| Achievement Medal | |
|---|---|
     Five Achievement Medals are awarded by branch or service. From left to right: Joint Service, Army, Navy & Marine Corps, Air Force & Space Force, and Coast Guard. | |
| Type | Medal (decoration) |
| Awarded for | "Meritorious service or achievement in either combat or noncombat situations based on sustained performance or specific achievement of a superlative nature but which does not warrant a Commendation Medal or higher." |
| Presented by | United States Department of Defense United States Department of the Army[1] United States Department of the Navy[2] United States Department of the Air Force[3] United States Department of Homeland Security[4] |
| Eligibility | Military personnel only |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Established | Naval Service (1961) Coast Guard (1963) Army (1981) Air and Space Forces (1980) Joint Service (1983) |
     Service ribbons for the Joint Service, Army, Naval & Marine Corps Service, Air and Space Forces, and Coast Guard Achievement Medals | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Service commendation medals |
| Next (lower) | Army: Prisoner of War Medal Naval Service: Combat Action Ribbon Air and Space Forces: Combat Action Medal Coast Guard: Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon |
The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service[5] of military personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher Commendation Medal or the Meritorious Service Medal.
Each military service issues its own version of the Achievement Medal, with a fifth version authorized by the U.S. Department of Defense for joint military activity. The Achievement Medal is awarded for outstanding achievement or meritorious service not of a nature that would otherwise warrant awarding the Commendation Medal. Award authority rests with local commanders, granting a broad discretion of when and for what action the Achievement Medal may be awarded.[citation needed]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Production publication" (PDF). static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^ "Data" (PDF). media.defense.gov. 2017.
- ^ "Air Force Achievement Medal".