B. MILPER Message 96-027, DTG 131205Z, NOV 95, SUBJ: Termination date for the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal and Award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Operation SOUTHERN WATCH.

C. AR 600-8-22, Military Awards, 25 Feb 98.

D. AR 600-8-104, Military Personnel Information Management/Records, 27 Apr 92.

E. AR 670-1, Wear and Appearance of the Army Uniforms and Insignia, 1 Sep 92.

F. AR 680-29, Military Personnel, Organization, and Type of Transaction Code, 1 Mar 89.

1. This message will expire 31 July 2000.

2. The Secretary of Defense approved award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) for personnel participating in the following Southwest Asia operations: MARITIME INTERCEPT OPERATIONS (MIO) (from 1 Dec 95 to a date to be determined); VIGILANT SENTINEL (VS) (from 1 Dec 95 to 15 Feb 97); and Operation NORTHERN WATCH (ONW) (from 1 Jan 97 to a date to be determined). MIO, VS, and ONW are added to Operation SOUTHERN WATCH (OSW). Reference Bravo announced award of the AFEM for OSW effective 1 Dec 95 to a date to be determined. For the purposes of awarding the AFEM, OSW, MIO, VS, and ONW are considered under one designated Area of Eligibility, Southwest Asia (SWA).

3. Area of Eligibility. Individuals serving in the following Area of Eligibility are considered eligibile for the AFEM for MIO, VS, and ONW: Total land area and airspace of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, and the waters and airspace above that portion of the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf) that lies West of 056 degrees East Longitude. Individuals serving aboard vessels in the Red Sea in direct support of MIO are also eligible.

4. Rules. The general requirements for award of the AFEM are as follows:

A. Service member must be a bonafide member of a unit engaged in the operation, or meet one or more of the following criteria.

B. Be engaged in direct support for 30 consecutive days in the Area of Operation/Eligibility (or for the full period when an operation is less than 30 days in duration), or for 60 nonconsecutive days provided the support involves entering the Area of Operation.

C. Be engaged in actual combat, or duty which is equally as hazardous as combat, during the operation with armed opposition, regardless of the time in the area.

D. Participate as a regularly assigned crew member of an aircraft flying into, out of, within, or over the area in support of the military operation.

5. Service members who qualified for the Southwest Asia Service Medal (SWASM) during their initial tour in SWA, between 2 Aug 90 and 30 Nov 95, and subsequently became eligible for the AFEM for OSW, MIO,or VS, may elect to receive the AFEM instead of the SWASM. Service members who served in an assignment that overlapped may not be issued or wear both medals (SWASM/AFEM) for service in SWA to include MIO, VS, OSW. This rule does not apply to ONW which began on 1 Jan 97.

6. Subsequent Awards. A subsequent award of the AFEM is only authorized for individuals for nonconsecutive and noncurrentassignments in separate Areas of Eligiblity for which the AFEM has been approved, for example, Operation JUST CAUSE, Panama; Operation RESTORE HOPE, Somalia; and Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, Haiti. Bronze service stars are worn to denote subsequent awards of the AFEM. See Ref ECHO for proper wear of the AFEM and bronze service stars.

7. Effective immediately, commanders are authorized to award the AFEM to qualified personnel. Permanent orders are not required. Military Personnel Divisions/Personnel Service Battalions will update Personnel Qualification Records using this message as the authority. The authorized abbreviation used to annotate Section VIII of the ORB and Item 9 of the DA Form 2-1, and the SIDPERS submission code to update the OMF are as follows:

ITEM 9, 2-1/ORB: ARMED-FCS-EXP-MDL
SIDPERS CODE: AE 01-99

8. Veterans may request award of the AFEM for service in MIO, VS, or ONW by writing to the Commander, AR-PERSCOM, ATTN: ARPC-PSV-V, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.

9. Only MACOMS and principal HQDA agencies may contact HQ, PERSCOM for additional information and guidance. Installation/Field agencies and their soldiers must contact their respective MACOM or Personnel Service Battalion for answers to their questions.