Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory

Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory
Obverse of the medal with clasps EGIDE and SENTINELLE
Awarded by  France
Type	Military Award
Awarded for	Internal security operations
Status	Currently Awarded
Statistics
Established	13 July 2015
Precedence
Next (higher)	French commemorative medal
Ribbon of the Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory

Reverse of the Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory

The Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory (French: "Médaille de la protection militaire du territoire") is a French state decoration established on 13 July 2015 by presidential decree 2015-853^[1] and awarded to military personnel of the French Armed Forces for service during national security operations on French national territory. It was created to recognize service following the need for an increased military presence during national security operations following the rise of international terrorism and the many incidents in France over the past years.

Award statute

The Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory is awarded to military personnel for their effective participation in military security operations as decided by the Government and carried out on the national territory.^[1] The Minister of Defense is responsible for the administration of the medal and will determine by decree:

• the operations giving the right to the award of the medal and its related clasp;^[1]
• the dates during the same operations that give the right to the award of the medal and its related clasp;^[1]
• the minimum number of days served during the same operations giving the right to the award of the medal and its related clasp.^[1]

In exceptional circumstances, the Minister of Defense may, without any condition of duration of service, award the medal and its related clasp to soldiers killed or wounded during of one of these operations, or cited for exceptional merit in conjunction with the award of the gold grade of the National Defence Medal earned for service related to one of these operations.^[1]

The medal is always awarded with a clasp and multiple clasps may be worn simultaneously. Five clasps are currently approved for wear on the ribbon of the Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory:^[1]

• SENTINELLE for participation in the "Sentinelle" mission for a minimum time period of sixty days total service (continuous or not) between 7 January 2015 to a date not yet specified.^[2]
• HARPIE for effective participation in the "Harpie" mission for a minimum time period of thirty days total service (continuous or not) on the territory of the department and overseas region of French Guiana between 1 March 2008 to a date not yet specified.^[3]
• TRIDENT for effective participation in military surveillance and protection missions of French airspace, waters and land areas between 1 July 2013 to a date not yet specified. The time requirement for award of this clasp is 30 months total service for members of units who’s primary mission was and remains the same as the award prerequisites, to military personnel not part of such units for 60 days total service (continuous or not) or if in the case of surveillance flights, twenty such flights.^[4]
• JUPITER for effective participation in military surveillance and protection missions by strategic forces between 1 July 2013 to a date not yet specified. The time requirement for award of this clasp is 30 months total service for members of units who’s primary mission was and remains the same as the award prerequisites, to military personnel not part of such units for 60 days total service (continuous or not) or if in the case of surveillance flights, twenty such flights.^[5]
• ÉGIDE for effective participation in the military protection of military assets, public and state buildings, of international organisations and diplomatic and consular missions between 1 July 2013 to a date not yet specified. The time requirement for award of this clasp is 30 months total service for members of units who’s primary mission was and remains the same as the award prerequisites, to military personnel not part of such units for 60 days total service (continuous or not) or if in the case of surveillance flights, twenty such flights.^[6]

Award description

The Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory is a 30 mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze. Its obverse bears the effigy of the Republic with the relief inscription above "RÉPUBLIQUE" and below "FRANÇAISE" (English: "FRENCH REPUBLIC"). The reverse bears the relief inscription on five lines "MÉDAILLE" "DE LA" "PROTECTION MILITAIRE" "DU" "TERRITOIRE" (English: "MEDAL" "FOR THE" "MILITARY PROTECTION" "OF THE" "TERRITORY").^[1]

The medal hangs from a 38 mm wide silk moiré ribbon passing through a ring through the medal's ball shaped suspension loop. The ribbon bears the national colours of France in the following pattern: 14 mm wide blue vertical central stripe bordered by white 8 mm wide stripes with 5 mm wide red edge stripes.^[1]

See also

• November 2015 Paris attacks
• 2016 Nice attack
• Charlie Hebdo shooting
• List of terrorist incidents in France

References

External links

• Museum of the Legion of Honour (in French)

Orders, decorations and medals of France
Orders	National Legion of Honour Order of Liberation National Order of Merit Ministerial Ordre des Palmes Académiques Order of Agricultural Merit Ordre du Mérite Maritime Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Civilian decorations	Honour medal for courage and devotion Médaille d'honneur de l'Aéronautique Honour medal of Foreign Affairs Médaille d'honneur agricole Honour medal of railroads Regional, departmental and municipal honour medal Honour medal of customs Médaille d'honneur des Eaux et Forêts Médaille d'honneur de l'Enseignement du 1er degré Médaille d'honneur Pénitentiaire Honour medal for civilian personnel of the defense ministry Honour medal of the National Police Honour medal for firefighters Médaille d'honneur de Sociétés musicales et Chorales Médaille d'honneur de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse Honour medal for work Médaille d'honneur des Travaux publics Insignia for wounded civilians Medal of the French Family Honour medal for youth, sports and associative engagements Médaille des Mines Médaille du Tourisme Ordre de Tahiti Nui
Military decorations	Military Medal 1914–1918 War Cross 1939–1945 War Cross War Cross for foreign operational theaters Cross for Military Valour Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale Resistance Medal Escapees' Medal Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918 Volunteer combatant's cross* Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant Combatant's Cross Aeronautical Medal Overseas Medal National Defence Medal Medal for voluntary military service Medal of the Nation's Recognition Medal for the War Wounded
Other	Médaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées
Commemorative medals	19th century Saint Helena Medal Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal 1892 Madagascar commemorative medal Colonial Medal 1900–1914 1901 China expedition commemorative medal Morocco commemorative medal (1909) First World War 1914–1918 1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal Dardanelles campaign medal Orient campaign medal 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal Medal of French Gratitude Médaille de la Fidélité Française Médaille des victimes de l'invasion Medal for civilian prisoners, hostages and prisoners of the 1914-1918 Great War Interwar Period 1918–1939 Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal Second World War 1939–1945 Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France 1943-1944 Italian Campaign medal Medal for deportation and internment for acts of resistance Deportation and political internment medal Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945 Medal of a liberated France Defaulter's medal Since 1945 United Nations operations in Korea commemorative medal Indochina Campaign commemorative medal Middle East operations commemorative medal (1956) Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord North Africa medal United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal French commemorative medal Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory
Defunct orders	Ministry orders Ordre du Mérite combattant Ordre du Mérite militaire Ordre du Mérite civil Ordre du Mérite social Ordre du Mérite du Travail Ordre du Mérite touristique Ordre de l'Économie nationale Ordre du Mérite commercial et industriel Ordre du Mérite artisanal Ordre de la Santé publique Ordre du Mérite postal Ordre du Mérite sportif Colonial orders Ordre du Mérite indochinois Ordre du Mérite saharien Ordre de l'Étoile Noire Ordre de l'Étoile d'Anjouan Ordre du Nichan el Anouar Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam Ordre royal du Cambodge
No longer awarded. No longer awarded, no living recipient France portal