| Reserve Force Medal | |
|---|---|
Obverse of medal (with bar) and ribbon |
|
| Awarded by Australia | |
| Type | Medal |
| Eligibility | Non-commissioned members of the Australian Defence Force Reserves |
| Awarded for | a minimum of 15 years "qualifying service", including an assessment of good conduct |
| Status | Not currently awarded, but additional service bars can still be issued to awardees |
| Clasps | for each additional 5 years of service |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 20 April 1982 |
| Total awarded | 10,819 as at 30 June 2009 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Reserve Force Decoration (RFD) |
| Next (lower) | Defence Long Service Medal |
Ribbon with rosette |
|
The Reserve Force Medal (RFM) is an Australian Military award given for long service by non-commissioned members of the Reserve Forces. It is part of the suite of defence force service awards introduced in 1982, which also included the Defence Force Service Medal (DFSM, for all members of the permanent forces) and the Reserve Force Decoration (RFD, for officers of the Reserve forces). All three medals were replaced in 2002 with a single medal, the Defence Long Service Medal, which is now awarded to all permanent and reserve members irrespective of rank.
Additional service clasps, each indicating a further 5 years after the initial 15 year qualifying service, can still be issued to persons awarded the RFD, RFM or DFSM. The first four clasps to the medal are indicated by rosettes. These are replaced by a single silver Federation Star for the fifth clasp. Additional Federation Star emblems are added for subsequent clasps.
Other Australian Long Service Awards include:
While the Australian Defence Medal is sometimes classified as a "long service medal", it is intended to recognise all those who completed an obligation to serve their country (whether voluntarily or conscripted), and is not awarded for "long service" per se.