Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13363: Establishing the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals

President: George W. Bush

Established the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals and left detailed eligibility rules to the military departments.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13363 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13363 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13363 do?

Air Force personnel guidance documented eligibility and campaign-star criteria for the Iraq and Afghanistan medals created under EO 13363.

Administration position: The order created medals; award entitlement requires the service-specific eligibility rules, qualifying service and record review.
SignedNovember 29, 2004
Original directionEstablished the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals and left detailed eligibility rules to the military departments.
Later evidenceAir Force personnel guidance documented eligibility and campaign-star criteria for the Iraq and Afghanistan medals created under EO 13363.
Review dateSeptember 26, 2026

Before and after

Before the order

Service members deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq had campaign-service recognition questions not fully covered by the preexisting awards.

After the order

Air Force personnel guidance documented eligibility and campaign-star criteria for the Iraq and Afghanistan medals created under EO 13363.

The order created medals; award entitlement requires the service-specific eligibility rules, qualifying service and record review.

Who had to do what

Source: Signed Federal Register text.
Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Secretaries of the military departmentsPrescribe uniform regulations for awarding the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals, subject to Defense approval, including geographic eligibility and permitted award substitutions without duplicate medals for the same service.Afghanistan eligibility starts October 24, 2001; Iraq eligibility starts March 19, 2003; no rulemaking deadline.
Secretary of DefenseApprove military-department medal regulations and determine campaign eligibility terminal dates and relevant Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal terminal dates.Terminal dates to be prescribed; no fixed deadline.
Secretary of Homeland SecurityPrescribe medal regulations for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a Navy service.Applicable qualifying service begins October 24, 2001 for Afghanistan or March 19, 2003 for Iraq; no rulemaking deadline.
Later actionAir Force personnel guidance documented eligibility and campaign-star criteria for the Iraq and Afghanistan medals created under EO 13363.2008

What happened next

EO 13363 signed.