NATO Kosovo Ribbon

Item No: R255

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Product Description

NATO Kosovo Ribbon

NATO Kosovo Medal

Service: All Services

Instituted: Yugoslavia: 1 July 1992

Kosovo: 7 June 2000

Criteria: Service under NATO command and in direct support of NATO operations for (a) 30 days service in or 90 days outside the former Republic of Yugoslavia and the Adriatic Sea or (b) 30 continuous/accumulated days on land, at sea or in the air space of the Province of Kosovo.

Devices: Bronze Star

Notes: Above date denotes when award was authorized for wear by U.S. Armed Forces personnel.

Awarded to U.S. military personnel for service under the NATO command and in direct support of NATO operations. Recipients, as of this writing, may qualify for two NATO operations:

(1) Former Yugoslavia: 30 days service inside or 90 days outside the former Republic of Yugoslavia after July 1, 1992 to a date to be determined.

(2) Kosovo: 30 continuous/accumulated days in or around the former Yugoslavian province of Kosovo from October 13, 1998 to a date to be determined.

Multiple rotations or tours in either operational area will only qualify for a single award of that medal.

The NATO Medal, like the United Nations Medal, has a common planchet/pendant but comes with unique ribbons for each operation. As in the case of the United Nations, U.S. Service personnel who qualify for both NATO Medals will wear the first medal/ribbon awarded and a bronze service star on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon to denote the second award. As before however, the two medal clasps which may accompany the medal. i.e., “FORMER YUGOSLAVIA and KOSOVO” may not be worn on the US military uniform.

The medal is a bronze disk featuring the NATO symbol in the center surrounded by olive branches around the periphery. The reverse contains the inscription, “NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION” in English around the top edge and the same wording in French along the lower edge. A horizontal olive branch separates the central area into two areas. Atop this, set in three lines, is the inscription, “IN SERVICE OF PEACE AND FREEDOM” in English. The same text in French on four lines is inscribed in the lower half.

Awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. There are currently nine versions of the NATO Medal in existence, for service in Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, two for service during Article 5 operations (Eagle Assist, Active Endeavor) , and three for Non-Article 5 NATO operations (ISAF, Balkans, NTM-Iraq). In addition, there are corresponding clasps for operations such as ISAF, Kosovo, Former Yugoslavia, NTM-Iraq (NATO Training Mission-Iraq) and clasps designating Article 5, and Non-Article 5 designations. The 'Former Yugoslavia Bar' bar has been removed from the original medal since it is not authorized per Dept of Def regulations.