National Defense Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Awarded by the Department of Defense
Type	Service medal
Eligibility	Member of the United States Armed Forces during qualifying periods of national emergency
Awarded for	Military service during periods of national emergency or any other periods designated by the Secretary of Defense.
Campaign(s)	Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Global War on Terrorism
Status	Active
Description	Obverse: Shows a North American bald eagle, perched on a sword and palm. Above this, in a semicircle, is the inscription "National Defense". Reverse: Shows a shield, taken from the coat of arms of the United States; it is half encircled below with an open wreath, the right side of oak leaves and laurel leaves the left. Ribbon: The ribbon has a wide yellow stripe in the center, flanked by narrow stripes of red, white, blue, white and wide red stripes.
Clasps	Service star for subsequent awards
Statistics
Established	Executive Order 10448, April 22, 1953 (as amended by E.O. 11265, January 11, 1966; E.O. 12776, October 8, 1991; E.O. 13293, March 28, 2003.
First awarded	April 22, 1953 – July 27, 1954 (retroactive to June 27, 1950)
Last awarded	March 28, 2003 – present (retroactive to September 11, 2001)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Army: Army of Occupation Medal Air Force: Medal for Humane Action Navy: Navy Occupation Service Medal Marine Corps: Navy Occupation Service Medal Coast Guard: Navy Occupation Service Medal
Next (lower)	Korean Service Medal
Related	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Service ribbon and Campaign streamer

The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces.