April 15, 2006:
The U.S. Navy awards the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for those who have participated in counter-terror operations. Until recently, that was restricted to sailors who had served in a few areas, like Afghanistan and Iraq. But now the navy counts service in more places. These include: Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chad, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo (only for specific counter-terrorism operations, otherwise you get the Kosovo Campaign Medal), Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Turkey, Uganda, the Mediterranean Sea (when boarding and searching ships in support of counter-terror operations), Colombia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This change reflects the fact that the war on terror is going where the terrorists are, or might be.