Expanding Eligibility for Certain Military Decorations and Awards

The order amends six prior executive orders governing military decorations and awards. It adds the Space Force to the list of eligible services for the Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star, Presidential Unit Citations, and the delegation of approval authority for certain decorations. It expands the Defense Distinguished Service Medal's eligibility from "military officers" to all members of the Armed Forces. It also updates the Good Conduct Medal's eligibility dates to reflect Space Force's establishment on December 20, 2019, and corrects statutory cross-references in EO 13830 to match a title recodification in the U.S. Code.

The order also replaces gendered pronoun and singular constructions ("himself," "himself or herself," "any person," "men") with gender-neutral equivalents throughout the amended orders. It does not create new medals or change the substantive criteria for earning any existing award; it updates who and which services are covered by the existing awards framework.

Active-duty and eligible Space Force members who previously lacked formal access to certain military decorations, all Armed Forces members newly eligible for the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretaries of the military departments who administer the awards.

Space Force personnel, who have served since December 2019, gain formal eligibility for major decorations they were previously excluded from by outdated order language. Enlisted members across all services also gain eligibility for the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, which was previously limited to officers.

The amendments take effect immediately as textual changes to the six prior executive orders. No new rulemaking or reporting deadlines are imposed. The Secretaries of the military departments are responsible for implementing the updated award regulations consistent with existing authority. The order includes a standard severability-style general provisions clause stating it creates no enforceable rights and must be implemented within available appropriations.