Australian Active Service Medal

The Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) is an Australian military decoration. It was authorised on 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in "warlike" operations, backdated to February 1975. It is awarded with a clasp to denote the prescribed operation and subsequent awards of the medal are made in the form of additional clasps. In 2012, it was announced that the medal would no longer be issued for future operations, with the AASM and the Australian Service Medal being replaced by the Australian Operational Service Medal.

The AASM is a circular nickel silver medal ensigned with the Crown of St Edward. The obverse has a Federation Star within a wreath of mimosa and bears a laurel wreath surrounding the inscription 'FOR ACTIVE SERVICE'. In 2015, the AASM ceased being issued by the Australian Government and was replaced by the Operational Service medal (OSM). Unlike the AASM, the OSM for Middle East deployments does not distinguish between the active and warlike service of deployed personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, compared with support personnel serving in places such as the UAE who receive the same medal as personnel service on warlike operations. Alternately the current AASM could be issued for active service in those countries, with clasps for ICAT, Iraq and Syria. This has caused concern to personnel who believe a new AASM should be issued alongside the OSM to recognise warlike service of those operations, including the AASM for service in Afghanistan from 2015 to the evacuation in 2021.

1 day of service (or 1 sortie) with the United Nations (UNPROFOR, UNMIBH, UNCRO, UNPREDEP, UNTAES) or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) peacekeeping activities in the former Yugoslavia between 12 January 1992 and 24 January 1997.

1 day of service (or 1 sortie) with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) from 20 October 1991 to 7 October 1993.

Service with the multinational deployment in the Persian Gulf from 17 January 1991 to 28 February 1991. Service on HMAS Canberra during Operation Damask VI from 13–19 January 1993.

Service of 1 or more days with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in southern Lebanon from 12 July 2006 to 14 August 2006.

30 days of service with the United Nations Transitional Assistance Group (UNTAG) from 18 February 1989 to 10 April 1990.

1 day of service with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, Operation Tamar, from 25 July 1994 to 8 March 1996.

Service of 1 or more days with the International Military Advisory and Training Team or attached to British forces involved in Operation Husky from 15 January 2001 to 28 February 2003.

1 day of service associated with RAAF activities with Transport Support Flight Butterworth or HQ Richmond Detachment 'S' to UNICEF, from 29 March 1975 to 28 April 1975.

Recipients of the Australian Active Service Medal are also entitled to the issue of the Returned from Active Service Badge (RASB). The RASB is the only campaign service badge awarded post World War II. It is worn on the left lapel and only in civilian attire, to reflect that the recipient has been involved in warlike service. The brass badge has a serial number with a prefix denoting the member's service, and has been awarded since 1945 where the only change to its appearance has been the replacement of the King George VI's crown with that of the Queen Elizabeth's. The replacement of the AASM with the Operational Service Medal was announced in May 2012;

A separate campaign medal in the Australian system is awarded for major operations and wars, and several – such as the Afghanistan Medal and the Iraq Medal – were issued concurrently with the AASM. These are referenced under their respective clasps, such as the "ICAT" clasp. Personnel who received this medal may also be entitled to receive a service or campaign medal from an international organisation or the host country – such as the NATO Medal – if they meet the eligibility criteria for those medals. These are treated as foreign medals in the Australian system, and if approved for wear on service uniforms, are worn after Australian medals in the order they are received. Recipients of the ASM may be authorised to wear two or three further medals for the same period of service; an Australian campaign medal, a medal from an international organisation and a medal from a host nation. Some of the international and host nation medals have been granted a blanket authority for all recipients to wear. Others are approved on an individual basis.