Global InformationAwards and decorations of the State Defense Forces information
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Awards and decorations of the state defense forces are presented to members of the state defense forces in addition to regular United States military decorations and state National Guard military decorations. Each of the state governments of the United States maintains a series of decorations for issuance to members of the state defense forces, with such awards presented under the authority of the various state adjutants general and/or respective state defense force commanders.
In most states, state defense force members may wear any regular United States military decorations and United States National Guard decorations that they may have earned while members of the National Guard and/or while in federal active duty service. The members of some state defense force may also be awarded state National Guard military decorations in addition to state defense force awards while serving in a state defense force capacity. The order of precedence for the wear of the awards are: federal, state National Guard, then state defense force.
Those state defense force members who subsequently serve in the active or reserve federal forces of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or United States Air Force (i.e., on active duty or as members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard Reserves) may not continue to wear and display such decorations on a military uniform. Regulations of these federal forces allow their members to accept but not wear state National Guard awards.
The following is a list of state defense force decorations, as issued by each of the states and territories of the United States.