Mobilization Device

Mobilization device

AFRM with silver hourglass and 2 Mobilization Awards

The Mobilization Device is an award attachment to the United States Armed Forces Reserve Medal which denotes those who have received the decoration for duty in a recall to active service from a reserve or National Guard component of the United States military.

The Mobilization Device was first authorized in 1996 by order of President Bill Clinton. The device was an expansion on a 1990 directive which authorized the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, without device, to any reserve or National Guard member who was federalized to perform duty in a designated mobilization.

The original operations, for which the Mobilization Device is authorized, are as follows.

• Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm (Gulf War)
• Operation Restore Hope (Somalia)
• Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti)
• Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia)
• Operation Allied Force (Kosovo)
• Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) (Homeland Defense/U.S.)
• Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) (See Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal)
• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) (Iraq)

Since its initial issuance, the Mobilization Device has been retroactively authorized to any reservist or National Guard member who was recalled or mobilized to active federal duty either as a volunteer or non-volunteer.

Only one Mobilization device is authorized per each operation stated above. An example would be a soldier called up to serve in Kosovo (Allied Force) and then later called up again after demobilizing to serve in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (OEF), would receive the "M" device twice. However, if a soldier was called up for OIF I, and then later demobilized and was later called up again for OIF III, the soldier would only be allowed one "M" device, not two, even though the soldier was called up twice, on two separate occasions.

The Mobilization Device is worn as a large bronze “M” centered in the middle of the Armed Forces Reserve Medal’s ribbon. If the wearer is authorized the Hourglass Device, this is centered to the wearers right on the side of the Mobilization Device while a bronze award numeral, signifying the total awards of the Mobilization Device, is centered on the opposite side of the award ribbon (no award numerals are authorized for the first award of the Mobilization Device).