The Western European Union Mission Service 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 ...
awarded to individuals, who served with
Western European Union (WEU) military missions.
History
The Western European Union was formed by the
Modified Brussels Treaty
The Treaty of Brussels, also referred to as the Brussels Pact, was the founding treaty of the Western Union (alliance), Western Union (WU) between 1948 and 1954, when it was amended as the Modified Brussels Treaty (MTB) and served as the foundin ...
. Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were the original signers of the treaty. It was further amended by the
Paris Agreements
The London and Paris Conferences were two related conferences held in London and Paris during September–October 1954 to determine the status of West Germany. The talks concluded with the signing of the Paris Agreements (Paris Pacts, or Paris ...
on 23 October 1954, which modified and completed the treaty, adding Germany and Italy to the treaty. Part of this framework was a mutual defence pact amongst the signatories.
The WEU first acted in military operations in the context of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
. In 1987, mines were laid in the Persian Gulf, restricting the freedom of navigation in international waters.
[ A joint ]mine sweeping
Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...
effort was undertaken by member nations of the WEU.Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
in 1992. The WEU undertook Operation Sharp Fence starting in 1992, in tandem with NATO who was executing Operation Maritime Guard
Operation Maritime Guard was a NATO blockade, in the international waters of the Adriatic Sea, of the former Yugoslavia.
Scope
The operation began on November 22, 1992. It followed NATO Operation Maritime Monitor, and was in support of UN Se ...
. WEU and NATO joined their operations together in a single command as Operation Sharp Guard
Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea by NATO and the Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia. Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for a ...
in June 1993.[
]
Appearance
The medal is circular, made of silver-coloured oxidised metal, 36 mm in diameter. The obverse of the medal displays the letters ''WEU'' arranged horizontally for "Western European Union". Above the letter ''E'' is the letter ''U'' and below the letter ''O''. UEO is the acronym for the French equivalent, ''Union de l'Europe Occidentale''. Below the acronyms, arranged along the edge, are ten five pointed stars. The reverse bears the Latin words in relief, ''PRO PACE UNUM'', meaning "one for peace",idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...
atically as "united for peace".[
]
Order of wear
Some orders of wear are as follows:
See also
* Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal
The Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal (named the European Security and Defence Policy Service Medal prior to 2009) is an international military decoration awarded to individuals, both military and civilian, who have served with CSDP ...
References
{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the European Union
Western European Union
Orders, decorations, and medals of the European Union
Campaign medals