Commander of the Order of Military Merit

Order of Military Merit
Commander's badge of the Order of Military Merit
Awarded by the Monarch of Canada
Type	National order
Motto	OFFICIUM ANTE COMMODUM "Service before self"
Eligibility	Standing membership in the Canadian Forces.
Awarded for	Conspicuous merit and exceptional service
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Queen Elizabeth II
Chancellor	Governor General David Johnston
Grades	Commander (CMM) Officer (OMM) Member (MMM)
Statistics
Established	1 July 1972
Total inductees	3,368
Precedence
Next (higher)	Dependent on grade
Next (lower)	Dependent on grade

OFFICIUM ANTE COMMODUM

The Order of Military Merit (French: Ordre du mérite militaire) is a military honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Canadian monarch.

Created in 1972 to replace a grouping within the Order of Canada, the order was established to recognize members of the Canadian Forces—either regular or reserve personnel—who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty, achieving conspicuous merit and exceptional military service. The three tiers of the order are Commander, Officer, and Member; specific individuals may be given extraordinary and deserving non-Canadians granted with honorary appointment into each grade.

The Canadian monarch—presently Queen Elizabeth II—is seen as the fount of honour and is thus at the apex of the Order of Military Merit as its sovereign, followed by the governor general—presently David Johnston—who serves as the fellowship's chancellor, and the Chief of the Defence Staff—presently Jonathan Vance—who is the principal commander. Thereafter follow three grades—each having accordant post-nominal letters that are the same in both English and French. Additionally, any governor general, former governor general, or member of the Canadian Royal Family in the Canadian Forces may be appointed as an extraordinary commander, officer, or member. There are no limits to the population of any grade, and promotions are possible, though this is ordinarily not done within five years of the initial appointment. Any person thus honoured must return their lower grade insignia, as no member may at any time hold more than one appointment in the organization. Further, within the order of precedence for Canadian honours, each grade of the Order of Military Merit precedes a similar grade of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, with commanders succeeding the members of the Order of Canada.