The Secretary's Distinguished Service Award is an award of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

. It is presented at the discretion of the secretary of state in recognition of exceptionally outstanding leadership, professional competence, and significant accomplishment over a sustained period of time in the field of foreign affairs. Such achievements must be of notable national or international significance and have made an important contribution to the advancement of U.S. national interests. The award is personally authorized by the secretary of state provided that one of the criteria eligibility in Foreign Affairs Manual is met. It may be presented to members of the foreign affairs communities. The award consists of a gold medal set and a certificate signed by the secretary of state. The specific criteria for the issuance of the Secretary’s Award is determined by the secretary of state.

Nominating and approval procedures

Nominations for the Secretary's Distinguished Service Award are normally initiated by the secretary of state. However, officials at assistant secretary or higher level who wish to recommend an individual for this award may do so by submitting a memorandum of justification, cleared by the Director General, to the Executive Secretary of the Department.

Military use

Upon authorization, members of the U.S. military may wear the medal and ribbon in the appropriate

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

as a U.S. non-military personal decoration.

Notable recipients

Kristie Kenney Kristie Anne Kenney (born May 24, 1955) is an American former senior diplomat who served as the 32nd Counselor of the United States Department of State from 2016 to 2017. She is a recipient of the Secretary's Distinguished Service Award, Secreta ...

, former U.S Ambassador to Thailand, the Philippines, Ecuador and former Counselor of the State Department * Marca Bristo, disability rights activist *

Constance Berry Newman Constance Ernestine Berry Newman (born July 8, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and diplomat who served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, United States assistant secretary of state for Afric ...

, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, September 2005 * Daniel Bennett Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Greece *

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born 7 November 1952) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who served as the fourth director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 2011 until his resignation in November 2012. Pri ...

, General, U.S. Army * Raymond T. Odierno, General, U.S. Army * Lloyd Austin, General, U.S. Army * William M. Fraser III, General, U.S. Air Force *

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

, General, U.S. Army and former U.S. secretary of state * John Beyrle, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Bulgaria * Llewellyn Thompson, Ambassador to the Soviet Union * Earl R. Miller, former U.S. Ambassador to

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

, issued on May 20, 2022.

References

{{reflist Awards and decorations of the United States Department of State Distinguished service awards United States Department of State

Nominating and approval procedures

Military use

Notable recipients

See also

References