Foreign Service Crisis Management Award

The Foreign Service Crisis Management Award is a proposed service award of the United States Department of State. As currently submitted to the Director General of the Foreign Service for approval, it would be presented to members of the Civil and Foreign Services who served with distinction while assigned abroad to a post that underwent an ordered evacuation or other otherwise demonstrated superior crisis management.
The award consists of a medal set and a certificate signed by the Undersecretary for Management. The medal and ribbon design must be finalized and approved by the Institute of Heraldry.
Nominating and Approval Procedures
The employee should submit a JF-66 form and copies of orders to the Human Resources Officer (HRO) at Post where it will be forwarded to the Department for final determination. For employees who previously served in an area that underwent an ordered evacuation before the award was finalized, they should notify their HRO or, if assigned domestically, submit a JF-66 and their previous orders to HR/PE.
Criteria
:(1) Employees must be permanently assigned to a Post for a minimum of 30 consecutive days when the Post is on ordered evacuation status, in a full-time, TDY, or WAE capacity, or be killed or medically evacuated from the area of eligibility while providing direct support while under Chief of Mission authority. The employee may be evacuated or may be ordered to remain in country.
:(2) Direct Support is defined as services provided to U.S. Department of State activities or other activities as directed by the U.S. Department of State while under Chief of Mission authority only if the employee actually enters the designated area of eligibility.
:(3) Civilian Employee is defined as a member of the Civil or Foreign Service or an individual meeting the definition of employee under Title 5, United States Code, section 2105, and who would be eligible for awards under 3 FAM 4813.2.
:(4) Area of eligibility is defined as a country or region where the United States has a diplomatic or consular presence and the Undersecretary for Management or the Ambassador orders an evacuation; or any other area that the Secretary of State may so designate.
:(5) The medal may be awarded only to federal employees who fall under Chief of Mission authority. The medal may not be awarded to contractor personnel. The medal may be awarded only once to a civilian employee, though subsequent tours that meet the criteria would make the employee eligible to wear or otherwise display an appropriate service star.
:(6) Nothing in this section prohibits the Secretary of State from awarding this award to an otherwise eligible and deserving employee.
Eligible Areas
U.S. Missions - including U.S. Embassies, Consulates General, and Consulates - must be in ordered, not authorized, evacuation status. An authorized evacuation is where family members and certain personnel are allowed to leave the post at government expense; an ordered evacuation is where all family members and some personnel are ordered to depart the country for their safety. The Undersecretary for Management has the authority to declare an ordered departure per Department of State Standard Regulations 600. In 2010, 11 posts went on ordered departure.
Military Use

This award is not issued to active-duty military, unless they are directly assigned in support of a State Department mission under Chief of Mission authority and are not otherwise eligible for an equivalent military award for the same service.
Design
The proposed design is that of a hurricane symbol, indicating that many of the crises are related to natural disasters. On the edges of the hurricane symbol are inscribed the words “Crisis” and “Management.” Around the center are the words “Department of State United States of America,” and in the center itself is an image of an individual entering a helicopter in preparation for evacuation.

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