Distinguished Warfare Medal Created

[JPL]

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has approved a new medal designed to recognize service members directly affecting combat operations who may not even be on the same continent as the action. The Distinguished Warfare Medal recognizes the changing face of warfare. In the past, few, if any, service members not actually in a combat zone directly affected combat operations. It will not be awarded for acts of battlefield valor, officials said. It will be awarded in the name of the secretary of defense to members of the military whose extraordinary achievements directly impacted combat operations, and cannot be used as an end-of-tour award. The most immediate example is the work of an unmanned aerial vehicle operator who could be operating a system over Afghanistan while based at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. The unmanned aerial vehicle would directly affect operations on the ground. Another example is that of a soldier at Fort Meade, Md., who detects and thwarts a cyberattack on a DOD computer system. The medal could be used to recognize both these exceptional acts, officials said. In the order of precedence, the Distinguished Warfare Medal will be below the Distinguished Flying Cross, and will be limited to achievements that are truly extraordinary. “The member’s actions must have resulted in an accomplishment so exceptional and outstanding as to clearly set the individual apart from comrades or from other persons in similar situations,” a DOD official said.

Read the complete news article and view images of the medal: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=119290

Jean-Paul

[Hugh]

The creation of the medal is not surprising in these times of award inflation. What does surprise me is the precedence: ahead of the Bronze Star with "V" (Combat Distinguishing Device). Probably won't sit all that well with combat veterans.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Hugh

[Ulsterman]

Another Travesty. that a chap can earn a medal playing a deadly video game in the safety of his office and earn an ugly and poorly designed medal that counts for MORE than an actual combat award is sickening.

[Hugh]

Also takes precedence over the Purple Heart, awarded for combat wounds or death. Doesn't seem quite right.

H

[JPL]

I agree that this medal should be lower in the Order of Precedence. It would be interesting to see the rational that went into determining why it was placed where it is.

According to a news article, there is a backlash against this new medal. Interestingly, the arguments being put forward are exactly the same as identified by GMIC members.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1-160566-Backlash-against-new-US-medal-for-drone-pilots

Jean-Paul

[Hugh]

The case of the Purple Heart is a little different than the Bronze Star. While I haven't reviewed the award criteria, I believe it's awarded for any wound (or death) sustained in a combat situation which is treated by medical personnel. There is no requirement for active engagement with the enemy. I remember a case of a man who hit his head while running into a bunker to avoid a rocket attack in Viet Nam. He got the PH. I'm sure there are many other cases of less-than-heroic awards. This is not to denigrate the bravery of those who won it in brave circumstances; just a recognition that bravery is not part of the decision process.

All that being said, I could understand a rationale which places this new medal ahead of the less-than-heroic Purple Hearts. BUT there is no way to make such a distinction, so it conflicts with the truly heroic (but otherwise unrecognized) combat wound PHs. It's a bit of a dilemma. Perhaps the answer is to remove the Purple Heart from the medals list and make it a different wearable insignia, like the British wound stripes. After all, the original Purple Heart was not a medal, but a cloth embroidered badge. That would take the precedence issue out of this conversation, at least with respect to the PH.

With respect to the Bronze Star, I know some who won it in Viet Nam, complete with Combat Distinguishing Device ("V") who were there, did their duty and went home without any particularly distinguishing incident of individual bravery, including a number of REMFs. In some cases, it was used as an "end of tour" award. Some of the senior officers with WW II service were harrumphing at the time that the prestige of the award was being watered down. It's not unusual for the level of performance to win an award to vary over time. Look at the Medal of Honor and the Victoria Cross. Early awards of both were more generous than in later times.

Time will tell if this medal deserves its place in the order of precedence. If it is awarded rarely for truly exceptional achievements under extraordinary circumstances, then perhaps it deserves to be ahead of those "end-of'tour" Bronze Stars. It seems like a stretch, but perhaps that's the rationale. However, that level of performance might be rewarded by the service Commendation or Achievement Medals, or even a Legion of Merit, depending on the circumstances. Probably didn't need to add to the fruit salad.

[JPL]

I'm seeing more and more news article regarding the order of precedence of this medal. Here is an example along with an interesting video:

US Officials urged to downgrade new medal honoring drone pilots

http://www.10news.com/news/us-officials-urged-to-downgrade-new-medal-honoring-drone-pilots-022013

Jean-Paul

[Guest]

Here was another version of the medal that they thought about making...

(just a joke)

[Paul R]

This is horrible. I can see where they are coming from, but I think that this special recognition could have been achieved by awarding the existing noncombat medals with maybe some sort of designation clasp- not the creation of a whole new medal.

[Megan]

Are drone operators Air Force? If so, the Airman's Medal seems a fitting award with little modification of the terms. Or the Air Force Commendation Medal if you want to keep the Airman's Medal purely for acts of heroism.

[Hugh]

Here's a little more insight on the issue from today's NY Times. They make some interesting, valid points, but it's still hard for me to believe it's like getting shot at.

Hugh

Drone Pilots Are Found to Get Stress Disorders Much as Those in Combat Do

U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Steve Horton

Capt. Richard Koll, left, and Airman First Class Mike Eulo monitored a drone aircraft after launching it in Iraq.

By

JAMES DAO

In the first study of its kind, researchers with the Defense Department have found that pilots of drone aircraft experience mental health problems like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress at the same rate as pilots of manned aircraft who are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The study affirms a growing body of research finding health hazards even
for those piloting machines from bases far from actual combat zones.

“Though it might be thousands of miles from the battlefield, this work
still involves tough stressors and has tough consequences for those
crews,” said Peter W. Singer, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who
has written extensively about drones. He was not involved in the new
research.

That study, by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center,
which analyzes health trends among military personnel, did not try to
explain the sources of mental health problems among drone pilots.

But Air Force officials and independent experts have suggested several
potential causes, among them witnessing combat violence on live video
feeds, working in isolation or under inflexible shift hours, juggling
the simultaneous demands of home life with combat operations and dealing
with intense stress because of crew shortages.

“Remotely piloted aircraft pilots may stare at the same piece of ground
for days,” said Jean Lin Otto, an epidemiologist who was a co-author of
the study. “They witness the carnage. Manned aircraft pilots don’t do
that. They get out of there as soon as possible.”

Dr. Otto said she had begun the study expecting that drone pilots would
actually have a higher rate of mental health problems because of the
unique pressures of their job.

Since 2008, the number of pilots of remotely piloted aircraft — the Air
Force’s preferred term for drones — has grown fourfold, to nearly 1,300.
The Air Force is now training more pilots for its drones than for its
fighter jets and bombers combined. And by 2015, it expects to have more
drone pilots than bomber pilots, although fighter pilots will remain a
larger group.

Those figures do not include drones operated by the C.I.A. in
counterterrorism operations over Pakistan, Yemen and other countries.

The Pentagon has begun taking steps to keep pace with the rapid
expansion of drone operations. It recently created a new medal to honor
troops involved in both drone warfare and cyberwarfare.
And the Air Force has expanded access to chaplains and therapists for
drone operators, said Col. William M. Tart, who commanded remotely
piloted aircraft crews at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.

The Air Force has also conducted research into the health issues of drone crew members. In a 2011 survey
of nearly 840 drone operators, it found that 46 percent of Reaper and
Predator pilots, and 48 percent of Global Hawk sensor operators,
reported “high operational stress.” Those crews cited long hours and
frequent shift changes as major causes.

That study found the stress among drone operators to be much higher than
that reported by Air Force members in logistics or support jobs. But it
did not compare the stress levels of the drone operators with those of
traditional pilots.

The new study looked at the electronic health records of 709 drone
pilots and 5,256 manned aircraft pilots between October 2003 and
December 2011. Those records included information about clinical
diagnoses by medical professionals and not just self-reported symptoms.

After analyzing diagnosis and treatment records, the researchers
initially found that the drone pilots had higher incidence rates for 12
conditions, including anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

But after the data were adjusted for age, number of deployments, time in
service and history of previous mental health problems, the rates were
similar, said Dr. Otto, who was scheduled to present her findings in
Arizona on Saturday at a conference of the American College of
Preventive Medicine.

The study also found that the incidence rates of mental heath problems
among drone pilots spiked in 2009. Dr. Otto speculated that the increase
might have been the result of intense pressure on pilots during the
Iraq surge in the preceding years.

The study found that pilots of both manned and unmanned aircraft had
lower rates of mental health problems than other Air Force personnel.
But Dr. Otto conceded that her study might underestimate problems among
both manned and unmanned aircraft pilots, who may feel pressure not to
report mental health symptoms to doctors out of fears that they will be
grounded.

She said she planned to conduct two follow-up studies: one that tries to
compensate for possible underreporting of mental health problems by
pilots and another that analyzes mental health issues among sensor
operators, who control drone cameras while sitting next to the pilots.

“The increasing use of remotely piloted aircraft for war fighting as
well as humanitarian relief should prompt increased surveillance,” she
said.

[Chris Boonzaier]

But Air Force officials and independent experts have suggested several
potential causes, among them witnessing combat violence on live video
feeds, working in isolation or under inflexible shift hours, juggling
the simultaneous demands of home life with combat operations and dealing
with intense stress because of crew shortages.

But 24 hour gas station attendants and independent experts have suggested several
potential causes, among them witnessing combat violence on live video while watching hours of youtube on the graveyard shift, working in isolation or under inflexible shift hours, juggling
the simultaneous demands of home life with irate truckers and dealing
with intense stress because of staff shortages.

[Chris Boonzaier]

“Remotely piloted aircraft pilots may stare at the same piece of ground

for days,” said Jean Lin Otto, an epidemiologist who was a co-author of

the study. “They witness the carnage. Manned aircraft pilots don’t do

that. They get out of there as soon as possible.”

Ummmm.... so more medals for the infantry as well then? :-)

[Megan]

I find "Dr. Otto said she had begun the study expecting that drone pilots would actually have a higher rate of mental health problems because of the unique pressures of their job" disturbing. Nothing like going into a research project with an open mind, huh?

Piloting UAVs may well be stressful, but it's nothing like incoming fire whistling round your ears. The essence of why we view combat service personnel as 'brave' is because they put themselves in harm's way to do their duties.

[Hugh]

I can't claim to be a hardened combat veteran, but I have been shot at more than once, and I can assure you, it was unforgettable. I also have experience as a drone controller, having been in the US Navy's Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) program in the early '60's. Our mission was to drop torpedoes on enemy submarines, so, not exactly the same as today, but the most exciting / terrifying thing about our ops was wondering whether you were going to lose the control link as you were bringing the helo in for a landing on a tiny pitching deck. It happened to me more than once, with spectacular results. Metal, plywood and odd bits flying everywhere. Made me very grateful for the armored cab from which we worked. Still, not the same as real bullets.

[azyeoman]

I'm a very proud and patriotic American, but US Medals are so lacking in attractiveness; what happened to a good sense of artwork and aesthetic beauty? I think the men and women who receive awards and are decorated should have something that really looks nice.

[Doc]

But Air Force officials and independent experts have suggested several

potential causes, among them witnessing combat violence on live video

feeds, working in isolation or under inflexible shift hours, juggling

the simultaneous demands of home life with combat operations and dealing

with intense stress because of crew shortages.

But 24 hour gas station attendants and independent experts have suggested several

potential causes, among them witnessing combat violence on live video while watching hours of youtube on the graveyard shift, working in isolation or under inflexible shift hours, juggling

the simultaneous demands of home life with irate truckers and dealing

with intense stress because of staff shortages.

I think these are totally unneeded medals, as existing ones can be effectively used for the drone operators.

That aside, I do expect that we will see increased psychiatric illnesses in drone operators during wartime. The cognitive dissonance between combat duty (even at a distance) and "normal" family life is already definitely causing problems. Imagine going home for dinner with your kids after killing people all day with close-up video. "What did you do today, daddy?" It is definitely a different kind of stress than most combat troops face, but it is there, and it is causing problems. I don't think it justifies a new medal, but let's not denigrate it.

Edited February 25, 2013 by Doc

[Chris Boonzaier]

Imagine going home for dinner with your kids after killing people all day with close-up video. .

Imagine killing people all day... really close up.... then laying in the rain, in a hole, wondering when you will see your kids again, and if you wife will wait another 9 months, or if she is already screwing the drone operater who is single, lives next door and is always home at 5:00pm... ?

Sure the drone operater has more stress than i do.... but surely less than the average guy, married, who knows each day away makes his marriage that little bit shakier... on his 3rd deployment somewhere, wondering if he is going to go home in a bag...

I just dont buy the equation.....

as far as "exceptional" service goes.... is that Overtime? or is it being the one who hits Target X.... but then, surely that simply means having been on duty at the right time?... if target X had shown up on the next guys shift, he would have gotten the medal?

[Doc]

Well, we are going to have to agree to disagree on that one, I'm afraid Chris.... Not on the medal creation (which I don't agree with either), but on the issue of stress. It's not more or less, it's simply a different kind, and will have to be dealt with in different ways. Denigrating it is similar to the old conflict (e.g. WWI) between aviators and infantrymen-- The infantry men thought the aviators had it easy, going home each night to warm bunks and hot food-- The aviators realised that their average lifespan in combat was less than 3 weeks-- Both groups had extremely high levels of psychiatric breakdowns. I think it's inappropriate to believe that Drone operators simply are playing video games, without any stress at all. Part of the stress they are undergoing is because they are having the dissonance between what they are doing all day and then trying to go home to "normality". I agree that is very different than the stress suffered by the average warrior on the ground, but that doesn't mean it is any less real. (No, I'm not a Drone pilot; yes, I have military experience, and I dealt with combat stress in combat troops for many years.)

On the "exceptional service" question, I agree with you-- I have no idea what it means in the context of Drone piloting, either.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

I buy the WW1 scenario... I can understand the infantry being pssed at pilots who spent the night in a bed, but as you say... the pilots may last just 3 weeks... and I bet even the infantry respected then for that.... Fact is... the pilots shared the danger.... hell, even the heavy artillery shared the danger... I think thats what bonds soldiers... sharing a danger.... It may on occasion even bond soldiers on different sides of nomans land in a way if they gain each others respect....

But it is not a brotherhood a drone pilot can buy into.... maybe that is a deeper seated reason why many soldiers block at the thought of this award....

If PTSD is a condition ignored by many soldiers because of a "Macho" thing.... it is a difficult sell to mention to guys who may deny they have it themselves that Droners suffer it as well

[Doc]

OK, we will not come to a conclusion on this one.

But, "Exceptional Service"--- I'm just waiting for one of the people currently flying the unmanned logistics aircraft in Afghanistan to somehow become aware of an isolated and about to be captured (or wounded and needing immediate evacuation) soldier, who then without orders or authorisation flies the drone in, picks up the individual, and gets them to safety. We can argue about relative priority of medals, etc., but I would suggest that pilot should get one for initiative and accomplishment. Danger to self? Of course not, but definitely a great contribution to the individual rescued. And this is not too far fetched-- a NATO Working Group just produced a 185 page paper analyzing the concept of casualty evacuation by drone, and concluded it is legal, ethical, and most of all practical. The KMAX currently flying for the USMC in Afghanistan is certainly capable of moving an individual, as it was modified from a manned helicopter and still has a pilot's seat.

Far-fetched? Nope, there is at least one instance in which an individual was picked up by a drone in Viet-Nam and rescued. This was with the DASH-50 torpedo carrier.

[Hugh]

The link below will give you a look at the DASH (QH-50C) in operations back in the '60's. We used to call it the pipefitter's nightmare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFFjjWUVoXY

Edited February 26, 2013 by Hugh

[Hugh]

Is this the next step?

[peter monahan]

This thread seems to have split into 2 sub-topics. My two cents worth on each:

I can understand the stress of the drone operators. Air traffic controllers are right up there with heart and brain surgeons for work related stress - time lost to depression, family issues, etc. No, definitely not the same as saving or killing real passengers, or being shot at in person, but certainly related, especially when some of what they do must at least impinge on real life deaths and wounding. I'm guessing that if they crash a drone during a mission supporting troops on the ground, for example, that they don't just drop in a quarter and hit 'Play' again. The same must be true for gunners, who are waaay back of the lies theses days but at least occasionally hear comrades hit or dying because the shells don't get there fast enough, accurately enough or in enough numbers.

There was apparently a Purple Heart awarded in 'Nam for a guy hit by splinters after a wooden outhouse slipped out of the slings on a cargo chopper and hit the ground near him. So, should the new medal go before or after the PH? Not sure there, but I would be mightily p***ed if I was involved in ground combat and my buddy in Nevada got an equal or higher award for 'video gaming' a drone on the same operation. It's about optics, I think. Make it clear, by a separate device for actual under fire service or by its precedence that this is a service medal and not a combat medal. The DSO had similar issues around it in WWI. Clearly not meant to be a combat award it but one which had to be earned by exceptional service, it got handed out to red tabs as an 'end of tour' or 'happy birthday' award, which had the net effect of turning it into, in the eyes of many, a 'REMF award'. Pity!

[Paul H2]

I think this is interesting. My 2 cents worth--22 years US Air Force, 7.5 years deployed in war zones.

The US awards system has some interesting issues--and has had so for a long time. In my experience the level of award was usually predicated not by one's proximity to combat, but the proximity of the recepient to the award writers during the deployment. I don't know how many times I saw people in support and admin functions awarded a bronze star when they guys out flying the missions came back with lesser awards.

I remember one colonel, a deployed squadron commander--who refused to be written up for his bronze star. He said there was no way he was going to accept a higher level award when his guys flying combat missions were not receiving the same. We all admired him for that.

We were always amazed at how many C-17 transport crews won distinguished flying crosses, which were very scarce in the AC-130 community.

The Air Force in particular is extremely award heavy. If you fly, and have an active career, you retire with a chest full of medals that would put a Soviet field marshal to shame.

These new medals are just a continuation of a system where everyone is to be recognized--which is the problem--decorations should be awarded for actions and performance--not proforma as is mostly the case now (and has been for many years.)

Paul