The French commemorative medal is awarded to civilian and military personnel who participated in a dedicated mission ordered by the government and carried out outside of French national territory after 1 March 1991. The Minister of Defence decides by individual decree each theatre of operations in which the medal may be earned, the start and end dates for award eligibility, and the minimal time in theatre required to earn the award. The minimum time required in theatre may be waived for personnel that are killed, wounded, cited with the War Cross for foreign operational theaters or Cross for Military Valour, or repatriated early for medical reasons.