Afghanistan Campaign Award Ribbon
Criteria:
The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) is awarded to military personnel for serving active duty in the borders of Afghanistan for a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days. This award is retroactive to October 24th, 2001. Those in combat or wounded in combat with enemy forces can receive this medal no matter how many days spent in Afghanistan. Any personnel killed in action while serving in Afghanistan are also awarded this medal.
If a soldier's initial period of deployment overlap one or more of the approved campaign phases listed below, the soldier will be credited with participation in each campaign phase, and be entitled to a bronze service star for each campaign phase. However, Bronze service stars are not authorized for periods when the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal was awarded in lieu of the ACM.
The authorized campaigns are:
Operations
Enduring Freedom: Sept. 11, 2001-Dec. 31, 2014
Freedom's Sentinel: Jan. 1, 2015- to be determined
Campaign Phases
Liberation of Afghanistan: Sept. 1, 2001-Nov. 30, 2001
Consolidation I: Dec. 1, 2001-Sept. 30, 2006
Consolidation II: Oct. 1, 2006-Nov. 30, 2009
Consolidation III: Dec. 1, 2009-June 30, 2011
Transition I: July 1, 2011-Dec. 31, 2014
Transition II: Jan. 1, 2015- to be determined
The ACM replaces the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for personnel who served in Afghanistan. If the personnel have previously received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, they may choose whether or not they want to exchange their medal for the new Afghanistan Campaign Medal. These two medals can not be awarded for the same period of service in Afghanistan, in addition, current time served will only be recognized with the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.