Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award | |
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![]() Ribbon of the medal | |
Type | Career award |
Awarded for | Exceptionally noteworthy or superlative contributions of major significance to the Department of Defense. |
Country | ![]() |
Presented by | United States Department of Defense |
Eligibility | Career civilian employees of the federal government |
![]() Example of Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service | |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award |
The Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award is the second highest career award presented by the Department of Defense. It is presented for exceptionally noteworthy service of major significance to the Department of Defense as a whole. [1]
Candidates for this award are Department of Defense or other government agency employees who have rendered exceptionally meritorious service of major significance to the Department of Defense. This award requires review by the Department of Defense Incentive Awards Board. This board recommends approval or disapproval of the award, though the Secretary of Defense is the approval authority. Heads of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Components and Secretaries of Military Departments submit nominations to the Assistant Director for Labor and Management Employee Relations, Directorate for Personnel and Security, Washington Headquarters Services. [2]
Recipients of the award receive a medal set, a certificate signed by the Secretary of Defense and citation. [1] Recipients may receive the award more than once, with subsequent awards being recognized by bronze, silver, or gold palms. [2]
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight uniformed services of the United States as well as to military and political figures of foreign governments.
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The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969.
Michael Luis Dominguez retired as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness within the United States Department of Defense. He has held that position since his confirmation by the United States Senate on July 11, 2006.
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The Meritorious Civilian Service Award is commonly the second highest award and medal provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal government of the United States. However, the various agencies' awards are not directly comparable. For example, the US Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award is equivalent to the US military Legion of Merit, while the US Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award is equivalent to the lower US military Meritorious Service Medal.
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The Navy Superior Civilian Service Award is the highest honorary award the Chief of Naval Operations or the Commandant of the Marine Corps may bestow on a civilian employee in the Department of the Navy and the highest award granted at the major claimant level. This is the second highest honorary award under the Department of the Navy Civilian Awards program.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service is the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s (OSD) highest level career medaled award.
The Meritorious Civilian Service Award is the third highest award granted by U.S. Army Commanders. It consists of a medal, lapel button, and citation certificate. Nominees must have established a pattern of excellence, normally demonstrated by the receipt of lower level awards. The award is comparable to the military Meritorious Service Medal. On 13 April 1987, the Army Chief of Staff approved this award as the Superior Civilian Service. In November 2014, the Department of the Army Civilian Service Medals were renamed by the Secretary of the Army to align award names closer to their military equivalents. At that time the award was renamed the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the design of the medal was modified to reflect that change.
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The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service is the highest award that is presented by the Secretary of Defense, to a private citizen, politician, non-career federal employee, or foreign national. It is presented for exceptionally distinguished service of significance to the Department of Defense as a whole, or a DoD Component or function, where recognition at the component level would not be sufficient for the service rendered.
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