AR · Independent reference
AR 600-8-22 — MILITARY AWARDS
AR 600-8-22: individual decorations, service medals and ribbons, unit awards. Explore the scope overview and open the official Army source.
Official Army source
GreenBook provides independent scope overviews and catalog metadata. The official source controls the text, applicability, changes, and status; check associated directives before applying policy.
What this publication covers
AR 600-8-22 is the Army's military awards regulation. Soldiers and leaders use it to research decorations, service medals and ribbons, unit awards, badges, tabs, and award processing. Its contents make an important distinction between an individual decoration, a service award, a unit award, and a badge; these are related subjects, but the same approval or documentation question does not apply to all of them.
Begin by identifying the award category and whether the question concerns a recommendation, an existing entitlement, or a record correction. The official publication includes both policy chapters and procedural appendixes for award reporting and recommendations. Uniform placement is a separate question handled with AR 670-1 and DA PAM 670-1. GreenBook's links make that transition easier without certifying that a person earned a decoration. Confirm the official edition and its changes before preparing an award packet or changing a uniform.
- Individual decorations
- Service medals and ribbons
- Unit awards
- Badges and tabs
- Award recommendations and records
Who commonly uses it
Award recommenders, personnel staff, Soldiers checking award records, and leaders preparing recognition packets.
Where to start in the official publication
These headings were checked against the linked edition's contents. Open the PDF and use its contents or find function; page numbering can differ by viewer.
- Chapter 3: U.S. Army Individual Decorations
- Chapter 8: Badges and Tabs
Common questions
What regulation governs Army awards?
AR 600-8-22 is titled Military Awards. Its chapters and appendixes organize awards policy, reporting, and recommendation procedures by award category.
Does the awards regulation explain uniform placement?
For placement and wear, also consult AR 670-1 and DA PAM 670-1. Authorization and wear instructions answer different parts of the question.
Publication details and freshness
- Publication number
- AR 600-8-22
- Publication type
- AR
- Issuing authority / proponent
- Department of the Army · G-1
- APD source status
- ACTIVE
- Publication date
- 2026-05-11
- Revision date listed by APD
- 2026-05-11
- Last source verification
- 2026-10-09
- Distribution
- A APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED
Earlier editions replaced by this publication: SUPERSEDED AR 600-8-22, 07/30/2025. This is edition history, not a claim that the displayed publication is superseded.
APD status and distribution evidence ↗Last verification records a manual source check. GreenBook does not automatically guarantee that no later guidance has been issued.
Related publications
Related GreenBook tools and guides
- Uniform Builder
Plan an outfit in the signed-in workspace; verify it against official wear guidance.