NATO ISAF (Afghanistan) Miniature Medal

The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 

NATO Allies went into Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a UN Mandated mission led by NATO since 2003. Its primary objective was to enable the Afghan Government to provide effective security across the country and develop new Afghan security forces to ensure Afghanistan would never again become a safe haven for terrorists. ISAF was completed in December 2014 when the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces assumed full responsibility for security across their country.

NATO medals are identical in design, with a bar worn on the ribbon to identify the specific mission. The NATO ISAF bar would bear the words 'ISAF' and the ribbon is NATO blue with two white stripes at either side of the medal ribbon with a line of silver through the middle of each white stripe. 

Qualifying time for the medal is 30 days continuous service in the Afghanistan Joint Operational Area (JOA) or 60 days accumulated service in the JOA within a two year period. Subsequent tours of the same regions would be denoted with a numeral attached to the ribbon.

AWARD miniature medals complement the full-size official medals and are normally worn for formal dinner dress occasions.

All official medals are sent loose on the ribbon unless medal mounting is also purchased on the same order.