South-West Asia Service Medal (Canada) - Eligibility and Allocation

Eligibility and Allocation

On 6 August 2002, Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her Cabinet under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, created the South-West Asia Service Medal to recognize members of the Canadian Forces who had provided support in the War in Afghanistan. To qualify for the medal, individuals had to have served in operations conducted in Southwest Asia for at least 90 days after 11 September 2001, and those who for a minimum of 30 days engaged in direct combat with the enemy in the theatre of war (which included Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, and north-western parts of the Indian Ocean) were entitled to receive the additional medal bar; in total, 7,497 medals were issued, along with 7,200 bars.