Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73not60
§9286 Korea Defense Service Medal
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle D— Air Force and Space Force › Part II— PERSONNEL › Chapter 937— DECORATIONS AND AWARDS › § 9286
Summary
The Secretary of the Air Force must give the Korea Defense Service Medal to Air and Space Force members who served in the Republic of Korea or nearby waters from July 28, 1954, until an end date set by the Secretary of Defense, if they meet service rules no stricter than those for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §9286
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of the Air Force shall issue a campaign medal, to be known as the Korea Defense Service Medal, to each person who while a member of the Air Force or the Space Force served in the Republic of Korea or the waters adjacent thereto during the KDSM eligibility period and met the service requirements for the award of that medal prescribed under subsection (c).
(b)In this section, the term “KDSM eligibility period” means the period beginning on July 28, 1954, and ending on such date after the date of the enactment of this section as may be determined by the Secretary of Defense to be appropriate for terminating eligibility for the Korea Defense Service Medal.
(c)The Secretary of the Air Force shall prescribe service requirements for eligibility for the Korea Defense Service Medal. Those requirements shall not be more stringent than the service requirements for award of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for instances in which the award of that medal is authorized.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (b), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 107–314, which was approved Dec. 2, 2002.
Prior Provisions
Amendments
2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–283 inserted “or the Space Force” after “member of the Air Force”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 8756 of this title as this section. 2004—Pub. L. 108–375 renumbered section 8755 of this title as this section.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of
Amendments
and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 9286
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60