The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is an

international military decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards are normally issued as service medals, for participation in ...

which was first created on March 24, 1982. The medal was established under the authority of the Director-General of the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

(MFO) which were established to monitor a neutral ceasefire zone, between

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, as the result of the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

of 1973.

Clasps and Bars

Silver numerals, beginning with numeral '2', worn on the medal ribbon are awarded for additional periods of service with the same mission.

Manner of wear

Australian Defence Force

The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is authorized to be worn as a foreign medal for the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

(ADF). The medal is worn after Australian medals, with other foreign awards, in the order of date of receipt.

British Armed Forces

Prior to 2017, The Multinational Force and Observers Medal could not be worn by British Forces personnel. However, in 2017 authority was given for the medal to be worn alongside other British awards and medals but being a foreign medal, is to be worn after all other British medals.London Gazette 11 January 2019 Supplement:62529 Page:328 The authority to wear the medal has been given retrospectively to all those who served for 170 days or more with the MFO since 1982.

Canadian Forces

The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is considered an authorized medal within the ''International Mission Medals'' category (located after NATO Awards and before Commemorative Awards) for the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

(CF). Its

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

within the International Missions Medals category is based on date of award (1982–present) and may be worn directly after the

International Commission of Control and Supervision Medal The International Commission of Control and Supervision Medal is a service medal awarded to personnel from the four countries that made up the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS). The ICCS was established by the Paris Peace A ...

(1973) and before the

European Community Monitor Mission The European Union (EU) has undertaken a number of overseas missions and operations, drawing on civilian and military capabilities, in several countries across three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia), as part of its Common Security and Defe ...

Medal for Yugoslavia (1991).

New Zealand Defence Force

The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is considered an authorized medal for the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

(NZDF) within the ''Foreign Medals'' category, the last category in the New Zealand order of precedence. The MFO Medal is worn directly after the

Kuwait Liberation Medal Kuwait Liberation Medal may refer to: *Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) *Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) * Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain), see Gulf War military awards#Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain) * Kuwait Libe ...

and the

Korean War Service Medal The Korean War Service Medal (KWSM, ko, 6.25사변종군기장, ), also known as the Republic of Korea War Service Medal (ROKWSM), is a military award of South Korea which was first authorized in December 1950. History 6.25 Incident Participati ...

United States Armed Forces

The

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

began issuing the Multinational Force and Observers Medal on July 28, 1982. The medal was made retroactive to August 1981 and was presented to any United States service member who served at least ninety cumulative days as a member of the Multinational Force and Observers. On March 15, 1985, the time period was increased to a minimum of 170 days. The time frame could be waived if the award was presented posthumously, a service member was medically evacuated from the region, or if the Director-General of the Multinational Force and Observers presented the award for a specific act or special case. The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is authorized for wear as a United States military award under the category of "Non-U.S. service award" and is worn after all U.S. decorations and before foreign awards of individual countries. Multiple presentations are denoted by award numerals. Similar international military decorations include the NATO Service Medals and the United Nations Service Medals.

Precedence

Some orders of precedence are as follows:

References

{{reflist

External links

Multinational Force & Observers website

US Army Institute of Heraldry
Medals of the Multinational Force and Observers