Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
US forces involved in operations against the Houthis in Yemen are eligible for Global War on Terrorism and Expeditionary Service Medals, Pentagon spokesman Joshua Wick told “Task & Purpose” website on Friday.
He added that these medals were approved last summer when US Navy aircraft and ships were engaged in near-constant combat in the region, striking Houthi ground targets and shooting down Houthi drones and missiles launched at ships traversing the Red Sea.
In a memo dated June 18, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Ronald T. Cohen announced that US service members participating in the three missions focused on the Red Sea and the Houthis – Operations Sentinel, Poseidon Archer, and Pandora Throttle – would be eligible for both the Global War on Terrorism and Expeditionary Service Medals.
The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, or GWOT-SM, has been awarded since the September 11th attacks, but eligibility for the award has diminished over the years.
Initially, nearly all US service members were eligible for the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, including active duty, National Guard, and Reserve forces mobilized after September 11, 2001 for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days.
However, in 2022, the Pentagon changed the eligibility requirements for the medal so that US forces must spend at least 30 days in a unit participating in an operation specifically dedicated to counterterrorism to receive the award.
Wick said that US forces deployed to Iraq and Syria are eligible for the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal instead of the Global War on Terrorism Campaign Medal because Department of Defense policy prohibits service members from receiving duplicate awards for the same mission.
