Mexican Border Defense Medal

The Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM) was established by a memorandum of the United States Department of Defense on August 13, 2025, for US military service members who have deployed to the southern US border backdated to January 20, 2025, in support of the US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP). This should not be confused with the Mexican Border Service Medal, a different service medal for service during 1916 and 1917 on the Mexico-United States border bearing the same design.

Since 2019, US military service members were awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) for duty at the southern US border. Under the 2019 policy, troops had to serve within 115 miles of the southern US border in any of the four states that border Mexico as well as headquarters troops serving in San Antonio, Texas. This policy included Operation Jump Start and Operation Guardian Support.

The original concept of a new medal began with Rep. Tim Moore, R-North Carolina, who sponsored H.R. 3780 (119th Congress) on June 6, 2025, calling for a Border Operations Service Medal. "A country without secure borders is a country in name only.