Mexican Border Defense Medal (2025)

Mexican Border Defense Medal
Obverse
Type	Service medal
Eligibility	U.S. military personnel
Reverse
The ribbon
Precedence
Next (higher)	Korean Service Medal [1]
Next (lower)	Armed Forces Service Medal [1]

The Mexican Border Defense Medal (2025) (MBDM) was established by the Department of Defense on August 13, 2025 by a memorandum for US military service members who have deployed to the southern US border backdated to January 20, 2025 in support of US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP). ^[1] Since 2019, US military service members were awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) for duty at the southern US border. ^[2] Under the 2019 policy, troops had to serve within 115 miles of the southern US border in any of the four states that border Mexico as well as headquarters troops serving in San Antonio, Texas. This policy included Operation Jump Start and Operation Guardian Support.

The original concept of a new medal began with Rep. Tim Moore, R-North Carolina who sponsored H.R. 3780 (119th Congress) on June 6, 2025 calling for a Border Operations Service Medal. ^{[3] [4]} "A country without secure borders is a country in name only. These heroes are on the front lines defending the American people from violent cartels, human traffickers, terrorists, and mass illegal crossings...they don’t ask for recognition, but they’ve more than earned it," said Moore.

On March 14, 2025, US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) created Joint Task Force-Southern Border and more than 8,500 military service members have served with it in various roles. ^{[5] [6]}

Criteria

The new award will be limited to US service members assigned, attached or detailed to a unit deployed as part of a designated operation supporting CBP for 30 days ^[7] within 100 miles of the US-Mexico border or 24 nautical miles in adjacent US waters. ^[5] US Service members, both active and veterans who received the AFSM can apply to receive the new award, but they cannot receive both awards for the same period of service. The memorandum states that the new award will fall in the precedence order after the Korean Service Medal and before the Armed Forces Service Medal. ^[1]

Appearance

On August 22, 2025, a design for the new award was uploaded to the online database of the US Army Institute of Heraldry. ^[8] This design is identical to the previous Mexican Border Service Medal, an award created in 1918 for US troops engaged in military operations against Francisco "Pancho" Villa. The bronze medal depicts a keystone tablet with a Roman Gladius (short sword) handing from it. The tablet is surrounded by laurel wreaths and is inscribed with the words "For Service On The Mexican Border."

References

1. Schogol, Jeff; Slayton, Nicholas (2025-08-19). "Troops deployed to the US-Mexico border will get a new medal". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
2. Mitchell, Ellen (August 22, 2019). "Trump administration to award service medals to troops deployed at border". The Hill.
3. "Medal proposed for border security service". CoinWorld. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
4. "Congressman Tim Moore Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Honor Troops Deployed to the Southern Border | Representative Tim Moore". timmoore.house.gov. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
5. Ceder, Riley (2025-08-19). "DOD to offer new medal for personnel deployed to Southern Border". Military Times. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
6. Hicks, Spc. Samarion (March 24, 2025). "Joint Task Force–Southern Border assumes authority of southern border mission". US Northern Command.
7. Adams, Matthew. "Troops deployed to US-Mexico border will get a new medal". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
8. "Campaign and Service Medals". The Institute of Heraldry. The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 22 August 2025.

External links

• Text of H.R. 3780 (119th Congress)