UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 031512Z MAY 16 FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 030/16 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/MAY// SUBJ/CHANGES TO THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL// REF/A/MSG/SECNAV/312040ZJUL15// REF/B/LTR/UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE/9FEB2015/NOTAL// REF/C/LTR/UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE/11MAR2015/NOTAL// REF/D/DOC/SECNAV/22AUG2006// REF/E/MSG/SECNAV/031500ZMAY16// NARR/REF A is ALNAV 062/15. REF B is Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) memorandum approving service stars for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. REF C is Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) memorandum approving Operation FREEDOMs SENTINEL as a qualifying operation for award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. REF D is SECNAVINST 1650.1H Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual. REF E is ALNAV 029/16.// RMKS/1. Reference (a) is hereby cancelled. This All Navy (ALNAV) message announces authorization of Service Stars for wear on the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOTEM) and the approval of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and FREEDOMs SENTINEL as designated operations for award of the GWOTEM per reference (b) and (c). This ALNAV provides further medal election guidance to reference (e). Paragraph 2 of this message recapitulates and updates the entire section of reference (d) pertaining to the GWOTEM. Paragraph 3 provides additional administrative guidance. 2. Article 420.14 of reference (d) shall now read as follows: Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal a. Authorization. E.O. 13289 of 12 March 2003. b. Eligibility Requirements (1) Service in direct support of the Global War on Terrorism by military personnel deployed abroad for designated operations in a specified Area of Eligibility (AOE). The period of eligibility is 11 September 2001 to a date to be determined by the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF). (2) A Service Member must be permanently assigned, attached, or mobilized to a unit participating in a designated operation for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days. (3) Participation as a regularly assigned aircrew member flying sorties into, out of, within, or over the AOE in direct support of designated operations may also qualify for the GWOTEM. Each day that one or more sorties are flown, into, out of, within, or over the AOE shall count as one day towards the 30 day consecutive or 60 day non-consecutive requirement. (4) The following are the only exceptions in which a Service Member who does not meet the 30 day consecutive or 60 non -consecutive day requirement may be awarded the GWOTEM: (a) Service Member was engaged in actual combat against the enemy under circumstances involving grave danger, death, or serious bodily injury from enemy action. (b) While participating in the designated operation, the Service Member was either killed, or received wounds or injuries that required medical evacuation from the AOE. (5) U.S. Public Health Service Officers are eligible for the GWOTEM when assigned to a Navy or Marine Corps unit. (6) Civilians and foreign military personnel are not eligible for the GWOTEM. c. Designated Operations and Areas of Eligibility (AOE) (1) SECDEF designates the qualifying operations for the GWOTEM. Requests for future operation designation must be submitted by the appropriate Combatant Commander to SECDEF, via Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2) The list of GWOTEM qualifying operations and their associated AOEs can be found at this website: http:/ /prhome.defense.gov/Portals/52/Documents/RFM/MPP/OEPM/docs/GWOT-E %20Medal%20-%20Approved%20AOEs%20for%20Ops%20-%202015%2003%2011.pdf The currently approved operations are: (a) Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (11 Sep 01 TBD) (b) Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (19 Mar 03 - 31 Aug 10) (c) Operation NEW DAWN (1 Sep 10 - 31 Dec 11) (d) Operation NOMAD SHADOW (5 Nov 07 TBD) (e) Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (15 Jun 14 TBD) (f) Operation FREEDOMs SENTINEL (1 Jan 15 TBD) (3) Under no circumstances will service within the United States, or within 200 nautical miles of the shores of the United States, qualify for the GWOTEM. (4) Only one campaign or expeditionary medal is authorized for the same period of deployed service, i.e. only one medal may be awarded for a single deployment. See subparagraph (f) below for medal election options when both the GWOTEM and a campaign medal are authorized. (5) Service in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria may qualify for GWOTEM, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM), Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM), or Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal (IRCM) depending upon the time period of the qualifying service. The date applied is the date the 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive day threshold was reached: (a) Afghanistan 11 Sep 2001 - 30 Apr 2005 (GWOTEM OR ACM)* 01 May 2005 TBD (ACM ONLY) (b) Iraq 11 Sep 2001 - 18 Mar 2003 (GWOTEM ONLY) 19 Mar 2003 - 30 Apr 2005 (GWOTEM OR ICM)* 01 May 2005 - 31 Dec 2011 (ICM ONLY) 01 Jan 2012 - 14 Jun 2014 (GWOTEM ONLY) 15 Jun 2014 - 30 Mar 2016 (GWOTEM OR IRCM)* 31 Mar 2016 TBD (IRCM ONLY) (c) Syria 19 Mar 2003 - 14 Jun 2014 (GWOTEM ONLY) 15 Jun 2014 - 30 Mar 2016 (GWOTEM OR IRCM)* 31 Mar 2016 TBD (IRCM ONLY) * - See subparagraph (f) d. Subsequent Awards and Service Stars. A Service Star is a 3 /16-inch bronze star worn on the suspension ribbon and ribbon bar. A 3/16-inch silver star is worn to denote five Service Stars. Initial award of the GWOTEM is the medal only, with no Service Star. Each subsequent award of the GWOTEM under a different authorized operation is denoted by a Service Star. Only one award of the GWOTEM may be earned for each authorized operation, regardless of the number of deployments within that operation. For example, a Service Member awarded the GWOTEM for an Operation ENDURING FREEDOM deployment would wear the medal/ribbon only with no Service Star. Subsequent deployments within Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in any country would not qualify for a Service Star. However, if the Service Member subsequently deployed for Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, and met the GWOTEM eligibility requirements during that deployment, the Service Member would be authorized to wear a single Service Star on the GWOTEM medal/ribbon. This Service Star policy is retroactive to 11 September 2001. e. Additional devices authorized. The Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia may be authorized for wear on the GWOTEM for certain Navy personnel, but only if the requirements in Chapter 1, Article 123.3.a are met. When this device is authorized, appropriate entry must be made in the service record. f. Medal Election Guidelines (1) Personnel with qualifying service in Afghanistan between 11 September 2001 and 30 April 2005 have the option of electing either the GWOTEM or the ACM. Personnel are not eligible for both medals for that same deployment they must elect either the GWOTEM or ACM. The election must be documented in the service record, and once made is irrevocable. Effective 1 May 2005, the ACM is the only award authorized for service in the ACM AOE. (2) Personnel with qualifying service in Iraq between 19 March 2003 and 30 April 2005 have the option of electing either the GWOTEM or the ICM. Personnel are not eligible for both medals for that same deployment they must elect either the GWOTEM or ICM. The election must be documented in the service record, and once made is irrevocable. The ICM is the only medal authorized for qualifying service in Iraq between 1 May 2005 and 31 December 2011. (3) Personnel with qualifying service in Iraq and/or Syria between 15 June 2014 and 30 March 2016 have the option of electing either the GWOTEM or the IRCM. Personnel are not eligible for both medals for that same deployment they must elect either the GWOTEM or ICM. The election must be documented in the service record, and once made is irrevocable. The IRCM is the only medal authorized for qualifying service in Iraq and/or Syria on or after 31 March 2016. (4) Service Members may be awarded both the GWOTEM and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOTSM) if they meet the eligibility criteria for both awards. The qualifying period of service used to establish eligibility for one award cannot be used to establish eligibility for the other. However, Service Stars are not authorized on the GWOTSM. 3. Administrative Procedures. Commanding Officers exercising Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal awarding authority are authorized to issue the GWOTEM and Service Stars to Sailors and Marines assigned to their commands according to the criteria in subparagraph (d) above. Commanding Officers shall ensure appropriate entries are made in the Electronic Service Record (Navy personnel), or Marine Corps Total Force System (MCTFS)(Marine personnel), to properly reflect award of the GWOTEM with the authorized number of Service Stars. Commanding Officers shall also ensure that each Service Member approaching the end of his/her active obligated service has award eligibility reviewed and updated so the DD-214 will accurately reflect all authorized GWOTEM Service Stars. Navy Commanding Officers whose entire unit meets the criteria for the GWOTEM must submit the unit name and UIC with start and end dates in the AOE to CNO (DNS-35). Navy personnel attached to DoD, Joint Staff, or other non-DON commands who believe they meet the eligibility criteria should have their command confirm eligibility and submit the appropriate service record documentation to CNO (DNS-35). Marine personnel attached to DoD, Joint, or other non-USMC commands who believe they meet the eligibility criteria should have their command confirm eligibility and submit the appropriate MCTFS and service record documentation to Manpower Management Division, Military Awards Branch (MMMA), 2008 Elliot Road, Quantico, VA 22134-5030. a. Navy personnel who have been discharged or retired and desire to have their award eligibility updated in their official records must submit a written request indicating unit and dates assigned, along with a current mailing address and copy of the undeleted version of their DD-214, to Navy Personnel Command (PERS-312), 5720 Integrity Drive, Millington, TN 38055-3120. If available, supporting documentation showing qualifying service should be included. b. Marines who have been retired or discharged without further obligated service must submit their requests to Manpower Management Division, Military Awards Branch (MMMA), 2008 Elliot Road, Quantico, VA 22134-5030. Marines who have been released from active duty with further obligated service, but not in an active drilling status (e.g., IRR status), must submit their requests to the Marine Corps Individual Reserve Support Activity, 2000 Opelousas Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70114. All requests for the GWOTEM must include: copy of DD-214, unit and dates served in qualifying operations, and any other documentation to verify service in the AOE (e.g., orders, personal award citations, etc.). c. Questions regarding eligibility should be addressed to: (1) Navy: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Code (DNS-35) 2000 Navy Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20350-2000 (2) Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps (MMMA) 2008 Elliot Road Quantico, VA 22134-5030 4. Released by Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//