Establishing Authority

The Air and Space Campaign Medal was authorized by the Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. James G. Roche on April 24, 2002.

Effective Dates

The Air and Space Campaign Medal is awarded for qualifying service on or after March 24, 2002.

Criteria

This medal is awarded to members of the United States Air Force who participate in or directly support a significant United States military operation designated by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. The medal is awarded only to personnel who provide direct support of combat operations from outside a geographic area determined by the Joints Chiefs of Staff.

Service members must be assigned or attached to a unit engaged in the operation. Personnel must be engaged in direct support for at least thirty consecutive days or for sixty non-consecutive days. For this medal, "direct support" is defined as (1) deploying in support of an operation, or (2) if at a home station, performing functions or missions that historically were deployed forward, or entirely new and future missions, which due to technological advances, are no longer constrained by geographic location. This includes, but is not limited to, sortie generation, intelligence, surveillance, targeting, computer network attack operations, etc.

The Chief of Staff of the Air Force designates the military operations that qualify for the ASCM. The Commander, Air Force Forces, will designate those organizations that provide direct qualifying support.

No individual shall be eligible for both the ASCM and a Department of Defense campaign or service medal awarded during a single tour in the designated operation. Participants are limited to only one ASCM for assignment to a designated operation. A second award is only authorized to individuals for nonconsecutive and non-concurrent assignments to separate operations, provided the participants meet the criteria for each. Multiple award of the ASCM for assignments or rotations to the same operation is not authorized.

Initial Qualifying Operations

-- Allied Force (March 22 - June 10, 1999)
-- Joint Guardian (June 11, 1999 to a date to be determined)
-- Allied harbour (April 4 - September 1, 1999)
-- Sustain Hope/Shining Hope (April 4 - July 10, 1999)
-- Noble Anvil (March 24 - July 20, 1999)
-- Kosovo Task Force Hawk (April 5 - June 24, 1999)
-- Kosovo Task Force Saber (March 31 - July 8, 1999)
-- Kosovo Task Force Falcon (June 11, 1999 to a date to be determined)
-- Kosovo Taks Force Hunter (April 1 - November 1, 1999)

Order of Precedence

The Air and Space Campaign Medal is worn after the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and before the Air Force Overseas Service Ribbon (Short Tour).

Devices

For each succeeding operation that justifies award of the ASCM, a service star is worn on the ribbon.

Designer

The Air and Space Campaign Medal was designed by the Department of the Air Force.

Description and Symbolism

Obverse

A bronze medal one and three-eighths inches in diameter consisting of a terrestrial globe superimposed by an eagle, wings displayed, standing upon a shield, all encircled by four trajectories, above and below, and from each side of the globe and terminating upon it in delta-shaped airfoils.

The globe represents the world-wide range and capabilities of the various operations and support functions recognized by the award. The trajectories symbolize the instantaneous command and response of these functions and global accessibility available to all operations. The eagle represents the United States and total vigilance; the shield denotes protection and national defense.

Reverse

On the reverse encircling the medallion is the inscription FOR EXCELLENCE IN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT with an open laurel wreath at its base. The wording expresses the purpose of the medal, and the laurel wreath is symbolic of achievement.

Ribbon

The ribbon to the Air and Space Campaign Medal consists of a central stripe of brittany blue edged in white pinstripes, followed on each side by a pinstripe of brittany blue, a wider stripe of ultramarine blue, a pinstripe of scarlet, and an edgestripe of brittany blue.

The brittany blue represents world-wide operations and capabilities; the ultramarine blue represents the Air Force; scarlet denotes sacrifice, and the white stands for integrity.