North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medals
The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium.
The NATO Medal was first established in 1996 to recognize individuals who had served in the Implementation Force (IFOR) as part of Operation Joint Endeavor in Former Yugoslavia. A new ribbon was established in 1999 for participants in Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. As NATO operations became more common, different ribbons were established for each operation.
As per Code of Federal Regulations Title 32 - National Defense contained in Volume 3 dated 2008-07-01 Section 578.127 - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal.
The NATO Medal will normally be presented by the Allied Command Europe headquarters exercising operational command or control over U.S. military units or individuals prior to their departure from service with NATO.
The medal set includes a ribbon clasp denoting the specific operation for which the award was made. U.S. service members are authorized to retain the ribbon clasp presented but may not wear the clasp. Only the basic medal and service ribbon are authorized for wear on the uniform.
When NATO issues the medal it comes as a cased set with clasp on the medal and a bar on the ribbon. It is also accompanied by a presentation certificate.
Because there can, and will, be additions to these images, we will be updating this page when we become aware of any additions. In consideration of this, the below information is provided and should be checked.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness maintains a list of "Approved Military Decorations and Awards" which is a roster of the approved Joint DoD awards and/or operations for which the medal is authorized.
This is the DoD Approved NATO Medals for Acceptance and Wear approved award/operations. as of the date shown in the document. You may want to verify if it has been updated at The Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness (linked above)