The second-highest award bestowed by the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Achievement honors Coast Guard members who demonstrate exceptional leadership or otherwise noteworthy service over a sustained interval, including service that results in major accomplishments, improved protocols, or other distinguishing contributions to Department of Transportation operations.
The ribbon is bisected by a thin blue vertical stripe flanked on either side by a thin white stripe, thin red stripe, and thicker white stripe followed by a thick red stripe bisected by a thin black one.