History

The Medal of Merit of the Minister of Defence was established by Ministerial Regulation in 1987. It is awarded to civilians and military personnel in recognition of exceptional contributions to the Ministry of Defence, including outstanding long service, demonstration of bravery in life threatening situations, acts of bravery in peacetime or wartime, and all other outstanding acts and contributions to the Dutch Armed Forces.

The Gold Medal features a reverse inscription that translates to "Minister of Defence, Kingdom of the Netherlands."