If your medal group already includes a Defence Force Service Medal (DFSM) and your later service may qualify for a Defence Long Service Medal (DLSM), the safest next step is not to add another medal. It is to confirm whether Defence has approved an exchange.[1][2]
Defence states that a member is not entitled to hold a Defence Force service award and the DLSM at the same time. The earlier Defence Force service awards are the DFSM, Reserve Force Decoration and Reserve Force Medal. If one of those awards is exchanged for the DLSM, the old award is returned as part of the official process.[1][3]
That makes this a records-and-entitlement question before it becomes a mounting question. Rack Builder can help you configure the medal group once the award outcome is clear, but it does not replace an assessment by Defence Honours and Awards.[7]
Keep the DFSM until Defence confirms you are eligible to exchange it
The DLSM did not simply make every existing DFSM disappear. Defence says the DFSM was replaced by the DLSM from 20 April 1999, but eligible members can still receive clasps to the DFSM under its rules. A person who already holds a DFSM should therefore not assume that a DLSM must automatically replace it.[2]
The current Defence long-service factsheet says the option to change from a DFSM to a DLSM becomes available when the member reaches a new qualifying long-service period. Those milestones occur at five-year intervals after the first 15 years. The factsheet also says an election to the DLSM is not available without reaching a new qualifying period.[3]
So, if your next milestone is still being assessed, leave your current rack alone. Do not return the DFSM, remove it from a wearable set or order a DLSM as its replacement until Defence confirms the outcome.[3]
The DFSM and DLSM count service differently, so the exchange can change what is recognised
The DFSM was designed around efficient Regular Force service. Defence says a member needed 15 years of efficient service before 20 April 1999, with at least 12 years in the Regular Forces and up to three years in the Reserve able to count toward the medal. For DFSM clasps, further efficient Regular service counts, while Reserve service does not.[2]
The DLSM uses a broader long-service framework. Defence says qualifying service can include efficient service in both the Permanent and Reserve Forces. Reserve obligations and breaks in service can affect how the qualifying period is calculated.[1][3]
This difference is one reason a member with a mixed Regular and Reserve career may ask Defence to assess an exchange. The 2025 factsheet explains that previously unrecognised service can, where the rules permit, be considered when a Defence Force service award is returned and a DLSM is awarded with the appropriate clasps.[3]
Do not display the DFSM and DLSM together after an approved exchange
The national order-of-wear material lists both the DFSM and the DLSM because both remain recognised Australian long-service awards. That list does not mean one person who has exchanged a DFSM for a DLSM should wear both. The DLSM rules specifically prevent a member from holding a Defence Force service award and the DLSM at the same time.[1][5]
Defence has published a real example of this process. In 2024, Warrant Officer Richard Judd returned the DFSM he had worn for decades, before receiving a DLSM with seven clasps after 53 years of service. His case shows the exchange in practice, but it should not be treated as a template for another member's entitlement.[6]
For a current wearable rack, once Defence has completed the exchange and issued the DLSM, remove the DFSM from the group and use the DLSM and confirmed clasps instead. If you are building a historical display rather than a wearable entitlement set, label superseded awards clearly and seek specialist advice about how you want that history presented.[1]
Apply for an assessment before sending the original DFSM anywhere
Defence's long-service factsheet gives a clear process. Apply for an assessment using the Long Service Medal application type and state in the details that you already hold a DFSM and want it assessed for exchange to a DLSM. If Defence confirms eligibility, it will provide the next steps, including instructions for returning the original DFSM.[3]
The current Defence application page also allows applications for Defence Long Service Awards and clasps. Members with Reserve service, breaks in service or service across more than one branch can use the online form when an assessment is needed.[4]
Do not post your original DFSM to Defence or to a medal mounter simply because you plan to exchange it. Wait for the official instructions. Your original award is part of the administrative exchange, not just a component to be replaced on the mounting bar.[3]
Record the Defence outcome before changing the medal rack
Once Defence responds, turn the outcome into a short working record. This makes it easier to update the full-size medals, miniatures and ribbon bar consistently and gives the mounter a clear instruction rather than an assumption.[7]
| What you know | What to record before changing the rack |
|---|---|
| Current DFSM | Medal held now and the number of confirmed clasps |
| New long-service milestone | The service anniversary or qualifying period being assessed |
| Defence decision | Whether the exchange is approved and the exact DLSM clasp entitlement |
| Return status | Whether Defence has instructed you to return the DFSM and whether that step is complete |
| Rack update | Full-size medal, miniature set and ribbon bar changes that follow the confirmed outcome |
Hypothetical example: Jordan already holds a DFSM. After reaching another five-year service milestone, Jordan asks Defence to assess whether previously unrecognised qualifying service can be recognised through an exchange. Defence confirms a DLSM with one clasp and provides return instructions for the DFSM. Jordan's rack is then updated by removing the DFSM and adding the DLSM with the confirmed clasp. The DLSM is not added beside the DFSM.[3]
Important: This example explains the workflow only. It does not establish eligibility for any real person. Defence must assess the member's actual service.
Update the full-size medals, miniatures and ribbon bar from the same confirmed decision
An exchange affects more than one piece of hardware. If you use a full-size rack, miniatures and a ribbon bar, update all three from the same Defence outcome. Do not copy the old DFSM clasp count across automatically. Use the DLSM and clasp entitlement Defence actually confirms.[1][3]
For ribbon bars, DLSM clasp devices follow their own rules. The first four clasps are represented by rosettes when the ribbon is worn alone, while the fifth clasp replaces those rosettes with one Federation Star. Later clasps add further Federation Stars. The medal ribbon itself continues to carry the actual clasps. If you need that detail, use the DLSM device guide rather than guessing from the old DFSM ribbon bar.[1][3]
Use Rack Builder only after the entitlement question is resolved
Rack Builder asks you to start with the recipient's award list or service record and clasp details. You can add medals and clasps, compare full-size, miniature and ribbon-bar formats, then review the finished arrangement before ordering. The production team also reviews saved racks and contacts customers when an award, clasp or layout needs clarification.[7]
If the DFSM-to-DLSM exchange is still being assessed, save the rack and wait. If Defence has already confirmed the exchange but you are unsure how to represent the result in the builder, contact Rack Builder support with the saved-rack reference and the confirmed award details.[7][8]
The key rule is simple: do not use a medal rack to predict an entitlement decision. Let Defence confirm the exchange first, then make the rack match that decision.[1][4]
Sources
Source pages reviewed 13 October 2026. Numbered citations in the article open the sources below.
- Department of Defence: Defence Long Service Medal Eligibility, simultaneous-holding restriction, Permanent and Reserve service, clasps and devices.
- Department of Defence: Defence Force Service Medal DFSM eligibility, Regular/Reserve counting rules, clasp rules and replacement by the DLSM.
- Department of Defence: Long Service Awards factsheet, August 2025 (PDF) Current exchange guidance, new qualifying-period requirement, assessment process and DLSM application notes.
- Department of Defence: Application process Current Awards application pathway for Defence Long Service Awards and clasps.
- Department of Defence: The Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards (PDF) National order-of-wear reference showing Australian long-service awards.
- Department of Defence: Fifty-three years of dedication Documented 2025 example of a DFSM being returned before issue of a DLSM and clasps.
- Rack Builder: How it works Award and clasp selection, saved racks, product formats and review process.
- Rack Builder: Support Help with saved racks, medal/clasp changes and product questions.
