Service members are now authorized to wear service stars on their Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medals, according to a Feb. 9 Pentagon release. The stars represent deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom (Sept. 11, 2001-TBD), Iraqi Freedom (March 19, 2003-Aug. 31, 2010), Nomad Shadow—surveillance operations based from Turkey— (Nov. 5, 2007-TBD), New Dawn (Sept. 1, 2010-Dec. 31, 2011), and Inherent Resolve (June 15, 2014-TBD), states the release. Only one GWOT-EM can be awarded for each operation, so if a service member receives a second award for another approved operation, he or she would wear a single service star on the GWOT-EM to represent both medals. The change does not adjust criteria for either the Afghanistan Campaign Medal or the Iraq Campaign Medal.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.


