The Australian Defence Medal is an Australian military decoration which recognises current and former

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

personnel who completed an initial enlistment period, or four years' service. It was established on 20 March 2006; however, it recognises qualifying efficient service of current and former Australian Defence Force Regular and Reserve personnel, including

National Servicemen In the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscription term ended in 1963 although many soldiers chose to continue in th ...

, who have served since 3 September 1945. It is estimated that up to one million current and ex-serving personnel are eligible for the award. At 30 June 2010, a total of 242,576 had been awarded.

Criteria

The criteria also include those who could not serve the four-year qualifying period or complete an initial enlistment period for one or more of the following reasons: * the death of a member during service. * the discharge of the member as medically unfit due to compensable impairment. * the discharge of the member due to a prevailing discriminatory Defence policy, as determined by the Chief of the Defence Force.

Description

* The Australian Defence Medal is a circular medal of

cupro-nickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a ...

. The obverse features a stylised version of the

Commonwealth Coat of Arms The coat of arms of Australia, officially the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is a formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It depicts a shield, containing symbols of Australia's six states, and is held up by native Australian animals, the ka ...

(as used on the

Australia Service Medal 1939–45 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of , making it the sixth-largest country in ...

) with a sprig of

wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australian English **''Acacia'' ***Black wattle, common name for several species of acacia ***Golden wattle, ''A ...

with the top outer edge inscribed with the words 'The Australian Defence Medal'. * The reverse has the words 'For Service' below the

Crown of St Edward St Edward's Crown is the coronation crown of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at Coronation of the British monarch, ...

, surrounded by a wreath of wattle. * The ribbon colours include the black and red colour of the Flanders poppy and two white stripes to divide the red into three segments to denote the three services of the

, and also represent the services contributing to the peace of Australia.

References

{{Australian Honours System Military awards and decorations of Australia 2006 establishments in Australia Awards established in 2006

Criteria

Description

See also

References