General Service Medal (2008)


The General Service Medal 2008, was introduced in 2015 for award to Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF personnel to recognise specified operations since January 2008, not qualifying for another campaign medal. Unlike its predecessor, the General Service Medal, operations will be denoted by clasps which indicate the geographic area of operations and not a specific operation. The first awards of the medal were made by Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon at a ceremony on 12 June 2016.

Appearance

The GSM 08 is a circular silver medal, in diameter.
The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Elizabeth II, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID DEF.
The reverse bears a design featuring a figure of Britannia holding a trident standing ahead of a lion, symbolising Britain with, below, the inscription FOR CAMPAIGN SERVICE, with the whole encircled by an oak leaf wreath.
The suspension bar is the same design as those of the GSM 1918-62 and GSM 1962, as are the colours of the wide ribbon, which is dark green with a purple stripe towards each edge.

Clasps

The clasps for the medal are named based on the geographic region of operations and not for specific named operations.
The clasps and their qualifying periods of service are as follows:
;Southern Asia
;Arabian Peninsula
;Northern Africa
;Western Africa
;Eastern Africa
;Gulf of Aden
Service in a second or subsequent qualifying operation is reflected by an additional clasp added to the existing GSM medal, not by a second medal.
It is expected that further operations and clasps will be added to the GSM as time progresses.