Awarded to any military officer, serving in a member nation of the Organization of American States, who completes a tour of service with the Inter-American Defense Board. The award is also presented to military personnel serving on the staff of the IADB Chairman, Secretariat, or for those who complete instructor tours at the Inter-American Defense College. The Inter-American Defense Board Medal is an international military award which was created on December 11, 1945, by the 91st session of the Inter-American Defense Board, a Pan-American defense group devoted to the security of the member countries of the Organization of American States. In the United States, the Inter-American Defense Board Medal was only recognized as a military award in May 1981. Since that time, the Inter-American Defense Board Medal had been approved for wear on United States military uniforms, ranking below United States decorations and before the military awards of individual foreign countries. The Inter-American Defense Board Medal is a one time decoration but may be upgraded with service stars depending on the length of time an individual serves with the Inter-American Defense Board. A silver service star is awarded for one year of service while a gold star is awarded for three years of service. Additional gold stars are awarded for subsequent tours of five years of service.