Defense Superior Service Medal
| Defense Superior Service Medal | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Awarded by United States Secretary of Defense | |
| Type | Military decoration |
| Eligibility | United States military personnel |
| Awarded for | "Superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility" |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 6 February 1976 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Silver Star |
| Equivalent | unit award - Joint Meritorious Unit Award |
| Next (lower) | Legion of Merit |
  Ribbon (above), obverse (left), reverse (right) |
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The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a senior American military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility".
The decoration is most often presented to senior officers in the flag and general officer grades, followed by a lesser number of Colonels and USN and USCG Captains. The medal is presented in the name of the Secretary of Defense and was established by President Gerald R. Ford on February 6, 1976 in Executive Order . It is analogous to the Legion of Merit, albeit awarded for service in a "joint" duty capacity.
The Defense Superior Service Medal is awarded by the Secretary of Defense to members of the United States Armed Forces who have rendered superior meritorious service while serving in a position of great responsibility. This service must be as part of a joint activity. The award is generally for a period of time exceeding 12 months and encompassing an entire joint assignment. Service members assigned to or attached to a Joint Task Force as individuals, not members of a specific military service's unit, can be eligible for the DSSM. The DSSM has also been awarded to a small cohort of U.S. military officers serving as astronauts for service leading up to and during space shuttle missions carrying classified and unclassified Department of Defense payloads. In these cases, the 12 month time period was considered to include the training period prior to that actual space flight, said training which typically exceeded a year in duration.
Members of service specific units are eligible for awards of personal decorations from their parent service. The Defense Superior Service Medal is specifically intended to recognize exceptionally superior service, and to honor an individual’s accomplishments over a sustained period. Joint or Department of Defense awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, may be awarded posthumously.
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