The
United States Armed Forces
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 ...
authorize certain medal and ribbon devices that may be worn if authorized on a defined set of
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 ...
decorations and awards.
The devices vary between inch to inch in size and are usually attached to suspension and
service ribbon
A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...
s of medals and to unit award ribbons. The devices are usually made of brass or metal alloys that appear gold, silver, or bronze in color with either a dull or polished look. The devices may denote additional awards of the same decoration or award, an award for valor or meritorious combat service, participation in a particular campaign, periods of honorable service, specific events, and other special meanings. These are sometimes referred to as award devices, but are most commonly referred to in service regulations and
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
instructions simply as "devices" for awards and decorations.
On January 7, 2016, the
Secretary of Defense approved two new devices for medals and ribbons: a
"C" Device which will be affixed to multi-purpose performance awards in recognition of meritorious service under combat conditions and, an
"R" Device which will be affixed to non-combat performance awards to specifically recognize remote but direct impact on combat operations.
The "R" device is to be a bronze letter "R", inch in size. Both of the devices will be worn if authorized for wear, on specific decorations. The services have a year to implement these changes.
The following is a list of U.S. military service devices for medals and ribbons:
Examples of service ribbons with devices
The following are examples of various devices affixed to different service ribbons:
; Unit awards
References
{{US military navbox
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Award devices