Criteria: Awarded to any member of the U.S. Air Force completing an “authorized accession training program.” Qualifying programs include Air Force Basic Training, the United States Air Force Academy, Air Force ROTC, and Air Force Officer Training School. The award is retroactive - without restriction - meaning that any service member on active duty after 1980 who had previously completed an accession training program would be authorized the decoration. For those service members completing more than one accession program, such as basic training followed by officer candidate school, an oak leaf cluster is authorized to the ribbon. The U.S. Army equivalent is the Army Service Ribbon. The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps do not have a corresponding award and prohibits the wear of the ribbon on their services uniforms. The award is the lowest decoration of the U.S. Air Force, ranking only above foreign military awards. It was established in October, 1980.

Note: This service ribbon is one of the few awards issued by the military as a ribbon only. There is no accompanying medal.