Awards of the United States Department of State

The United States Department of State, like other agencies of the U.S. federal government, gives civilian decorations for outstanding service, sacrifice, or heroism. The criteria for the awards are set down in 3 FAM 4820 - Foreign Affairs Manual, 3 FAM - Personnel, section 3 FAM 4800 Department Awards Program.

State Department awards are broken down into four types: honor awards, achievement awards, service awards, and recognition awards. In addition, there are awards which are no longer given but for which certificates, ribbons, or medals may still be occasionally seen.

The Foreign Affairs Manual described the purpose of Department of State honor awards as to "bestow recognition on an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to the agency's mission" and states that "The honor awards vary in scope and magnitude. The impact of the act or deed which precipitates the nomination must be carefully examined, and consideration given to whether the act to be recognized benefits the post or bureau, the area, the agency, or the Federal Government as a whole." Upon authorization, members of the U.S. military may wear the medal and ribbon in the appropriate order of precedence as a U.S. non-military personal decoration.

As delineated in numerous diplomatic cables describing each one, achievement awards recognize specific service over the previous year in a specific field or job category. The majority of the awards include a certificate, signed by the Secretary of State and a cash bonus. The cash bonuses range from zero to $10,000. Some awards are sponsored by private donors, who are often former members of the Foreign Service. There is a minimum requirement for several valid nominations in a category in order for some awards to be presented; if there are insufficient nominees or the nominations do not meet a specific threshold, then no award is presented that year. Currently, none of the achievement awards includes a medal set.

Service awards are common for the Armed Forces but are not currently favored by the Director General of the Foreign Service. The Department of State currently awards two service awards, the Secretary's Career Achievement Award and the Expeditionary Service Award. The Expeditionary Service Award is a new award as of 2011 that recognizes service by Civil and Foreign Service employees in areas designated by the Director General of the Foreign Service.

...
Wikipedia