The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast guardsmen, Navy sailors, and Marines active in clandestine, stealth or special operations are deemed eligible for consideration of the award. The Coast Guard ribbon is retroactive to 1 May 1975 (during the Vietnam war Coast Guard members were awarded the Navy Combat Action ribbon). Coast guardsmen in Vietnam riverine warfare operations were deemed eligible for award of the Navy Combat Action Ribbon.
Air combat does not meet the criteria for the Combat Action Ribbon; naval aviators, naval flight officers and enlisted naval air crewmen, while in the performance of aerial flight, are instead eligible for consideration for the Air Medal.
Eligibility criteria
For a military member to be awarded a Combat Action Ribbon evidence must establish the member engaged the enemy, was under hostile fire, or was physically attacked by the enemy. The service member must have demonstrated satisfactory performance under enemy fire while actively participating in a ground or surface engagement. The Combat Action Ribbon will not be awarded to personnel for aerial combat, since the Strike/flight Air Medal provides recognition for aerial combat exposure; however, a pilot, flight officer/navigator, or other crew member forced to escape or evade, after being forced down, may be eligible for the award. Direct exposure to the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) used by an enemy, with or without the immediate presence of enemy forces, constitutes active participation in a ground or surface engagement. Eligibility under this criterion is retroactive to 7 October 2001.
The Combat Action Ribbon is awarded to individuals only.</li>
<li>Dominican Republic: 28 April 1965 to 21 September 1966.<ol type="a">
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<li> and : 3 July 1988.</li>
<li>Persian Gulf MCM Operations: Specific units during the periods 19 November 1987 to 1 April 1988; 14 to 20 April 1988; 20 to 23 April 1988; and 2 August 1990 to 10 September 1991.
<li>HM-14 Persian Gulf MCM
Operations: 2 August 1990 to 10 September 1991</li>
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<li>Operation Just Cause (Panama) : 20 December 1989 to 31 January 1990.</li>
<li>Operation Prosperity Guardian and Operation Rough Rider: October 2023 - April 2024
<li>Operation Prosperity Guardian: December 2023 – May 2025
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Variants
The Combat Action Ribbon is currently authorized with a U.S. Navy/Marine Corps design, and as of 2008, a U.S. Coast Guard version.
The Navy CAR covers the Navy and Marine Corps since the establishment of the CAR in 1969. Additionally, the award was made retroactive to 7 December 1941.
After the destroyer was attacked by suicide bombers in 2000, the entire crew of the ship was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon a year later.
In January 2013, the awarding criteria were expanded to include dangerous exposure to IEDs, mines, and scatterable munitions, be it the detonation of such or direct action taken to disable, render safe, or destroy such; servicemembers may be deemed eligible if the IEDs are detonated or specifically emplaced by the enemy. Previous eligibility applied only to exposure to IEDs actually detonated by the enemy. Eligibility under this criterion is retroactive only to 7 October 2001. In 2005, the crew of the were awarded the CAR as well.
In 2024, sailors from the destroyers , , , , , , Cruiser , Carrier , amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5), and dock landing ship were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon after their ships were fired upon by Houthi rebels during the 2024 missile strikes in Yemen and shooting down drones in the Red Sea for the time period of October 2023 to April 2024.
earned the Combat Action ribbon for providing combat support in the Red Sea against the Houthis.
World War II and Korean War
In October 1999, World War II and Korean War veterans became retroactively eligible for the Navy Combat Action Ribbon by Public Law 106-65 on 5 October 1999, which permitted the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) to award the Combat Action Ribbon to a member of the Navy or Marine Corps for participation in ground or surface combat during any period on or after 7 December 1941, and before 1 March 1961, if the Secretary determines that the member has not been previously recognized in an appropriate manner for such participation. Two specific blocks of time were later designated by then SECNAV Danzig: Dec. 7, 1941 – Apr. 14, 1946 (World War II), and June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1954 (Korean War)
Coast Guard CAR
In 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard began awarding a Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon (CGCAR), that is stylized similarly in design to the Navy Combat Action Ribbon.
Prior to 2008 Coast Guard members awarded the Combat Action Ribbon received the U.S. Navy CAR because in times of conflict and war the Coast Guard in combat areas typically operated with or under the U.S. Navy. For example, in the Vietnam War's Operation Market Time the U.S. Coast Guard had at any one time approximately 1,200 Coast Guard members participating in brown water navy riverine warfare operations. Those Coast Guard members were awarded the U.S. Navy Combat Action Ribbon by the Commander U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam.
The U.S. Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon (CGCAR) was established by the approval of the Secretary of Homeland Security on 16 July 2008, in ALCOAST 361/08. The CGCAR is awarded to members who have actively participated in ground or maritime combat. Satisfactory performance under fire with the enemy is required.
From 2009 forward U.S. Coast Guard members will receive the CGCAR regardless if a member is operating in conjunction with or under the control of the U.S. Navy. Those USCG members awarded the U.S. Navy CAR prior to 2009 are authorized to continue wearing the Navy award, or at the member's option can choose to wear the CGCAR.
Eligibility for the CGCAR also includes personnel having direct exposure to the detonation of an enemy's improvised explosive device, and to personnel who served in clandestine/special operations and were restricted in their ability to return fire, where the risk of enemy fire was great.
- Operation Allied Force (Kosovo)
- Operation Desert Storm
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
Other minor operations and specific actions may allow the award, as determined by the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Only one award per operation is authorized.
Initially, all other similar military awards from other services were required to be converted to the Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon in order to be worn on the Coast Guard uniform, but the policy was modified effective January 1, 2009 to allow wearing the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Air Force Combat Action Medal, and Army Combat Infantry/Medical/Action Badge for service prior to May 1, 1975, and which cannot be converted to the Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon.
Additional awards of the Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon are denoted by inch gold stars on the ribbon.