Afghanistan Campaign Medal

Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Obverse and reverse
TypeCampaign medal
Awarded forService in Afghanistan from October 24, 2001 to August 31, 2021.
Presented bythe U.S. Department of Defense[1] and Department of Homeland Security[2]
EligibilityU.S. military personnel
StatusInactive
EstablishedEO 13363, November 29, 2004; 19 years ago (2004-11-29)
First awardedJune 2005 (retroactive to October 24, 2001)


Service ribbon and campaign streamer
Precedence
Next (higher)Kosovo Campaign Medal[3]
Next (lower)Iraq Campaign Medal[3]
RelatedGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
NATO Medal

The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005.[4][5] The medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.[6][7]

The Afghanistan Campaign Medal is awarded to any member of the United States military who has performed duty within the borders of Afghanistan (or its airspace) for a period of thirty consecutive days or sixty non-consecutive days. The medal is retroactive to October 24, 2001, and was active until the conclusion of Operation Allies Refuge on August 31, 2021.[8] Personnel who have been engaged in combat with an enemy force, or personnel who have been wounded in combat within Afghanistan, may receive the ACM regardless of the number of days spent within the country. The medal was also awarded posthumously to any service member who died in the line of duty within Afghanistan, including from non-combat injuries such as accidents and mishaps.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Issuances" (PDF). www.esd.whs.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  2. ^ "Data" (PDF). media.defense.gov. 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Army Regulation 600–8–22 Military Awards" (PDF). Army Publishing Directorate. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 2" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. 21 December 2016. pp. 20–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Executive Order: Establishing the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals". 29 November 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Error". Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Factsheets : Afghanistan Campaign Medal". Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Afghanistan Campaign Medal - Campaign Phases" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. 14 April 2022.
  9. ^ "DoD Announces Criteria for Two New Campaign Medals" Archived 2011-05-30 at the Wayback Machine United States Department of Defense 07 April 2005
  10. ^ "New Campaign Medals Recognize Iraq, Afghanistan Service" Archived April 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine United States Department of Defense 07 April 2005