Australian Commendations and Citations

Australian Commendations are awards of recognition which all Department of Defence personnel are eligible; including both Defence Members and the Australian Public Service (APS). The Scheme provides a means to formally recognise outstanding/exceptional achievement, or specific acts of bravery for which awards from within the Australian Honours System are not an appropriate medium of recognition. The circumstances attracting the award of a commendation may relate to an isolated instance or to a series of instances over a period of time.

National Commendations

 * Commendation for Gallantry
 * Commendation for Brave Conduct
 * Commendation for Distinguished Service

Australian Defence Force Commendations

 * Secretary/Chief of Defence Force Joint Commendation
 * Secretary of Defence Commendation
 * Chief of Defence Force Commendation
 * Defence Support Services Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)
 * Australian Defence Force Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)
 * Navy Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)
 * Army Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)
 * Air Force Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)

Australian Defence Force Cadets Commendations

 * Director General Australian Navy Cadets Commendation
 * National Commander Australian Navy Cadets Commendation (Gold, Silver & Bronze)
 * Commander - Australian Army Cadets Commendation (Gold)
 * Deputy Commander - Australian Army Cadets Commendation (Silver)
 * Regional Commander - Australian Army Cadets Commendation (Bronze)
 * Director General Cadets - Air Force Commendation (Bronze)
 * Commander - Australian Air Force Cadets Commendation (Silver)

Description
Commendations come in three grades (Gold, Silver & Bronze) of which Gold is the highest and Bronze is the lowest.