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Awards & decorations: the controlling regulation in every branch

Who can approve an ARCOM vs a NAM, and what the DoD manual says above all of them.

BranchControlling publication
DoD-wideDoDM 1348.33 Volume 4 — Manual of Military Decorations and Awards: DoD Joint Decorations and Awards
Current dated 2016-12-21
ArmyAR 600-8-22 — MILITARY AWARDS
Current dated 2026-05-11
NavySECNAVINST 1650.1J — DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY MILITARY AWARDS POLICY
Current dated 2019-05-29
Marine CorpsSECNAVINST 1650.1 — on MCPEL (not in our index)
Navy and Marine Corps share the SECNAV awards manual
Coast GuardCOMDTINST M1650.25E — COAST GUARD MILITARY MEDALS AND AWARDS MANUAL
Not in the current catalog dated 2016-08-15
Air ForceDAFMAN 36-2806 — Military Awards: Criteria and Procedures
Current dated 2025-08-13
Publication numbers, dates, and statuses in this table resolve live against each branch's official catalog index — when a service revises its reg, this page follows automatically. Verify the controlling copy on the official portal before citing it.

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