Remote warfare medal halted

WASHINGTON — The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops — drone operators and cyber warfighters — as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, which was ranked higher than such traditional combat medals as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a review of the Distinguished Warfare Medal, which was to be awarded to personnel who operate drones and use other technological skills to fight America’s wars from afar.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said Tuesday that Hagel ordered another look because of concerns by lawmakers and veterans groups over the fact that the new medal was ranked above medals for those who served on the front line in harm’s way, such as the Purple Heart given to wounded personnel.

“He’s heard their concerns, he’s heard the concerns of others,” Little said.

If the review agrees with the complaints, the medal probably would have to be renamed and new medals manufactured, a government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. It was not known how many had been produced.

Potential recipients of the medal might exist in the ranks of airmen at Creech Air Force Base, but officials at the base said through a spokeswoman Tuesday, “Unfortunately, we are not authorized to comment on this topic.”

The Creech base, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is a hub for drone operations involving remotely piloted MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft.

The drones are launched from overseas locations and controlled over Afghanistan and Southwest Asia via satellite links at Creech and other U.S. locations, sometimes more than 7,000 miles from the war zone.

A pilot and sensor operator can fire laser-guided Hellfire missiles and, in the case of the Reaper, drop precision-guided bombs on targets while sitting at computer consoles in the safety of ground stations.

Local veterans groups are joining in letter-writing campaigns with national affiliates in calling for the Pentagon to lower the medal’s ranking.

“As a combat veteran, I don’t have a problem with the award, but when I see it above the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and valor commendation medals, it’s in the wrong place,” said Jack Donahue, president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.

“It needs to be below the combat valor awards, not above somebody who puts their life on the line in actual combat. It’s a whole different situation,” said Donahue, a helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam War who was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star for meritorious service and 36 Air Medals, including some for valor.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev, an Army Reserve colonel and member of the House Armed Services Committee, joined three dozen of his colleagues in expressing concern about the Distinguished Warfare Medal’s ranking in a letter to Hagel.

“We are supportive of recognizing and rewarding such extraordinary service but in the absence of the service member exposing him or herself to imminent mortal danger, we cannot support the DWM (Distinguished Warfare Medal) taking precedence above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart,” reads the March 1 letter that Heck signed.

National Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis called Hagel’s action “a very encouraging sign” but noted that fixing the problem is “not yet a done deal.”

Hagel’s decision “shows exactly why we supported him” for defense secretary, said VoteVets.org, a progressive political action committee that has been lobbying for a change in the medal. “Having a former grunt who served in war at the top in the Pentagon means a deeper understanding of those who are serving our nation right now.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said fixing the issue is one thing, but the Pentagon should “admit this was a bad idea” in the first place.

In ordering a new look at the medal, Hagel said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey would lead a review of how the medal is ranked among others — where it is in what the military calls “the order of precedence” of the medal, Little said.

Hagel is going to work with Dempsey, the service secretaries and the service chiefs to review the ranking. He wants Dempsey to report back in 30 days.

In addition to veterans’ concerns, there is a practical side to the rankings for currently serving troops. There are grades of medals — commendation, merit, distinguished — that affect not only the name but promotions for those still in uniform. Each grade gives troops a certain number of points needed for promotions.

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the new medal last month, saying it was meant to recognize battlefield contributions in a world of changing warfare.

“I’ve seen firsthand how modern tools, like remotely piloted platforms and cyber systems, have changed the way wars are fought,” Panetta said. “And they’ve given our men and women the ability to engage the enemy and change the course of battle, even from afar.”

Over the past decade of war, remotely piloted Predator and Reaper drones have become a critical weapon to gather intelligence and conduct airstrikes against terrorists or insurgents around the world.

They have been used extensively on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and northern Africa.

Over the same time, cyberattacks have become a growing national security threat, with Panetta and others warning that the next Pearl Harbor could well be a computer-based assault.

Officials said in announcing the medal last month that it would be the first combat-related award to be created since the Bronze Star in 1944.

Review-Journal writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report.