The Afghanistan Medal was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Australia

The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...

 John Howard

John Howard

John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....

 in 2004. The Afghanistan Medal is awarded to Australian defence force personnel who served in or around Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 after 11 October 2001. Defence force personnel are also recognised by the 'ICAT' clasp to the Australian Active Service Medal

Australian Active Service Medal

The Australian Active Service Medal is an Australian military decoration. It was authorised 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in warlike operations...

.

Eligibility

Members of the Australian Defence Force who render 30 days service (or 30 sorties) with the forces known as:

• Operation Slipper — the ADF contribution to the International Coalition Against Terrorism that:
  • commenced on 11 October 2001 in the specified areas comprising the total land areas and superjacent airspace boundaries of Afghanistan;
  • commenced on 11 October 2001 and ended on 5 December 2002 in the specified areas comprising the total land areas and superjacent airspace boundaries of Kyrgyztan;
  • the specified areas comprising the total land areas, territorial waters inland waterways and superjacent airspace boundaries of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, those portions of the Arabian Sea bounded by 68 degrees east
    68th meridian east
    The meridian 68° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
    
     and 12 degrees north
    12th parallel north
    The 12th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 12 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Indian Ocean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Central America, South America and the Atlantic Ocean....
    
    , and the Gulf of Aden; that;
    • commenced on 11 October 2001 and ended on 5 December 2002, and
    • commenced on 1 January 2009;
• Operation Palate — the Australian Defence Force contribution to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan that commenced on 6 December 2002 in the area comprising the specified total land areas and superjacent airspace boundaries of Afghanistan.
• A person is not eligible for the award of the Afghanistan Medal where an entitlement exists to the Iraq Medal
  Iraq Medal (Australia)
  The Iraq Medal was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister John Howard in 2004. The Iraq Medal is awarded to Australian Defence Force personnel who served in or around Iraq after 18 March 2003...
  
   for the same deployment.

Description

• The Afghanistan Medal is a cupro-nickel circular medal. The obverse features the Commonwealth Coat of Arms
  Coat of arms of Australia
  The coat of arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on...
  
  .
• The reverse of medal shows a snow-capped mountain range with a multi-rayed sun rising behind the mountains. The mountains represent the dominant terrain of the country and the rising sun signifies a 'new dawn' for the nation. The word 'AFGHANISTAN' is inscribed in English and in the Arabic script of the two dominant languages of Afghanistan, Dari
  Dari (Afghanistan)
  Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
  
   and Pashto
  Pashto language
  Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
  
  .
• The medal ribbon has a central vertical stripe of red, signifying the conflict in Afghanistan. This is flanked by stripes of purple representing the three arms of the Australian Defence Force. Stripes of khaki, white and light blue border the inner stripes. They symbolise the Afghanistan terrain, the snow-peaked mountains and the sky above, respectively.