| National Defense Service Medal |
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 National Defense Service Medal |
| Awarded by the Department of Defense[1] |
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| Type | Service medal |
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| Eligibility | Member of the United States Armed Forces during qualifying periods of national emergency |
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| Awarded for | Military service during periods of national emergency or any other periods designated by the Secretary of Defense. |
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| Campaign(s) | Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Global War on Terrorism |
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| Status | Active |
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| Description | Obverse: Shows a North American bald eagle, perched on a sword and palm. Above this, in a semicircle, is the inscription "National Defense".
Reverse: Shows a shield, taken from the coat of arms of the United States; it is half encircled below with an open wreath, the right side of oak leaves and laurel leaves the left.
Ribbon: The ribbon has a wide yellow stripe in the center, flanked by narrow stripes of red, white, blue, white and wide red stripes. |
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| Clasps | Service star for subsequent awards |
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| Established | Executive Order 10448, April 22, 1953 (as amended by E.O. 11265, January 11, 1966; E.O. 12776, October 8, 1991; E.O. 13293, March 28, 2003. |
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| First awarded | April 22, 1953 – July 27, 1954 (retroactive to June 27, 1950) |
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| Last awarded | March 28, 2003 – present (retroactive to September 11, 2001) |
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| Next (higher) | Army: Army of Occupation Medal
Air Force: Medal for Humane Action[2]
Navy: Navy Occupation Service Medal
Marine Corps: Navy Occupation Service Medal
Coast Guard: Navy Occupation Service Medal |
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| Next (lower) | Korean Service Medal |
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| Related | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
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Service ribbon and Campaign streamer |
