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The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a
military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a meda ...
of the
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...
, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the national security or defense of the United States. The medal was created on July 9, 1970, by President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
in . President Nixon awarded the first medal, on the day the Executive Order was signed, to General
Earle Wheeler Earle Gilmore Wheeler (January 13, 1908 – December 18, 1975), nicknamed Bus, was a United States Army general who served as the chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1962 to 1964 and then as the sixth chairman of the Joint Chiefs ...
, who was retiring from the US Army after serving as
Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and ...
and then
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
. It is equivalent to the
United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...
's Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal.


Criteria

The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is the United States Department of Defense's highest non-combat related military award and it is the highest joint service decoration. The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is awarded only while assigned to a joint activity. Normally, such responsibilities deserving of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal are held by the most senior officers such as the
Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...
and
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is, by U.S. law, the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, - Vice Chairman ranking just below the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vice chairman ...
, the chiefs and vice chiefs of the military services, and commanders and deputy commanders of the Combatant Commands, the Director of the Joint Staff, and others whose duties bring them frequently into direct contact with the
Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and other senior government officials. In addition, the medal may also be awarded to other service members whose direct and individual contributions to national security or national defense are recognized as being so exceptional in scope and value as to be equivalent to contributions normally associated with positions encompassing broader responsibilities. This decoration takes precedence over the Distinguished Service Medals of the services and is not to be awarded to any individual for a period of service for which an
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
,
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
or Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal is awarded.


Appearance

The medal is gold in color and on the obverse it features a medium blue enameled pentagon (point up). Superimposed on this is an
American bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
with wings outspread facing left grasping three crossed arrows in its talons and on its breast is a shield of the United States. The pentagon and eagle are enclosed within a gold pieced circle consisting, in the upper half of 13 five-pointed stars and in the lower half, a wreath of laurel on the left and
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...
on the right. At the top is a suspender of five graduated gold rays. The reverse of the medal has the inscription "''For Distinguished Service''" at the top in raised letters, and within the pentagon the inscription "FROM THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
TO", all in raised letters. Additional awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal are denoted by oak leaf clusters.


Notable recipients

* Jonathan Howe (six awards) * Lloyd Austin (five awards) * Wesley Clark (five awards) *
Raymond T. Odierno Raymond Thomas Odierno (8 September 1954 – 8 October 2021) was an American military officer who served as a four-star general of the United States Army and as the 38th chief of staff of the Army. Prior to his service as chief of staff, Odiern ...
(five awards) * Dennis C. Blair (four awards) * James B. Busey IV (four awards) * George W. Casey Jr. (four awards) *
William J. Crowe William James Crowe Jr. (January 2, 1925 – October 18, 2007) was a United States Navy admiral and diplomat who served as the 11th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassad ...
(four awards) * James L. Jones (four awards) * Timothy J. Keating (four awards) *
Michael Mullen Michael Glenn Mullen (born October 4, 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral, who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2011. Mullen previously served as the Navy's 28th chief of ...
(four awards) * Richard Myers (four awards) *
Peter Pace Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman and the first Marine officer to be appointed ...
(four awards) *
David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born November 7, 1952) is a retired United States Army general and public official. He served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 6, 2011, until his resignation on November 9, 2012. Prior to ...
(four awards) *
Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first Africa ...
(four awards) * Victor E. Renuart Jr. (four awards) * John Shalikashvili (four awards) * Hugh Shelton (four awards) * John Abizaid (three awards) *
John R. Allen John Rutherford Allen (born December 15, 1953) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). On September 13, 2014, ...
(three awards) *
Peter W. Chiarelli Peter William Chiarelli (born March 23, 1950) is a retired United States Army general who served as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from August 4, 2008 to January 31, 2012. He also served as commander, Multi-National Corps � ...
(three awards) *
Vern Clark Vernon Eugene Clark (born September 7, 1944) is a retired admiral who served as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the United States Navy. He retired on July 22, 2005, making his tenure of five years the second-longest serving CNO behind Arlei ...
(three awards) * James T. Conway (three awards) *
Martin Dempsey Martin “Marty” Edward Dempsey (born March 14, 1952), is a retired United States Army general who served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2011 until September 25, 2015. He previously served as the 37th chief o ...
(three awards) *
Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. Edmund Peter Giambastiani Jr. (born May 4, 1948) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the seventh vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2005 to 2007. He retired in 2007, after 37 years of service. Early life and educati ...
(three awards) * Gregory G. Johnson (three awards) *
George Joulwan George Alfred Joulwan (born November 16, 1939, Pottsville, Pennsylvania) is a retired United States Army general who served for 36 years. He finished his military career as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command and NATO' ...
(three awards) * William H. McRaven (three awards) *
David M. Rodriguez David Mitchell "Rod" Rodriguez (born May 23, 1954) is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as the Commander of the United States Africa Command from April 2013 to July 2016. Rodriguez previously served as the Commanding Gen ...
(three awards) * Curtis Scaparrotti (three awards) * Peter Schoomaker (three awards) * Kurt W. Tidd (three awards) * Thomas D. Waldhauser (three awards) *
William E. Ward William E. "Kip" Ward (born June 3, 1949) is a retired United States Army three-star general who served as the inaugural Commander of United States Africa Command from October 1, 2007 to March 8, 2011. During his long career in public service, he ...
(three awards) * James A. Winnefeld Jr. (three awards) * Creighton Abrams (two awards) * Jeremy M. Boorda (two awards) * William A. Brown (two awards) *
Bantz J. Craddock Bantz John Craddock (born August 24, 1949) is a former United States Army general. His last military assignment was as Commander, United States European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe from December 2006 to June 30, 2009. He als ...
(two awards) *
Walter Doran Walter Francis Doran (born October 15, 1945) is a retired admiral in the United States Navy, who served as the Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet ( CINCPACFLT) from May 2002 to July 2005. He lives with his wife, Ginny and has two son ...
(two awards) *
James O. Ellis Admiral James Oren Ellis Jr. (born July 20, 1947) is a retired 4-star admiral and former Commander, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He was President and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Nuclear Power Operatio ...
(two awards) *
William J. Fallon William Joseph Fallon (born December 30, 1944) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who retired after serving for over 41 years. His last military assignment was as Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. ADM ...
(two awards) * Noel Gayler (two awards) *
Andrew Goodpaster Andrew Jackson Goodpaster (February 12, 1915 – May 16, 2005) was an American Army General. He served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR), from July 1, 1969, and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command (CI ...
(two awards) * William E. Gortney (two awards) * Alexander Haig (two awards) * Harry B. Harris Jr. (two awards) * Thomas B. Hayward (two awards) * James L. Holloway III (two awards) *
Jay L. Johnson Jay Lynn Johnson (born June 5, 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the 26th Chief of Naval Operations from 1996 to 2000. He was later president and chief executive officer of General Dynamics. Early life Johnson was born i ...
(two awards) * Frank B. Kelso II (two awards) * Joseph D. Kernan (two awards) * George E. R. Kinnear II (two awards) * Samuel J. Locklear (two awards) * Deborah Loewer (two awards) * Jim Mattis (two awards) * Stanley A. McChrystal (two awards) * Mark Milley (two awards) * Thomas Hinman Moorer (two awards) * Donald L. Pilling (two awards) * Joseph Ralston (two awards) *
Bernard W. Rogers Bernard William Rogers (July 16, 1921 – October 27, 2008) was a United States Army general who served as the 28th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and later as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander in Chief, United Sta ...
(two awards) * Eric Shinseki (two awards) *
James G. Stavridis James George Stavridis (born February 15, 1955) is a retired United States Navy admiral, currently Vice Chair, Global Affairs and Managing Director of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefe ...
(two awards) * Patricia Ann Tracey (two awards) * Carlisle A.H. Trost (two awards) * James D. Watkins (two awards) * Maurice F. Weisner (two awards) * Anthony Zinni (two awards) * J. H. Binford Peay III * Philip M. Breedlove *
Frank Bowman Frank Lee Bowman (born 19 December 1944), a retired four-star Admiral, is the former Chief of Naval Personnel and former Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2009 for his leadershi ...
* Nancy Elizabeth Brown * Ronald Burgess (two awards) * Wendi B. Carpenter * Bruce W. Clingan * Robert H. Conn * Michael P. DeLong * Leon A. Edney * Craig S. Faller *
Mark E. Ferguson III Mark E. Ferguson III (born October 30, 1956) is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, United States Naval Forces Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Ferguson previously ser ...
* James R. Fitzgerald *
Mark P. Fitzgerald Mark P. Fitzgerald (born 1951) is a retired United States Navy admiral. He is the former Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe – Commander, United States Naval Forces Africa and Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples. He previously s ...
* William J. Flanagan Jr. *
Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of ...
* Tommy Franks * Douglas M. Fraser * John Galvin * Harold W. Gehman Jr. *
Jonathan W. Greenert Jonathan William Greenert (born May 15, 1953) is a former United States Navy admiral who served as the 30th Chief of Naval Operations from September 23, 2011, to September 18, 2015. He previously served as the 36th Vice Chief of Naval Operations ...
* Cecil D. Haney * Huntington Hardisty *
John C. Harvey Jr. John Collins Harvey Jr. (born December 17, 1951) is a former United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as the 31st Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command from July 24, 2009 to September 14, 2012. He previously served as Directo ...
* Michelle Howard * Grace Hopper * Rick Husband * Daniel James Jr. *
David E. Jeremiah David Elmer Jeremiah (February 25, 1934 – October 7, 2013) was a United States Navy admiral who served as the second vice chairman and also the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After his retirement from the Navy in February 1 ...
* John F. Kelly * Isaac C. Kidd Jr. * Charles R. Larson * Thomas J. Lopez *
Richard C. Macke Richard Chester Macke (January 4, 1938 – December 7, 2022) was a naval aviator and a former four-star admiral in the United States Navy. He last served as Commander of United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) from July 19, 1994, until January 31 ...
*
William C. McCool William Cameron "Willie" McCool (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003) (Cmdr, USN) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' mission STS- ...
* Wesley L. McDonald * Richard W. Mies * Michael H. Miller *
Carl Epting Mundy Jr. Carl Epting Mundy Jr. (July 16, 1935 – April 2, 2014) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1, 1991 until his retirement on ...
* Eric T. Olson * William A. Owens * Joseph Prueher *
Dennis Reimer Dennis Joe Reimer (born July 12, 1939) is a retired general of the United States Army, who served as the 33rd Chief of Staff of the Army from June 20, 1995 to June 21, 1999. He is also a graduate of Ranger and Airborne school. Early life and e ...
* Gary Roughead * Ricardo Sanchez *
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (; August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War. Born in Trenton, N ...
*
Leighton W. Smith Jr. Leighton Warren Smith Jr. (born August 20, 1939) is a former United States Navy admiral. In 1994, he became the Commander in Chief of United States Naval Forces Europe and Allied Forces Southern Europe, holding the commands during the height of t ...
*
Vincent R. Stewart Vincent Raymond Stewart (born May 11, 1958) is a retired Jamaican American lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who most recently served as Deputy Commander at United States Cyber Command. He previously served as the 20th Directo ...
* Harry D. Train II * Stephen J. Townsend *
Carlisle Trost Carlisle Albert Herman Trost (April 24, 1930 – September 29, 2020) was a United States Navy officer who served as the 23rd Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1, 1986 to June 29, 1990. He oversaw ...
*
Earle Wheeler Earle Gilmore Wheeler (January 13, 1908 – December 18, 1975), nicknamed Bus, was a United States Army general who served as the chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1962 to 1964 and then as the sixth chairman of the Joint Chiefs ...
*
Charles E. Wilhelm Charles Elliott Wilhelm (born August 26, 1941) is a decorated retired United States Marine Corps General who served two combat tours of duty in Vietnam. He later served as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division; as a Deputy Assistant Secr ...
* Alexander F. Krichevsky * Robert F. Willard * Ronald J. Zlatoper * Bradley A. Heithold - John Zirkelbach (two awards)


References


External links

* {{Authority control
Awards and decorations of the United States Department of Defense An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...
Awards established in 1970