Hagel orders halt to production of drone pilot, cyberwarrior medal

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the military to stop production of a controversial new medal pending a 30-day study of whether the award for drone pilots and cyberwarriors should outrank medals given for battlefield bravery.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said that Hagel was particularly attuned to the concerns of veterans organizations, which have complained that the Distinguished Warfare Medal was ranked above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart in the military’s order of precedence.

Hagel, who received two Purple Hearts as an enlisted soldier in Vietnam, has a long history with the veterans groups, Little said. “He’s been a member of one. He headed the USO. He’s heard their concerns.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/hagel-orders-halt-to-production-of-drone-cyber-medal/2013/03/12/e0e84e0c-8b30-11e2-b63f-f53fb9f2fcb4_story.html