NATO Medal

History

The NATO Medal is awarded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for service on its operations. Australians received it for their part in the alliance's operations in Afghanistan: first the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, and then its successor mission, Resolute Support. The medal was offered to Australia by the ISAF commander in 2007 and accepted for wear by the Chief of the Defence Force.

The medal is supplied by NATO and is not inscribed with the recipient's details. It is worn with a clasp naming the mission, and a member who returned for a further qualifying tour could receive a multiple tour indicator, a numeral worn on the ribbon. As a foreign award it is worn after Australian honours, and Defence is not the awarding authority.

Design & ribbon

The medal

The medal is a circular bronze medal. The obverse bears the NATO star, a four pointed star within a ring, set in a wreath of olive leaves. The reverse carries the words NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION and the inscription IN SERVICE OF PEACE AND FREEDOM, in English and French.

The ribbon

NATO blue with two white stripes, each threaded with silver.

The ribbon is NATO blue with two white stripes, each carrying a fine silver thread. The white represents peace, and the silver marks that the operation was ordered under an article of the North Atlantic Treaty other than Article 5.

Clasps

The medal is worn with a clasp naming the NATO mission. Australians received it for two Afghanistan missions, and a member who returned for a further qualifying tour could add a multiple tour indicator, worn on the ribbon.

Former Yugoslavia

For NATO service in the former Yugoslavia with the Implementation Force from 1996, the first operation recognised by the NATO Medal.

Kosovo

For NATO service in and around Kosovo from October 1998, including service with the Kosovo Force.

Article 5

The bar worn on the Article 5 NATO Medal for collective-defence operations such as Operation Eagle Assist and Operation Active Endeavour.

Non-Article 5

The bar worn on the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal for NATO crisis-response operations that fall outside collective defence.

ISAF

The clasp ISAF marks service on the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Australians qualified through service force assigned to Operation Slipper in the NATO area of operations, generally thirty days or thirty sorties within a tour, from 28 July 2006.

Afghanistan

The clasp Afghanistan marks service on Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission that followed ISAF from 1 January 2015 to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces. A recipient of both the ISAF and the Afghanistan medals wears both.

Eligibility

The medal was awarded for service on NATO-led operations in Afghanistan.

• Thirty continuous days, or thirty sorties, within a tour was generally required, or sixty days accumulated within a two year period from 2011;
• A period of qualifying service was not required where service ended in injury or death on duty;
• The medal is supplied by NATO, and Defence is not the awarding authority;
• As a foreign award it is worn in the Australian Order of Wearing after Australian and Commonwealth honours.

Order of wear

In the Australian Order of Wearing, foreign awards are worn after Australian honours and Commonwealth awards, in the order set for foreign awards, generally by the date of the service for which they were given. A foreign award is worn only where its acceptance and wear have been approved.

Frequently asked questions