, a formal offer needs to be made to the Australian Government by the country or international organisation wishing to confer the award.

The-then Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), General Dan K McNeill, made the offer of the NATO Medal with Clasp 'ISAF' in 2007. The-then Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, accepted it on the authority of the Australian Government.

On 2 November 2007, CDF announced that the NATO Medal with Clasp ‘ISAF’ had been formally accepted for wear by Australian Defence Force (ADF) members for their service in Afghanistan in support of the ISAF. Defence civilians working with ISAF are also eligible for the award.

Eligibility

The NATO Medal with Clasp ‘ISAF’ is awarded for participation in NATO-led operations conducted in Afghanistan.

To qualify, members of the ADF must complete thirty (30) days, continuous, within a single tour while force assigned to Operation SLIPPER and serving in the NATO Joint Area of Operations (JOA) commencing on or after 28 July 2006.

Aircrew force assigned to Operation SLIPPER and based outside the JOA need to complete 30 sorties over the JOA, flown at the rate of one sortie per day, and flown within a single tour commencing on or after 28 July 2006.

With effect from 1 January 2011, personnel can accumulate their service, but must complete 60 days within a two year period. Aircrew will still only accumulate 1 day service for the first sortie flown of any day within the Afghanistan Area of Operations (AAO).

The medal will not be awarded to any member convicted of serious misconduct or crimes during their period of service within the JOA.

The qualifying period is not required in the event of death in action, missing presumed killed in action or evacuation from the operational area in the event of injury while on duty within the JOA.

Accepting, wearing and recording the medal

The names of eligible members are sent to the Directorate of Honours and Awards through administrative channels in the Middle Eastern Area of Operations (MEAO). Nomination lists and individual applications are verified before being processed for approval by the Governor-General. Once approval notification is received, PMKeyS is updated to reflect the award.

There are instances where members may unintentionally be omitted from a list. In these cases, an AD111 Application for Approval to Accept and Wear Foreign Awards with a certified true copy of the award certificate must be submitted. It is not sufficient to provide flying log books or printouts of operational logs, as they do not prove receipt of the award.

Please note that the medal cannot be mounted or worn until it has been approved for wear and recorded on PMKeyS.

NATO application time limits and replacements

The medal is supplied by NATO for presentation to eligible personnel. It is not inscribed with an individual’s service details and it does not come with a miniature.

A two year limit for individuals to claim NATO medals has been invoked. Members who qualified but did not receive the medal in country must submit an application within two years of leaving the operational area.

Foreign awards do not fall within the Defence replacement policy. If a replacement medal, miniature or extra ribbon is required it is at the cost to the individual. In addition, neither the award certificate or medal box can be replaced if lost or damaged.

What if I am eligible but have not received the medal?

If an ADF member believes they are entitled to the NATO medal but have not received it, they must send the following information to the MEAO Medal Manager at TPSCmedals@z22.defence.gov.au:

Please ensure that all applications being sent are within the two year timeframe set by NATO. Any applications outside of this will be assessed by NATO as not eligible.

NOTE: the Directorate of Honours and Awards is only responsible for arranging approval from the Governor-General for members to accept and wear the medal plus update PMKeyS to reflect the approved award.

Order of Wearing

Foreign honours and awards, such as the NATO medal, are to be mounted immediately after all Australian honours or awards, and in the order of date of approval for wear.

Media Release

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=7232

Further information

If you need any more information please contact the Directorate on 1800 111 321.

Multiple-tour indicators (MTI)

NATO has amended the qualifying criteria for the NATO Medal with Clasp ‘ISAF’ to include the awarding of multiple-tour indicators (MTI).

Eligibility

Numeral MTI have been introduced for all members returning to the same NATO operation or activity commencing after 1 January 2011. There must also be a break of at least 180 days between deployments before an indicator can be awarded.

Examples showing how the NATO MTI policy is applied are below:

Accepting and wearing the MTI

The MTI also requires official approval from the Governor-General before it can be mounted for wear. Like the NATO Medal with Clasp 'ISAF', consolidated lists are sent to the Directorate of Honours and Awards through administrative channels in the MEAO.

Only once the MTI is updated on PMKeyS can it be mounted and worn.

Web page last updated 29 February, 2012