Expanding Eligibility for Certain Military Decorations and Awards
Executive Order 14085, signed October 3, 2022, expands and modernizes the eligibility rules and issuing authorities for several military decorations and awards. It achieves this by amending a number of existing executive orders to (a) include the United States Space Force alongside the other armed services, (b) update gendered language to be gender-neutral, and (c) align awarding authorities and procedures across decorations with current organizational structure (including the Department of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as part of the Navy). A key theme is to make eligibility rules uniform across services and to ensure Space Force personnel can receive the same awards as other branches, with some eligibility dates adjusted to reflect the Space Force’s 2019 establishment. In practical terms, the order broadens who can award and who is eligible for certain decorations (Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and related citations) and directs that the related regulations be uniform and subject to the Secretary of Defense’s oversight. It does not create new rights or benefits beyond existing statutes, and its implementation remains subject to applicable law and appropriations.
Key Points
- 1Space Force inclusion and cross-service alignment
- 2- The order explicitly adds the United States Space Force to the list of services and authorities involved in awarding decorations (Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and related citations) and to the eligible designations or jurisdictions.
- 3- Space Force is treated as an equal participant with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Homeland Security when applicable.
- 4Uniform and centralized regulatory oversight
- 5- For the Air Medal, the regulations shall be as uniform as practicable and subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense.
- 6- Across the affected orders, language is updated to ensure consistent standards and procedures regardless of the service branch.
- 7Gender-neutral language and inclusive terminology
- 8- The amendments replace male-specific terms (e.g., “Army and Navy,” “men,” “distinguishes himself”) with inclusive terms (e.g., “Armed Forces,” “members,” “distinguish themselves”) to reflect all service members.
- 9Expanded eligibility and awarding authorities
- 10- Air Medal: expands who may award the medal and the services/officers who can confer it; includes Space Force and Coast Guard in certain circumstances.
- 11- Good Conduct Medal: extends eligibility context to Space Force personnel from December 20, 2019 onward; updates wording to be gender-neutral.
- 12- Bronze Star Medal: includes Space Force in the awarding chain and updates terminology to be gender-neutral; also shifts some administrative designations to Homeland Security where applicable.
- 13- Citations and other decorations: updates to reflect Space Force and modernized designations; aligns the list of eligible authorities with current organizational structure.
- 14Specific statutory/administrative updates
- 15- EO 9158 (Air Medal): amended to include Space Force, broaden awarding authorities, and modernize language.
- 16- EO 8809 (Good Conduct Medal): adds Space Force applicability from 2019 onward; updates terminology.
- 17- EO 10694 (Defense unit citations): adds Space Force to the eligible scope.
- 18- EO 11046 (Bronze Star Medal): adds Space Force, updates to Homeland Security, and uses gender-neutral language.
- 19- EO 13830 (Delegation of Authority for Decorations): updates the cross-reference list of decoration numbers to reflect new and current enumerations; includes Space Force in the relevant sections.
- 20- EO 11545 (Defense Distinguished Service Medal): updates to gender-neutral language and broadens to “member of the Armed Forces.”