Australian Operational Service Medal Border Protection

The Australian Operational Service Medal – Border Protection recognises the range of border protection operations conducted since 1997. To qualify, Defence members must have been deployed or force assigned for duty as a member of a declared operation:

• for a period of not less than an aggregate of 30 days; or
• completed 30 sorties from a unit assigned to a declared operation, provided that those sorties were conducted over a period of not less than an aggregate of 30 days at a rate of one sortie per day.

Updated Eligibility Criteria

The following are the current declared operations and dates:

• Operation CRANBERRY – 1 August 1997 to 16 July 2006
• Operation DIRK – 1 September 1997 to 31 October 1997
• Operation STANHOPE – 3 February 1998 to 6 March 1998
• Operation MISTRAL – 1 August 1998 to 30 June 2006
• Operation TEEBONE – 8 April 2001 to 7 May 2001
• Operation CELESTA – 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2006
• Operation SUTTON – 25 January 2002 to 19 February 2002
• Operation GEMSBOK – 29 August 2003 to 3 October 2003
• Operation RELEX – 3 September 2001 to 13 March 2002
• Operation RELEX II – 14 March 2002 to 16 July 2006
• Operation RESOLUTE – 17 July 2006 to present

Area defined by the seas and Australian land areas, superjacent airspaces, Nauru and Manus Island, but not other foreign areas encompassed within the coordinates:

• 15°00' North Latitude, 60°00' East Longitude
• 15°00' North Latitude, 180°00' East Longitude
• 60°00' South Latitude, 60°00' East Longitude
• 60°00' South Latitude, 180°00' East Longitude
• And the land areas of Nauru and Manus Island

The amendments allow for Allied Foreign Defence Force members to be eligible for the medal.

Medal

The medal is a cupro-nickel medal finished in antique silver. The obverse bears an old-world stylised world globe signifying global operations, interlinked with a Federation Star. The globe is surrounded by the words ‘AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONAL SERVICE MEDAL’.

The reverse bears a central horizontal stylised scroll with the words ‘Defending Australia and its national interests’, overlaying a wreath of mimosa, above which sits an hour glass motif signifying the ongoing vigilance and timely response of Defence.

Ribbon

The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark blue, ochre and dark green which denote the seas and sky, the deserts and the forests and grasslands.