Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal

CSDP service medal of Operation Sophia

The Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal (named the European Security and Defence Policy Service Medal prior to 2009) is an international military decoration awarded to individuals, both military and civilian, who have served with CSDP missions. Since the 1990s the European Union has taken a greater role in military missions both in Europe and abroad. These actions were taken under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), which is implemented by the European Union Military Staff, a department of the EU. To recognize service in these missions the EU authorized the creation of a medal with a common obverse and reverse, to which clasps featuring the missions' name are attached to the ribbon bar.

Appearance

The medal is

36 mm (1+12 in) in diameter, made of a silver colored metal. All versions share a common design. The obverse of the medal is plain except for a circle of twelve five pointed stars around the outside edge of the medal. The reverse contains the Latin phrase, Pro Pace Unum, meaning "United for Peace". The words are arranged in three lines one word above the other in the center of the medal. The medal is suspended from a36 mm (1+12 in) ribbon in EU blue with either a wide gold center stripe for headquarters and combat forces, or a wide white stripe for planning and support. Each operation is identified with a different clasp with the name of the operation worn on the ribbon of the medal. A miniature version is worn on the ribbon bar, when medals are not worn.

Ribbons and clasps

Precedence

Some orders of precedence are as follows:

CountryPrecedingFollowing
CanadaCanada
Order of precedence
International Force East Timor MedalPolar Medal
Republic of IrelandIreland
Order of seniority
European Union Monitoring Mission MedalInternational Conference on the Former Yugoslavia Medal
SpainSpain
Order of precedence
Western European Union MedalUNAVEM Medal
NetherlandsThe Netherlands
Order of precedence
European Community Monitor Mission MedalBaltic Air Policing Medal
New ZealandNew Zealand
Order of precedence
NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in AfghanistanNew Zealand General Service Medal 2002 (Timor-Leste)
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Order of precedence
Western European Union MedalCommonwealth realms orders and decorations

See also

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.