The United States Air Force has been responsible for two of the three components of our nation’s nuclear triad for more than five decades, but it wasn’t until May, 2014 that a medal was established to recognize the highly demanding and stressful work done by Airmen to support the Nuclear Enterprise.
Created by the Secretary of the Air Force, the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal (NDOSM) may be rewarded retroactively to 27 December 1991 to Airmen whose duties directly impacted our country’s nuclear deterrence efforts. To qualify for the award, Airmen must have been assigned, attached, deployed, or mobilized to a unit that provided support for the Nuclear Enterprise and was subject to a nuclear inspection for either 120 consecutive days or at least 179 cumulative days.
Alternately, they may qualify by having carried out duties in a plethora of operations related to almost every aspect of the Enterprise; these include (but are not limited to) operations in weapon storage facilities, security, safety, cyber surety, transportation, facility maintenance and management, personnel reliability, explosive ordnance disposal, and nuclear research and development, to name just a few. (Indeed, the regulations are so broadly written that retired or separated Airmen who think they may have qualified for the medal should submit an inquiry to
AFPC/DPSIDR.)
An “N” device has been authorized for wear on the NDOSM by Airmen dispatched to an ICBM missile complex for 179 non-consecutive days in direct support of missile operations in the following specialties:
| Occupation | AFSC |
| Missile Maintenance | 21MX, 2M0XX |
| Munitions and Weapons | 2W0XX, 2W1XX, 2W2XX |
| Security Forces | 31PX, 3P0XX |
| Services | 3M0XX |
| Transportation | 2T1XX, 2T3XX |
| Civil Engineering | 32EX, 3EXXX |
| Cyberspace Support | 3D1X1, 3D1X2, 3D1X3, 3D100 |
| Operations | 11HXC, 13NX, 1A9X1, and13SX officers |
| Missile Facility Manager | 8S000 |
Airmen serving aboard or working with nuclear-laden aircraft (nuclear-certified aircrew and controllers, aircraft and munitions maintenance technicians, combat-crew communication specialists, and security forces) are also eligible for the medal.
Oak-leaf clusters are authorized to denote subsequent awards of the NDOSM, but these are authorized only when an Airman’s permanent change of station has taken place. The decoration may be awarded posthumously to representatives of the deceased recipient.