New Meritorious Unit Citations have been announced for service in Somalia between of 17 October 1992 and 23 November 1994.
The Meritorious Unit Citation is awarded to a unit for sustained outstanding service in warlike operations. The award was introduced in 1991.
Design
The insignia of a Meritorious Unit Citation is a rhodium-plated rectangular frame surrounding a ribbon of old-gold. The frame has a design of flames emanating from the outer edges of the frame to the centre.
Further awards are recognised by the presentation of a further Certificate of Citation to the unit signed by the Governor-General. Only one insignia of each citation may be worn by a member of the unit. Only one Federation Star device is worn, irrespective of the number of awards made to units to which a member may be posted.
Eligibility
Rwanda
The resilience and bravery displayed by Australian Service Contingents (ASC) 1 and 2 during one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 20th century is exemplary. ASC 1 and 2 have been awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation for their service during Operation Tamar between the dates of 25 July 1994 and 8 March 1996.
Meritorious Unit Citation Warrant Rwanda - ASC (PDF, 263.5 KB)
Somalia
ADF personnel who served in Somalia in the 1990s performed extraordinary work in very challenging conditions. This service represented the ADF’s largest land and sea operation since Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.
ASC I-IV, 1 RAR Battalion Group and HMAS Tobruk have been awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for service during Operation Iguana and Operation Solace, between the dates 17 October 1992 and 23 November 1994.
To be eligible to wear the Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star, members of ASC I – IV, 1RAR Battalion Group, and HMAS Tobruk must have completed 30 days of service on either Operation Iguana or Operation Solace between the dates 17 October 1992 and 23 November 1994. Those who completed less than 30 days due to death, injury, illness or disability due to service may also be eligible.
Meritorious Unit Citation Warrant Somalia - Battalion (PDF, 1.32 MB)
Meritorious Unit Citation Warrant Somalia - ASC (PDF, 1.25 MB)
Meritorious Unit Citation Warrant Somalia - HMAS Tobruk (PDF, 1.27 MB)
Applications
Current serving members, including those in the active Reserves, who completed eligible service in Somalia are not required to apply. These members will be processed automatically as part of a nominal list. Insignia will be dispatched to member’s current unit for presentation.
Ex-serving veterans and next of kin of deceased members who served, and believe they may be eligible to wear the citation insignia with Federation Star, are encouraged to apply via the Defence medals application form.
When completing the form, under Application Type applicants should select Full Assessment (Campaign and Service Awards) and then add Somalia MUC in the comments field within the form.
Wearing the award
The actual citation is a warrant presented to the unit. Insignia are worn by individuals to denote their membership of a unit that has been awarded a citation. Personnel cannot be issued with the insignia until the authorised unit representative, normally the CO, has been formally invested with the citation.
In the case of awards made in recognition of past conflicts, the insignia can be applied for, issued and worn following formal announcement of the Governor-General’s approval of the award in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette.
Personnel who were members of the unit when an award was made wear a Federation Star in the centre of the ribbon and continue to wear the insignia after leaving the unit.
Army and Air Force dress policy allows current serving personnel who are subsequently posted to the unit to wear the insignia without the Federation Star, but only while actually posted to the unit. Veterans of cited units, who were not serving with the unit at the time of the cited action, are not entitled to wear the insignia.
Members of uniformed services wear the insignia in accordance with the dress rules of their Service. In civilian dress, serving and ex-serving personnel generally continue to wear these insignia in the same way as they are worn on uniform.
Source documents
Unit Citation Regulations Amendments of 13 July 2020 (PDF, 198.64 KB)
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Notice 20 November 2023 (PDF, 505.68 KB)
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Special S297 - 4 November 1991 (PDF, 216.66 KB)