Non-Article 5 NATO VIGILANCE Medal

The official description, eligibility, criteria, and history of the Non-Article 5 NATO VIGILANCE Medal.

Context

The Non-Article 5 NATO VIGILANCE Medal recognizes personnel who have deployed under NATO command or control within the Supreme Allied Commander Europe's (SACEUR) area of operations (AOO) boundaries from 24 February 2022.

The deployment must be in support of NATO operations and may include ground units, ships or aircraft providing patrol, guard, reconnaissance, electronic surveillance or other military support services. To be considered as deployed, personnel and forces must depart their national land, air and sea boundaries and remain outside these boundaries for the duration of the qualifying service. For NATO headquarters (HQ), this is to be considered the nation in which the organization is permanently assigned/hosted (e.g. a CAF member posted to a NATO HQ in Belgium must be operationally deployed outside that country to be eligible).

Forces and personnel on exercises and official travel are not eligible.

Eligibility and criteria

Awarded for 30 days continuous or 60 cumulative days service in the designed AOO from 24 February 2022.

In light of Canadian honours policy, which precludes dual recognition, no person shall be awarded two medals for the same service. Many CAF members have already been awarded the SSM-NATO for the service which is eligible for the new NATO medal. These individuals are not eligible for the new NATO medal and no application shall be made for them.

In order to comply with Canadian policy, the CDS, in consultation with Armed Forces Council, on the recommendation of the CF Honours Policy Committee, has directed that the NATO VIGILANCE Medal can be awarded only for eligible service from 15 December 2024 onwards, replacing the SSM-NATO from that date. Exceptions are built in for those who qualified for the SSM-NATO before the start date for the NATO VIGILANCE Medal and also meet the criteria for the NATO VIGILANCE Medal, or served on more than one distinct tour, meaning there is no duplication since each medal recognizes distinct periods of service. The specific direction is as follows:

1. service before 15 December 2024 remains eligible for the SSM-NATO and is not recognized by the NATO VIGILANCE Medal except in the cases detailed at sub-paras c and d;
2. eligible service from 15 December 2024 forward is recognized by the NATO VIGILANCE Medal instead of the SSM-NATO, and NATO multiple tour indicators for subsequent deployments;
3. those who earned the SSM-NATO for service before 24 February 2022, or for service not eligible for the NATO VIGILANCE Medal, and also meet the criteria for the NATO VIGILANCE Medal for service from 24 February 2022 onwards may retain the SSM-NATO and be awarded the NATO VIGILANCE Medal; and
4. those who earned the SSM-NATO for service after 24 February 2022 but completed two distinct eligible deployments after that date may retain the SSM-NATO and be awarded the NATO VIGILANCE Medal.

Aircrew will accumulate one day's service for the first sortie flown of any day in the Area of Operation; additional sorties flown on the same day receive no further credit. This requirement exists for support as well as combat aircraft, and support aircraft including tanker, airlift, and surveillance platforms.

NATO strictly applies their medals policy and will not consider requests for initial issue of NATO medals that are submitted more than two years after repatriation from mission area.

NATO Regulations state that any person who dies or is evacuated because of injuries of medical reasons directly attributable to service is deemed to have satisfied the time criteria.

Description

The Medal is circular in form and made of bronze, and bearing:

• On the obverse, the NATO star set in a wreath of olive leaves; and
• On the reverse, the title "NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION" and the words "IN SERVICE OF PEACE AND FREEDOM" in English and French.

A 12mm bronze ring, which holds the ribbon, passes through a small hollow ball at the top of a claw joined to the top of the medal.

The ribbon is NATO-blue ribbon with two white stripes centred on the two outer thirds of the ribbon, with a silver stripe in the centre of each white stripe. The white represents peace and the silver signifies that the operation was ordered in accordance with another article than Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Bar(s)

The medal is always issued with a bar inscribed "VIGILANCE".

Wearing

The medal shall be worn on the left breast, suspended from the ribbon described above, after the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal for Service on NATO Operation SEA GUARDIAN and before the International Commission for Supervision and Control Indo-China (ICSC) Medal.

The bar is worn centered on the ribbon.

Post-nominals

The use of a post-nominal is not authorized for this medal.

Historical notes

The medal is accompanied by a certificate.