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Hagel eliminates Distinguished Warfare Medal

Army News Service

April 16, 2013

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Sgt. Brian Randolph of the 346th Military Police Company at Fort Riley, Kan., demonstrates to a soldier of the 317th Military Police Battalion how he operates a Raven B unmanned aerial vehicle in flight July 25, 2012. While service members who operate and support remotely piloted aircraft or operate in cyberspace are a critical part of the military’s mission, Department of Defense officials have decided to eliminate the Distinguished Warfare Medal intended to honor them.

Sgt. Brian Randolph of the 346th Military Police Company at Fort Riley, Kan., demonstrates to a soldier of the 317th Military Police Battalion how he operates a Raven B unmanned aerial vehicle in flight July 25, 2012. While service members who operate and support remotely piloted aircraft or operate in cyberspace are a critical part of the military’s mission, Department of Defense officials have decided to eliminate the Distinguished Warfare Medal intended to honor them.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has eliminated the Distinguished Warfare Medal, DOD officials announced April 15.

Instead, the military will recognize service members who directly affect combat operations without being present through distinguishing devices that will be affixed to already existing awards.

Soon after being sworn in as defense secretary Feb. 27, 2013, Hagel asked Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to lead a review of the medal.

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the concurrence of the service secretaries, have recommended the creation of a new distinguishing device that can be affixed to existing medals to recognize the extraordinary actions of this small number of men and women,” Hagel said in a written release.