Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Type	Medal (Decoration)
Awarded for	Non-combat outstanding achievement or meritorious service.
Presented by	United States Department of Defense[1]
Eligibility	any member of the U.S. Armed Forces or any member of the armed forces of a friendly foreign nation
Clasps	Oak leaf clusters for subsequent awards.
Status	Currently awarded
Established	Executive Order 12019, November 3, 1977. Amended by Executive Order 13666, April 18, 2014.
Service ribbon
Precedence
Next (higher)	Purple Heart
Next (lower)	Meritorious Service Medal

The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is an award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. In the order of precedence of the United States Armed Forces, it is worn between the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal. The medal is awarded in the name of the Secretary of Defense to members of the Armed Forces who, while serving in a joint activity, distinguish themselves by non-combat outstanding achievement or meritorious service, but not of a degree to warrant award of the Defense Superior Service Medal.

The medal is not the same as the Meritorious Service Medal, which is a separate federal military decoration. Both have virtually identical award criteria, but the DMSM is awarded to service members assigned to joint, multi-service organizations, while the MSM is awarded to service members in traditional military units within their respective individual services.