Sponsors (15)
The bill creates an Iranian Campaign Medal to formally recognize service members and their families and standardize award rules, trading modest costs and the risk of eligibility disputes for increased recognition and consistency in military honors.
Service members who served in the Iran–Israel War are eligible for formal recognition through a new Iranian Campaign Medal, honoring their service and sacrifice.
Next-of-kin of deceased eligible service members can receive the medal, giving families a tangible symbol of recognition and closure.
Requires Department of Defense approval for medal design and calls for uniform rules where practicable, promoting consistency across services in award standards and administration.
Broad delegations to service Secretaries to define eligible operations or areas could produce inconsistent eligibility decisions and disputes over who qualifies for the medal.
Creating and administering the new campaign medal will incur administrative and production costs borne by the Department of Defense and ultimately taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes an "Iranian Campaign Medal" and lets military Secretaries award it to qualifying personnel (including next‑of‑kin if deceased).
Official title: To establish a military service medal to be issued to members of the Armed Forces who served in support of operations related to the Iran-Israel War, including Operation Midnight Hammer.
Introduced June 30, 2025 by Tony Gonzales · Last progress June 30, 2025
Creates an "Iranian Campaign Medal" and authorizes the appropriate military Secretary to award that service medal to qualifying members who served in support of a designated operation during the Iran–Israel War (including Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025), were deployed to Secretary‑designated eligible areas, or performed other qualifying service the Secretary prescribes. The bill limits each eligible individual to one medal, allows issuance to next‑of‑kin if the service member is deceased, requires the Secretary of Defense to approve the medal design (including ribbons, lapel pins, and appurtenances), and directs issuance under regulations set by the Secretaries concerned with an instruction to maintain uniformity where practicable. The measure is short and narrowly focused on establishing the medal, eligibility, design approval, issuance rules, and next‑of‑kin provisions; it does not appropriate funds or change benefits beyond authorizing the award and regulating how it is issued.