Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service
Military Ribbon

a. Authorization. SECNAV letter 1650 Ser NDBDM/886 of 17 September 1986.

b. Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon Eligibility Requirements. Awarded to officers and enlisted personnel of the United States Navy, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps, and Marine Corps Reserve. Each service has distinct criteria that delineate eligibility; Navy personnel assigned to Marine Corps units follow Marine Corps policy, and vice versa.

(1) Active Duty Personnel: 12 months of consecutive or accumulated duty at an overseas shore based duty station.

(2) Reserve Personnel: 30 consecutive days or 45 cumulative days of service at overseas duty stations, including deployed units and units homeported overseas, regardless of the type of orders the member is serving under. For eligibility purposes, two Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) periods equal one day of qualifying service. Travel time does not count.

(a) Navy Reserve Personnel

1. Effective 11 September 2001, Navy Reservists may earn their initial award of the Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR) under the Reserve service requirements, but must fulfill the active duty service requirements for any subsequent award. See paragraph (b) below regarding service with the Marine Corps operating forces.

2. For overseas domiciled Reservists, qualifying service must be completed in a billet with an established Navy Reserve Unit.

(b) Personnel Serving with the Marine Corps Reserve. Since personnel serving with the Marine Corps operating forces, active or reserve, are not eligible for this award, Marine Corps personnel or Navy personnel serving with the Marine Corps operating forces, mobilized in support of a specific operation or contingency are also not eligible for the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR).

(3) Overseas is defined as duty outside the United States at shore based commands. Mainland Alaska and Hawaii are not eligible duty stations; however, service in Adak, Alaska, does qualify. For active duty personnel, duty on board CONUS- based, deploying ships, squadrons, units, or with the Marine Corps operating forces does not qualify.

(4) Restrictions and Waivers

(a) An individual may not receive the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the OSR for the same period if assigned to a Marine Corps unit. After 1 October 1999, personnel assigned to overseas Navy commands may receive both awards if all eligibility requirements are met. However, the same period of time cannot be used to earn eligibility for both the Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon and the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (OSR).

(b) For active duty personnel, not more than 14 days of service time may be waived. There is no waiver for inactive reservists. For posthumous awards, the time requirements may be waived by CNO/CMC, on a case-by-case basis.

(c) Personnel serving with the Marine Corps operating forces, active or reserve, are not eligible for the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon

c. Initial and Subsequent Awards. Qualifying service performed between 15 August 1974 and 1 January 1979 will be credited only toward the initial award of the ribbon. Subsequent to 1 January 1979, one award is earned for each qualifying period.