- Established
- 1976
- Awarded by
- All services (joint assignments)
- Criteria
- Superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility in a joint activity.
- Precedence
- #9 of 18 in this guide · below Silver Star · above Legion of Merit
Awarded by the Secretary of Defense for joint duty, ranking just above the Legion of Merit.
From Wikipedia
The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility. It is most often presented to general and flag officers, followed by a lesser number of Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force colonels and Navy and Coast Guard captains. Presented in the name of the United States Secretary of Defense, it was established by President Gerald R. Ford on February 6, 1976, in Executive Order 11904.
Excerpt from “Defense Superior Service Medal” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable recipients
- Colin Powell1937–2021 · Gulf War
- Lloyd J. Austin III1953 · War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Jim Mattis1950 · Gulf War
- David Petraeus1952 · War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.1934–2012 · Gulf War
- Scott Kelly1964
- Susan J. Helms1958
- Jeane Kirkpatrick1926–2006
- Timothy Kopra1963
- Barry E. Wilmore1962
- Dan Caine1968
- John F. Kelly1950 · Gulf War
- Mark A. Milley1958 · War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Steven Lindsey1960
- Stanley A. McChrystal1954 · Gulf War
Images: medal (Public domain); ribbon (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
