Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ( AFEM ) is a military award of the United States military , which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy . The medal is awarded for participation in " any military campaign of the United States for which no other service medal is authorized . " Criteria . The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal may be authorized for three categories of operations : U . S . military operations ; U . S . military operations in direct support of the United Nations ; and U . S . operations of assistance to friendly foreign nations . The medal shall be awarded only for operations for which no other U . S . campaign medal is approved . Since its original conception in 1961 , the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal has been awarded for United States participation in over forty five designated military campaigns . The first campaign of the AFEM was the Cuban Missile Crisis and the award was issued for military service between October 1962 and June 1963 . Following this original issuance , the AFEM was made retroactive to 1958 and issued for actions in Lebanon , Taiwan , Republic of the Congo , Quemoy and Matsu , and for duty in Berlin between 1961 and 1963 . During the early years of the Vietnam War , the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was issued for initial operations in South Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was intended to replace the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal and Navy Expeditionary Medal . In 1965 , with the creation of the Vietnam Service Medal , the AFEM was discontinued for Vietnam War service . As the Vietnam Service Medal was retroactively authorized , those personnel who had previously received the AFEM were granted the option to exchange the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for the Vietnam Service Medal . In 1968 , the AFEM was awarded for Naval operations in defense of the USS " Pueblo " , which was seized by North Korea , as well as for Korean Service , and awarded for Thailand and Cambodia operations in 1973 . Because of these awards during the Vietnam war period , some military personnel have been awarded both the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal & the Vietnam Service Medal . In 2003 , with the creation of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal , the AFEM was discontinued for Iraq , Saudi Arabia , and Kuwait . After 18 March 2003 , some personnel became eligible for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal , as well as the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal . Only one medal may be awarded , however , and individuals or units that deployed to the Gulf for Operation Southern Watch , and then immediately transitioned to Operation Iraqi Freedom , are not eligible for both medals . Beginning in 1992 an effort was begun to phase out the AFEM in favor of campaign specific medals and the newly created Armed Forces Service Medal . To date , however , the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is still listed on official precedence charts and the award is still considered an active service medal . Appearance . The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is issued as a bronze medal , 1 - 1 / 4 inches in diameter . The obverse side consists of an eagle , with wings addorsed and inverted ( representing the strength of the United States Armed Forces ) , standing on a sword loosened in its scabbard , and super - imposed on a radiant compass rose of eight points , ( representing the readiness to serve wherever needed ) all within the circumscription " ARMED FORCES " above and " EXPEDITIONARY SERVICE " below with a sprig of laurel on each side . On the reverse is the shield from the United States Coat of Arms above two laurel branches separated by a bullet , all within the circumscription " UNITED STATES OF AMERICA " . The ribbon is 1 3 / 8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes : 3 / 32 inch Green ; 3 / 32 inch Golden Yellow ; 3 / 32 inch Spicebrown ; 3 / 32 inch Black ; 7 / 32 inch Bluebird ; 1 / 16 inch Ultramarine Blue ; 1 / 16 inch White ; 1 / 16 inch Scarlet ; 7 / 32 inch Bluebird ; 3 / 32 inch Black ; 3 / 32 inch Spicebrown ; 3 / 32 inch Golden Yellow ; and 3 / 32 inch Green . Additional awards of the medal are denoted by service stars , with the arrowhead device also authorized for United States Army personnel who are awarded the medal through participation in an airborne or amphibious assault . The Fleet Marine Force combat operation insignia is also authorized for certain sailors . Approved operations . U . S . military operations . After the close of the Vietnam War , the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was issued for various military operations in Panama , Grenada , and Libya Operation El Dorado Canyon . Similar awards . The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is similar in nature to the AFEM , and was awarded for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom up until June 2005 when it was replaced by the Iraq Campaign Medal for Operations directly in Iraq and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal for Operations directly in Afghanistan . The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is no longer currently issued for operations in the Middle East , but may be reactivated for future campaigns which may not qualify for either the GWOTEM , the Iraq Campaign Medal or Afghanistan Campaign Medal . The United States Navy and Marine Corps issue two similar awards , the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal . In the modern age , service members authorized one of these medals are occasionally permitted to choose between receipt of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or the service specific expeditionary medal . The AFEM and the Navy / Marine Expeditionary Medal cannot be bestowed simultaneously for the same action . The United States Air Force also maintains an award known as the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon . Despite the similarity in names , however , this award is unrelated to the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and rather is presented for duty performed on Air Force deployments .