Should British troops involved in Operation Pitting – the evacuation from Kabul – get a medal?

On 13^th August 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson authorised the deployment of UK forces to Kabul Airport. Their task, under the auspices of Operation Pitting, was to evacuate British nationals, embassy staff, eligible nationals from other countries, and Afghans who qualified for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy. Over the next 14 days, more than 13,000 people were evacuated. Evacuation operations ended on 28^th August. Given the arduous nature of the operation, it has been suggested that the British troops involved should be awarded a medal, even though the standard, 30-day continuous service rule was not met. So, should there be an Operation Pitting medal?

Policy for Awarding Medals

In the UK, medals are typically awarded by campaign or for gallantry. If there were any particular acts of bravery undertaken during Operation Pitting, the individual, or individuals, concerned can expect to be recommended for an appropriate gallantry medal through their chain of command in the normal way. Acts of gallantry are typically recognised in a bi-annually released Operational Honours and Awards list.

By contrast, campaign medals are awarded to all members of the armed forces who participate in a specified military campaign. Since the end of the Cold War, the number of UK military personnel who have seen operational service has increased considerably. And so have the number of campaign medals awarded:

• Gulf Medal (1991).
• Operational Service Medal for Sierra Leone (2000).
• Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan (2002-present).
• Operational Service Medal for the Democratic Republic of Congo (2003).
• Iraq Medal (2004-2011).
• Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa (2014-2016).
• General Service Medal 2008 (2009-present).
• Operational Service Medal for Iraq and Syria (2016-present).

Options for an Operation Pitting Medal

Authorising a unique medal for Operation Pitting is unlikely. The entire operation lasted less than three weeks and, although the task was arduous and, no doubt at times dangerous, it falls well short of the shortest operation that has ever qualified for an operational service medal – Operation Coral (Democratic Republic of Congo), which took place between 14^th June and 10^th September 2003.

In addition, the operation was undertaken in Afghanistan, which already has its own Operational Service Medal. This medal was first awarded in 2001 and recognises service on Operations Veritas (11^th September 2001 – 28^th February 2002); Herrick (1^st March 2002 – 31^st December 2014); Fingal (1^st December 2001 – 20^th September 2004); Landman (11^th September 2001 – 1^st June 2004) and Toral (1^st January 2015 to present). Adding Pitting to this list would seem both sensible and uncontentious.

A second option would be to award the General Service Medal 2008 (GSM 08). This medal was introduced to recognise specified operations since January 2008 that do not qualify for another campaign medal. Operations are denoted by clasps that indicate the geographic area of operations, but not a specific operation. In this instance, there is also a precedent. The GSM 08 with clasp North Africa was awarded to personnel who participated in Operation Deference, the non-combatant evacuation operation in Libya that preceded Operation Ellamy, in 2011. Operation Pitting was also a non-combatant evacuation operation.

Conclusion

In the recent past, the armed forces have been regularly called upon to undertake non-combatant evacuation operations, and they are almost always dangerous and demanding. Operation Pitting was no exception. Moreover, the requirement is still specifically called out as part of the armed forces ‘strengthening security and defence at home and overseas’ contribution to the government’s recent Integrated Review. Pitting is unlikely to be the last operation of this type to be undertaken by the UK’s high-readiness forces.

But should there be an Operation Pitting medal? In a recent British Forces Broadcasting Service poll, 75% of voters agreed that they should. Even the leader of the opposition, Sir Kier Starmer has come out in favour. There are two workable options for medallic recognition: either add Pitting to the list of operations for the Afghanistan Operational Service Medal or award the GSM 08 with an appropriate clasp.

There is definitely a groundswell of opinion in support of an Operation Pitting medal, and the current government has a history of bowing to public pressure. To that end, expect a positive announcement very shortly!