Twenty-one years after the 9/11 terrorist assaults, the Protection Division has determined to halt conferral of the Nationwide Protection Service Medal, efficient Dec. 31.
Army Maj. Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesman, mentioned Wednesday that the authorization to award the medal to all who serve on energetic responsibility can be “terminated,” based mostly on the truth that the U.S. is now not concerned in large-scale fight operations in response to the 2001 terrorist assaults on civilians in New York Metropolis; Arlington, Virginia; and Pennsylvania.
The choice, first reported by Army Instances on Tuesday, indicators a transfer towards a peacetime posture, though troops stay engaged in fight operations in Syria, Somalia, Kenya and elsewhere.
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Based on Army Instances, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the memo ending authorization of the medal on Aug. 30 — the primary anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The change ends the longest time-frame for which the medal was awarded, approved for all service members who accomplished fundamental or officer coaching since Sept. 11, 2001. Service members beforehand acquired the medal from June 1950 to July 1954 for the Korean Warfare; from January 1961 to August 1974 for the Vietnam Warfare; and from August 1990 by means of November 1995 for Operations Desert Protect and Desert Storm.
The announcement follows a Pentagon determination in early August to cease awarding the International Warfare on Terrorism Medal to all army personnel who’ve served since 2003, selecting as an alternative for the award to be given solely to troops who take part in a counterterrorism operation for a minimum of 30 days.
Service members had been eligible for that award by working instantly or not directly to help anti-terrorism operations, serving 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive — {qualifications} that meant practically all who served since Sept. 11, 2001, had been eligible for it.
On the identical time, the Pentagon revised the standards for the Inherent Resolve Marketing campaign Medal. Beforehand, that award was given to these within the ranks who had been hooked up to a unit in Iraq or Syria and served for 30 consecutive or nonconsecutive days.
As of July 1, the Inherent Resolve Marketing campaign Medal can be awarded solely to those that serve in Syria — together with its airspace and as much as 12 nautical miles out at sea.
The awards choices sign a continued motion by the army away from fight operations within the Center East after 9/11. Almost 7,000 service members died in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere whereas preventing within the International Warfare on Terror.
“Actually, we wish to acknowledge those that have supported and engaged on this operation; definitely, over the past 20 years, loads of women and men within the U.S. army have labored very arduous to counter terrorism,” Air Pressure Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s spokesman, mentioned throughout a press briefing Monday.
Dietz mentioned that, regardless of the announcement, the U.S. army continues to combat terrorism throughout the globe.
“The Division of Protection nonetheless continues worldwide counterterrorism operations,” he mentioned.
— Patricia Kime may be reached at Patricia.Kime@Army.com. Observe her on Twitter @patriciakime.
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