NATO Kosovo Medal

NATO Kosovo Medals are not US military medals, but foreign awards, and unlike the medals of America, they are presented by the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These military medals were authorized by the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for Kosovo operations, and the US Secretary of Defense approved US service personnel to wear these military medals in October of 1998. Service personnel must provide 30 days of continuous or accumulated service to be eligible for these military ribbons and medals, and that service must be in one of the approved Kosovo operations, which are known by the following campaign names: Allied Force, Joint Guardian, Allied Harbor, Sustain Hope and Shinning Hope, Noble Anvil, Hawk, Saber, Falcon, and Hunter.

Additional military awards for service in other NATO operations may be denoted by attaching a Bronze Service Star or approved Campaign Clasp, though the regulations are quite specific and prohibit the display of some NATO issued insignia in favor of more traditional US military stars. The NATO Kosovo Medal is worn below the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and above the NATO Non-Article Five Medal in the general order of precedence that has been established for the display of all military medals and ribbons. These military awards can be worn as traditional full size military medals and mini medals, military ribbons and lapel pins. They are available from commercial military insignia suppliers as traditional slide-on, full size military medals, mini-medals, and slide-on military ribbons. In more recent times the sleek new thin military medals, mini-medals and the ultra thin military ribbons have garnered a wide following with military personnel who have realized the importance of always looking their best to enhance their chances of advancement in their respective military services.