| Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service | |
|---|---|
 Obverse and reverse of the medal | |
| Type | Civilian public service award |
| Awarded for | Exceptionally distinguished service of significance to a DoD Component or function, or Department of Defense as a whole. |
| Country |  United States |
| Presented by | U.S. Secretary of Defense |
| Eligibility | Non-career federal employees, private citizens, and foreign nationals. |
| Established | 1947 |
 Ribbon bar of the medal | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service |
The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service is the highest award that is presented by the United States Secretary of Defense to a private citizen, politician, non-career federal employee, or foreign national. It is presented for exceptionally distinguished service of significance to the Department of Defense as a whole, or a DoD Component or function, where recognition at the component level would not be sufficient for the service rendered.[1]
- ^ "Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service" (PDF). Office of the Secretary of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-07-13.