AAM vs ARCOM vs MSM: Army Award Precedence and When to Use Each
The Army Achievement Medal (AAM), Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), and Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) are three Army decorations governed by AR 600-8-22. They are not interchangeable — they sit in a defined order of precedence, and choosing the right one is the first decision a recommender makes before writing a single bullet. In ascending order, the AAM is the lowest of the three, the ARCOM is one step above it, and the MSM is the highest. "AAM vs ARCOM" and "ARCOM vs MSM" come down to the scope, level, and consequence of what the Soldier did.
The simple answer to "which award is higher" is: AAM < ARCOM < MSM. Each step up reflects a higher threshold of responsibility, impact, and — typically — grade. The AAM is most often awarded to junior Soldiers and noncommissioned officers; the ARCOM recognizes a higher level of sustained service or significant achievement; the MSM is generally reserved for senior NCOs and officers and is the common decoration for retirements and key field-grade contributions.
This page compares the three side by side: the precedence order, when each is the right call, and the difference between an impact award (one specific act) and a service or end-of-tour award (a whole tour). Searches like "impact AAM" and "impact ARCOM" are about that second distinction, which cuts across all three medals.
Precedence order: which Army award is higher
Under AR 600-8-22, these three decorations rank in ascending order of precedence: Army Achievement Medal (AAM), then Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), then Meritorious Service Medal (MSM). The AAM is the lowest of the three and the MSM is the highest, with the ARCOM in the middle — exactly one step above the AAM and one step below the MSM.
For "AAM vs ARCOM," the ARCOM is the higher award: it recognizes sustained meritorious service or a significant achievement that exceeds the level of an AAM. For "ARCOM vs MSM," the MSM is the higher award: it recognizes outstanding meritorious achievement or service that exceeds the level of an ARCOM. The practical question is never which medal is "better" in the abstract — it is which one matches the scope, level, and consequence of what the Soldier actually accomplished.
When to use each: AAM, ARCOM, or MSM
Use an AAM for meritorious service or achievement that is clearly above the standard expected of the Soldier's grade but narrower in scope or impact than an ARCOM. It is the most frequently submitted award for junior Soldiers and NCOs — common for a PCS or ETS end-of-tour, or for a single defined achievement such as an exercise, an inspection, or a discrete project.
Use an ARCOM when a Soldier's contribution materially shaped a unit's readiness, training, resourcing, or personnel outcomes over a tour, or when a single achievement had outsized impact. The ARCOM also covers sustained acts of heroism in a non-combat context. The bar is higher than the AAM: the write-up should show greater scope — formations supported, Soldiers led, resources managed — alongside measurable results.
Use an MSM for outstanding meritorious achievement or service that exceeds the ARCOM level. In practice it is generally awarded to senior NCOs (typically SFC and above) and officers, and it is the standard decoration for retirements, permanent-change-of-station departures from key assignments, and significant field-grade or key-developmental contributions. If the contribution culminates a career or shaped outcomes well beyond a single unit, the MSM is usually the right tier.
Impact award vs service award (impact AAM, impact ARCOM)
Cutting across all three medals is the difference between an impact award and a service award. An impact award recognizes one specific act or achievement and is submitted close to the event, while it is still fresh and verifiable — this is what "impact AAM" and "impact ARCOM" refer to. A service award (also called an end-of-tour award) recognizes the whole period of an assignment and is tied to a PCS, ETS, or retirement.
The award tier (AAM, ARCOM, or MSM) and the award type (impact versus service) are two independent choices. You can have an impact AAM for a single strong achievement or a service AAM covering an entire junior-Soldier tour; likewise an impact ARCOM for one high-consequence event or a service ARCOM for a tour of sustained impact. The tier reflects how significant the contribution was; the type reflects whether you are recognizing one act or a full period.
The distinction also drives how the citation is written. An impact citation names the specific act or event and its dates and ties every bullet to that achievement. A service citation opens with the assignment's date range and summarizes sustained results across the tour, without re-crediting accomplishments already recognized by a prior award during the same period.
Approval authority rises with precedence
As a general rule, the approval authority for an award rises with the award's precedence — a higher decoration is approved at a higher level in the chain of command. Lower awards are approved at lower echelons, and the MSM is approved at a higher level than the ARCOM, which in turn is approved at a higher level than the AAM.
The exact approval levels are not fixed and universal. AR 600-8-22 sets the framework, but commands routinely delegate and adjust approval authority through memoranda of instruction, so the specific grade that approves a given award can vary from one command to another. Do not treat any single grade as a guaranteed rule — confirm the current approval authority for your award with AR 600-8-22 and your servicing awards office before you route a recommendation.
Confirm the call before you write
EvalMe is an independent private service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any U.S. Government agency. The precedence order and selection guidance above are summarized from AR 600-8-22 — they are a starting point, not a substitute for the regulation.
Award decisions depend on the specific Soldier, the scope of the contribution, and local policy. Before you submit, confirm the right tier and the current approval authority with AR 600-8-22 and your servicing awards office. Once you have settled on the award, the AAM, ARCOM, and MSM guides linked below cover how to write the Achievement block and citation and submit them in IPPS-A.
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EvalMe is an independent private service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any U.S. Government agency. Award criteria and citation conventions are summarized from AR 600-8-22; consult the regulation and your servicing awards office for authoritative guidance.