Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army Walter T. Kerwin, Jr. approved the establishment of the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service on June 30, 1976. The civilian equivalent of the Army Commendation Medal, the decoration was directly below the Superior Civilian Service Award in precedence. In 2014, both medals were renamed and redesigned, with the Commander’s Award becoming the Civilian Service Commendation Medal and the Superior Civilian Service Award redesignated the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.
Any commander with a rank of colonel or above (or the civilian equivalent) could approve the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service; the latest edition of AR 672-20 was released before the name change and therefore does not mention if awarding authority or eligibility requirements were also changed. The award was established to recognize civilian employees who have a track record of excellent performance, typically evinced by previously receiving at least one honorary or monetary award.
AR 672-20 lists several levels of achievement as examples of the type of accomplishments that would merit the decoration. These include:
- Fulfilling duties (supervisory or nonsupervisory) in such an outstanding manner that it sets an example for other civilians to follow.
- Developing new equipment, work processes, and techniques or improving upon existing ones to yield savings in time, manpower allocation, space, money, and materials, or implementing similar improvements that result in improved safety or health for the workforce.
- Improving unit productivity through effective leadership and management.
- Performing services involving public relations or public perception that generated favorable publicity in the local area.
- Displaying courage or aptitude while performing assigned duties during an emergency, resulting in a recognizable benefit to the government or its employees.