Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adopting the unofficial Cold War Medal for UK veterans from the Cold War.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to adopt an unofficial medal in recognition of UK military service during the Cold War.

In the UK, the granting of official Honours and Awards is made at the behest of His Majesty, The King who is advised by the Cabinet Office led Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. In turn, this committee is advised on matters of historic military recognition, by the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee, rather than the MOD.

The issue of generic medallic recognition for service during the Cold War was officially considered by Sir John Holmes as part of his review of Military Medals in 2012. The Review did not recommend that a Cold War medal should be introduced.