If you recently looked for the Air Force Achievement Medal and found something called the Air and Space Achievement Medal instead, nothing has gone wrong. It is the same medal, with the same criteria and the same ribbon. Only the name changed.
That single fact causes more confusion than anything else about this award, so let us start there and then work through the criteria, the ribbon, and the devices.
Quick Answer: The Air Force Achievement Medal recognizes outstanding achievement or meritorious service on behalf of the Air Force. It also recognizes acts of courage that fall short of the Air Force Commendation Medal. The Secretary of the Air Force authorized it on 20 October 1980, then renamed it the Air and Space Achievement Medal on 16 November 2020. Subsequent awards take oak leaf clusters. The “C” and “R” devices are authorized. The “V” device is not.
Why the Name Changed
When the Space Force stood up, the Department of the Air Force had a problem. A long list of awards carried “Air Force” in the title, yet Guardians were earning them too.
So on 16 November 2020 the Secretary of the Air Force renamed a group of these decorations to cover both services. The Air Force Achievement Medal became the Air and Space Achievement Medal.
Nothing else moved. The criteria did not tighten, and the ribbon did not change. An award received under the old name is exactly as valid as one issued since. If your records say Air Force Achievement Medal, you hold this medal, and you wear it the same way.
Most people still say the old name in conversation, so both turn up in paperwork and on ribbon charts. Both are correct.
Who Earns It
The Air Force Personnel Center states the criteria plainly. The medal recognizes outstanding achievement or meritorious service rendered specifically on behalf of the Air Force. It also covers acts of courage that do not rise to the level required for the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Two things follow from that wording.
It is an entry-level decoration by design. This medal sits below the Air Force Commendation Medal. It marks a specific accomplishment or a period of solid work rather than a career-defining contribution. Plenty of Airmen and Guardians receive it for a PCS, a deployment, an inspection, or a project that went well.
Courage counts, within limits. That reference to lesser acts of courage is deliberate. It gives commanders room to recognize something brave that fell short of a higher award.
Both combat and non-combat achievement qualify, and there is no flying requirement. That last point separates it from the Aerial Achievement Medal.
Where It Sits on the Rack
Precedence is straightforward.
The Joint Service Achievement Medal sits immediately above. The Air and Space Combat Action Medal sits immediately below. Put this medal between those two and the rest falls into place.
Our Air Force ribbon order of precedence guide lays out every award in order. Our guide to building an Air Force ribbon rack walks through the mounting.
The Devices, and the One That Catches People Out
Here is where finished racks most often go wrong.
Oak leaf clusters denote each award after the first. A bronze cluster marks the second award, two mark the third, and a silver cluster replaces five bronze ones.
The “C” device marks achievement under combat conditions. The “R” device marks achievement with a direct, immediate impact on combat operations from a remote location, which covers a great deal of modern Air Force work. Both came out of the 2016 review, and both apply only to service on or after 7 January 2016. Neither is retroactive.
The “V” device is not authorized on this medal. This is the mistake we see most. It was discontinued here in December 2016, and valor now goes to other awards. If someone told you to add a “V” to this ribbon, check the record first.
Device counts and device eligibility both deserve a second look against your own paperwork before anything gets mounted.
Earned a Second One? You Do Not Need a New Rack
Here is the situation almost every Airman ends up in.
You pick up a second Air and Space Achievement Medal. Nothing about your rack has changed except one thing: a single bronze oak leaf cluster now belongs on that ribbon. Everything else stays exactly where it was.
Most people order a whole new rack at that point, because that is the only option in front of them.
We update racks that were originally bought from us. Send your existing set back to us with a list of what has changed, along with a phone number or email address, and we will bring it current. New award, new device, a correction to the order of precedence, all of it. You keep the rack you already have.
Cost depends on how many awards and devices are involved and how the set is mounted, so call us for a quote at 940-851-6220 before you send anything. It takes two minutes and you will know where you stand.
This is worth knowing before you buy your first rack, not after. A rack from us is not a purchase you repeat at every promotion. It stays current for as long as you serve, and the awards you add later cost a fraction of starting over.
What the Ribbon and Medal Look Like
The ribbon carries three sets of four vertical ultramarine blue stripes over a silver-gray background. Unusually, the designers recorded that they picked these colors for appearance rather than symbolism, so there is no hidden meaning here.
The medal is more interesting. It is a silver-colored nebular disc, 1 3/8 inches across, with an oxidized satin finish. At the center sits a recessed heraldic thunderbolt, the same device on the Air Force Seal, for aerial striking power. The nebular border stands for clouds and sky, and it carries eleven cloud points. Four plus seven. 1947, the year the Air Force became a separate service.
The reverse reads AIR FORCE MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT in raised lettering, with the center left blank for engraving.
Adding it to a rack? We stock the Air and Space Achievement Medal ribbon at $2.05 and the full-size medal at $19.00. We make both here in Texas and mount them ready to wear.
Achievement or Commendation?
People mix these two up constantly. One sentence separates them.
The Achievement Medal marks a specific accomplishment or a solid period of duty. The Commendation Medal marks sustained meritorious service at a higher level. Commendation ranks above Achievement, and many Airmen hold both. We carry the Air Force Commendation Medal ribbon too.
Add It to Your Rack
Our ribbon rack builder puts this medal in the correct order of precedence and handles the oak leaf clusters. The count and sequence come out right before we mount anything.
You can also browse all Air Force ribbons or our full range of military medals. Wearing mess dress this season? Our guide to mini medals and full size medals explains which the occasion calls for.
Use code STR2025 for 10% off your order.
Built in the USA
Super Thin Ribbons is a U.S.-based company, headquartered at 1602 Loop 11, Wichita Falls, Texas 76306. You can reach our team directly at 940-851-6220 or sa***@**************ns.com.
If you are unsure what belongs on your rack, or what an update would cost, please call. We do this every week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Outstanding achievement or meritorious service on behalf of the Air Force. It also covers acts of courage that fall short of the Air Force Commendation Medal. Both combat and non-combat achievements qualify.
Yes. The Secretary of the Air Force renamed it on 16 November 2020 to cover both the Air Force and the Space Force. The criteria, ribbon, and precedence remained the same.
A bronze oak leaf cluster for each award after the first, with a silver oak leaf cluster replacing five bronze ones.
No. The “V” device was discontinued for this medal in December 2016. Use the “C” or “R” device instead for service on or after 7 January 2016.
Below the Joint Service Achievement Medal and above the Air and Space Combat Action Medal.
Yes, if the rack was originally bought from Super Thin Ribbons. Send it back with a list of the changes and a contact number, and we will update it rather than rebuild it. Call 940-851-6220 for a quote first.
The Achievement Medal marks a specific accomplishment or a solid period of duty. The Commendation Medal recognizes sustained meritorious service at a higher level and ranks above the Achievement Medal.
Thank You
Most people who wear this ribbon earned it doing work that never made the news. An inspection that passed. A deployment that ran clean. A problem somebody fixed quietly before it became everyone’s problem.
That is most of what keeps an Air Force flying, and it belongs on the rack, in the right place, with the right devices.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your service. If you are unsure what belongs on yours, call us at 940-851-6220.