Action Line #90613 -- NATO Ribbon

  • Published
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Complaint: 

The one thing that is engrained in our heads prior to arrival at Incirlik AB is, "Make sure you have your NATO orders and they are signed in BLUE INK!" Needless to say, the majority of us got here, NATO orders with blue ink in hand. Now, a year later I was putting on my blues and it occurred to me, why don't we receive a NATO ribbon here at Incirlik? We come under strict NATO orders and are completing a NATO mission, correct? So, why are we not authorized to wear the NATO ribbon? Thank you for your time.

Response: 

Thanks for the question, and I'd like to clear up a common misnomer. The NATO award is not simply a ribbon; rather it's a medal authorized by the Secretary General of NATO for specific NATO operations, similar to U.S. campaign medals. In addition, the Secretary of Defense, with concurrence of the Secretary of State, must approve acceptance and wear by U.S. servicemembers who meet the criteria specified by the Secretary General of NATO. Simply serving in a foreign country that requires NATO orders for assignment does not make a servicemember eligible to wear a NATO medal.

The DOD currently recognizes six variations of the NATO medal for wear by U.S. servicemembers. To find out more about the criteria for wearing these medals and to determine if you qualify, please see the Awards and Decorations page on the AFPC website at the following URL: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/library/awards/index.asp  

As you can see, members assigned to Incirlik do not meet the requirements for award of this medal. If you find that you may qualify for wearing any of the approved NATO medals, please contact Customer Service at the Military Personnel Flight, DSN: 676-3634 or via e-mail: 39FSS.FSMPSMilCustomerSupport@incirlik.af.mil