Lawmaker proposes Iranian Campaign Medal for strikes on nuclear sites

A Texas lawmaker wants Congress to establish a new military campaign service medal for the servicemembers involved in the attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities last week, part of an effort to highlight their skill and sacrifice.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas — whose district includes a pair of Air Force bases where service pilots are trained — plans to introduce legislation creating the Iranian Campaign Medal, with eligibility open to any troops who served in direct support of Operation Midnight Hammer, the mission targeting the nuclear sites.

“During my 20 years of military service, including multiple campaigns in the Middle East, I served side by side with the finest troops in the world,” Gonzales said in a statement. “No matter what the mission is, American servicemembers always rise to the challenge, and Operation Midnight Hammer in Iran is no exception.”

Campaign medals can be established for a variety of reasons, including specific missions or ongoing military actions.

In 2003, President George W. Bush established the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for troops serving overseas in the War on Terror. In 2016, President Barack Obama created the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal for ongoing operations in Iraq, Syria, and nearby locations.

In 2019, Air Force officials began awarding the Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal to members of the Air Force and Space Force for non-deployed personnel who participate in combat operations from remote locations, in recognition of the evolving nature of warfare.

Defense Department officials have not said precisely how many servicemembers were involved in the Iranian operation, but have said at least 14 American B-2 bomber pilots were the centerpiece of the effort.

They have also lauded professionalism and heroism of all the personnel involved in a series of public press conferences this week. Gonzales echoed that sentiment.

“There is no other military in the world that could have executed a precision strike on nuclear sites with such excellence, and the men and women who made it happen deserve full recognition for their efforts,” he said.

The proposal for the new campaign medal could be adopted as a stand-alone bill later this summer, or rolled into the annual defense authorization bill, which includes hundreds of military policy changes and budget provisions each year.