History

Defence Force Service Medal was instituted on 20 April 1982 to recognise members of the Australian Defence Force who rendered 15 years of service prior to 20 April 1999. Recipients must have served on or after February 14, 1975. Only three years of service in the Reserve Forces may be used to qualify an individual for this decoration.

The decoration is a circular chamfered medal composed out of copper-nickel. The obverse of the medal features the Australian Defence Force emblem. The reverse of the medal features the inscription ‘FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE IN THE PERMANENT FORCES’ around the circumference. The Crown of St. Edward surmounts the medal and attaches to a metal suspender. The ribbon is alternating stripes of azure-blue and gold.

Recipients of the Medal receive claps for every five years of additional service they render. Reserve service does not qualify an individual to receive clasps for the Medal. The clasp is a cupro-nickel bar that features the Royal Cypher in the centre and sprigs of wattle on each side. When the ribbon is worn without the medal, clasps are indicated by the addition of silver coloured rosettes. The first four clasps are rosettes, but the fifth clasp and beyond are silver-coloured Federation Star emblems.

The Defence Force Service Medal was replaced by the Defence Long Service Medal in 1998.