Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | |
|---|---|
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | Support of operations to counter terrorism, whether stationed in the United States or overseas. |
| Presented by | the U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
| Eligibility | U.S. military personnel |
| Status | Active |
| Established | E.O. 13289, 12 March 2003 |
| First award | 2003 (retroactive to 11 September 2001) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
| Next (lower) | Korea Defense Service Medal |
| Related | National Defense Service Medal, Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service members who have supported operations to counter terrorism in the War on Terror from 11 September 2001, to a date yet to be determined.
From its creation in March 2003 through September 2022, the GWOT-SM was a quasi-automatically awarded medal similar to the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM). The GWOT-SM was awarded for the broadly defined criterion of "support duty" to most servicemembers after thirty days of post-entry training active service up until around January to February 2015. After that point, it was no longer awarded for just completing basic training and required specific participation in designated operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism. However, effective September 11, 2022, the GWOT-SM is now awarded to servicemembers only serving in the area of effect for approved campaigns related to the Global War on Terrorism.