American troops fighting in Operation Inherent Resolve will be eligible for a new medal unveiled by the Department of Defense. And, unlike the combat patch released last summer, the ISIS campaign medal is pretty hardcore.

ISIS Campaign Medal Image - The SITREP Military Blog

Yup. The front of the medal features an armored hand stabbing a scorpion through the gut. The back? A majestic bald eagle. The bronze disk itself will be 1 1/4 inches in diameter, and the ribbon will be striped with blue, teal, orange and sand.

The Pentagon explains that in order to receive this decoration, troops “must have been present in Iraq, Syria, or the contiguous waters or airspace of either country, on or after June 15, 2014, for a period of 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days. Service members who were killed or were medically evacuated due to wounds or injuries immediately qualify for the award, as do members who engaged in combat.”

An estimated 11,000 troops will be eligible for the ISIS campaign medal.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter did not offer any official interpretations of the hand/scorpion symbolism during his address Wednesday. Maybe the armored hand clutching a sword and stabbing a scorpion is meant to invoke the image of a hero slaying a beast to protect his home. Or perhaps the Pentagon means to draw some parallel between the venomous scorpion and the Islamic State’s brand of terrorism.

Let us know what you think of the medal and its meaning in the comments.

[Marine Corps Times]