History

The Australian Operational Service Medal was introduced on 22 May 2012 and it is awarded to Australian Defence Force personnel who willingly and adeptly participate in dangerous military operations. The Medal can also be conferred upon civilians who assist the ADF with these hazardous operations.

The obverse of the medal features an old-world style map with the Federation Star above it. The inscription ‘AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONAL SERVICE MEDAL’ run along the interior circumference of the obverse. The reverse of the medal features a scroll inscribed with ‘‘DEFENDING AUSTRALIA AND ITS NATIONAL INTERESTS’. A small hourglass sits above the scroll, and both the hourglass and scroll as encircled by a wreath of mimosa.

A variant of the medal for border protection operations was announced in July of 2012. This version is awarded to ADF personnel who have participated in border protections operations since 1997. In order to be eligible for the Medal, an individual must have participated in an operation for a period of at least 30 days or must have completed 30 sorties over a period of no less than 30 days, with a sortie per day.

The ribbon used with the medal varies based on the operation the recipient participated in. Only two ribbons have been introduced so far, including the Border Protection ribbon and the Greater Middle East Operation ribbon. The Border Protection ribbon features a dark blue stripe, an ochre stripe, and a dark green stripe. The Greater Middle East Operation ribbon has a green, black, and light blue stripe, and both of the edges feature light tan stripes. The ribbon for civilian recipients is green with two thin gold stripes and a slightly larger purple stripe in the middle.

Recipients who participated in border protection are eligible to receive clasps for the following operations: Cranberry; Dirk; Stanhope; Mistral; Teebone; Celesta; Sutton; Gemsbok; Relex; Relex II; and Resolute.

Defence civilians may receive clasps for participating in the following operations: East Timor (Tanager, Citadel And Spire), ICAT (Slipper), Iraq 2003 (Falconer And Catalyst), Solomon Islands II (Anode), and Timor-Leste (Astute).

This Medal will be awarded in place of the Australian Active Service Medal and the Australian Service Medal for all future operations.