Twenty-one years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Defense Department has decided to halt conferral of the National Defense Service Medal, effective Dec. 31.
Army Maj. Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday that the authorization to award the medal to all who serve on active duty will be “terminated,” based on the fact that the U.S. is no longer involved in large-scale combat operations in response to the 2001 terrorist attacks on civilians in New York City; Arlington, Virginia; and Pennsylvania.
The decision, first reported by Military Times on Tuesday, signals a move toward a peacetime posture, although troops remain engaged in combat operations in Syria, Somalia, Kenya and elsewhere.
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According to Military Times, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the memo ending authorization of the medal on Aug. 30 — the first anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The change ends the longest time frame for which the medal was awarded, authorized for all service members who completed basic or officer training since Sept. 11, 2001. Service members previously received the medal from June 1950 to July 1954 for the Korean War; from January 1961 to August 1974 for the Vietnam War; and from August 1990 through November 1995 for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
The announcement follows a…
