Western European Union Mission Service Medal | |
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Depiction of obverse and reverse of the medal | |
Type | Campaign or service medal |
Awarded for | Service in designated WEU military missions |
Presented by | Western European Union |
Eligibility | Citizens of WEU member countries |
Status | No longer awarded. Superseded by European Security and Defence Policy Service Medal. |
Established | 20 December 1994 [1] |
Ribbon of the medal |
The Western European Union Mission Service Medal, is an international military decoration awarded to individuals, who served with Western European Union (WEU) military missions. [2]
The WEU first acted in military operations in the context of the Iran–Iraq War. In 1987, mines were laid in the Persian Gulf, restricting the freedom of navigation in international waters. [3] A joint mine sweeping effort was undertaken by member nations of the WEU. [4]
The WEU next took part in military operations during the Yugoslav Wars in 1992. The WEU undertook Operation Sharp Fence starting in 1992, in tandem with NATO who was executing Operation Maritime Guard. WEU and NATO joined their operations together in a single command as Operation Sharp Guard in June 1993. [3]
The medal is circular, made of silver-coloured oxidised metal, 36 mm in diameter. The obverse of the medal displays the letters WEU arranged horizontally for "Western European Union". Above the letter E is the letter U and below the letter O. UEO is the acronym for the French equivalent, Union de l'Europe Occidentale. Below the acronyms, arranged along the edge, are ten five pointed stars. The reverse bears the Latin words in relief, PRO PACE UNUM, meaning "one for peace", [5] or idiomatically as "united for peace". [6]
The suspension ribbon of the medal is blue with a central stripe of yellow-gold. Worn on the ribbon are clasps naming the mission for which the medal is awarded. The service ribbon is the same as the suspension ribbon, utilizing miniature versions of the clasps. [5]
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Some orders of wear are as follows:
Country | Preceding | Following |
Norway Order of wear [7] | United Nations Service Medal for UNPREDEP | United Nations Service Medal for MINUGUA |
Spain Order of precedence [8] | Aceh Monitoring Mission Medal | CSDP Medal |
United Kingdom Order of approval for wear [9] | NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia | United Nations Service Medal for UNOMIG |
The Western European Union was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU implemented the Modified Brussels Treaty. During the Cold War, the Western Bloc included the WEU member states and the United States and Canada as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
HMS Chatham was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was decommissioned on 8 February 2011.
The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is the European Union's (EU) course of action in the fields of defence and crisis management, and a main component of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
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An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards are normally issued as service medals, for participation in various international military operations, and not for specific acts of heroism or bravery.
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The Iraq Medal was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister John Howard in 2004. The Iraq Medal is awarded to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel who served in or around Iraq. ADF personnel are also recognised by the 'IRAQ 2003' clasp to the Australian Active Service Medal.
The Australian Service Medal is an Australian military decoration. It was authorised 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in peacekeeping and non-warlike operations. It is awarded with a clasp to denote the prescribed operation and subsequent awards of the medal are made in the form of additional clasps. The Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 recognises non-warlike service prior to February 1975.
An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards are normally issued as service medals, for participation in various international military operations, and not for specific acts of heroism or bravery. The first medal from an international organization accepted for wear by the United States Military was the United Nations Korea Medal in 1951. Subsequent acceptance of other United Nations Medals did not come until 1964 with Executive Order 11139. Acceptance of the medals of other international multilateral organizations finally came with Executive Order 11446 in 1969. Acceptance of these international decorations must be approved by not only the Secretary of Defense, but also the Secretary of State.
The Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal, 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.
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