Amending Executive Order No. 10163, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal

This executive order updates eligibility criteria for the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, adding two new paths to the award: service during post-1990 mobilizations and volunteering for designated military operations, alongside the existing 10-year reserve service requirement. It also standardizes the medal's appurtenances to denote how it was earned.

Federal Register Open PDF 61 FR 41483

Impact dates

Date TBD
Retroactive eligibility for mobilizations and volunteer service on/after August 1, 1990

Key directives

Strike and replace sections 3 and 4 of EO 10163
Establish three criteria for Armed Forces Reserve Medal: 10 years honorable reserve service within 12 consecutive years; mobilization on/after August 1, 1990 under specified statutes; or volunteering for designated operations on/after August 1, 1990
Limit one medal per person with component-specific design
Require appurtenances denoting award basis (service, mobilization, or volunteer operations)
Authorize additional appurtenances for subsequent qualifying service periods or mobilizations

Who is ordered

Secretary of Defense · Department of Defense

Timeline

Immediate

New award criteria effective upon signing for future awards

Near term (90d)

Military departments update award regulations and appurtenance standards

Long term

Ongoing impact on reserve retention and recognition; cumulative awards for repeated mobilizations

Risks & tensions

Retroactive date of August 1, 1990 creates administrative burden to verify Gulf War-era service records
Vague delegation: 'designated by the Secretary of Defense' for volunteer operations creates discretionary authority without procedural constraints stated
Concurrent regular/reserve service computation rules are complex and may generate disputes