Criteria for IHOF Induction

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Framed IHOF Certificate shown is presented to the IHOF inductee at his induction ceremony.

Criteria for Induction

General

The USACGSC International Hall of Fame was dedicated in 1973 to provide a prestigious and visible means of recognition to International Military Student Graduates who have attained, through military merit, the highest positions in their nation's armed forces, or who have held an equivalent position by rank or responsibility in a multi-national military organization.

Qualifying Criteria

1. Qualification. To qualify the international military student must be a resident graduate of a USACGSC Associate or Regular Course or of a special resident course for which the USACGSC awarded a diploma of recognition as a USACGSC graduate.
2. Eligibility. To be eligible, the international military student must have accomplished through merit one of the following:
   1. Serve as the senior military officer, by rank seniority, in one of his nation's service components.
   2. Be appointed to the highest command position in a national service component or the nations armed forces (i.e., Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff when such position entails service component command, Commanding General-Gendarmerie, Commanding General-Service Component, Commanding General-National Guard).
   3. Be appointed commander of an operational combined command while holding a rank equal or senior to the highest rank held in his nation's service component.
   4. Be internationally recognized as having made a significant and enduring military or humanitarian contribution to international peace and stability (i.e., Commanding General of humanitarian relief or peace-keeping forces) while holding a rank equal or senior to the highest rank held in his nation's service components.
3. Individuals who have attained a qualifying position through means other than military merit are not eligible. Exceptions may be considered in rare circumstances on case-by-case basis.

Nominative Process

1. Nominations. Nominations may be made by the senior U.S. in-country representative responsible for the U.S. security assistance program or, when more appropriate, by the Commander-in-Chief of a U.S. unified or specified command.
   1. Nominations may be made at the time the nominee assumes a position which qualified him for nomination, or at any time afterward.
   2. Individuals may be nominated posthumously.
   3. Prospective nominees and their host country government should not be informed of the nomination until appropriate U.S. government approval is obtained.
2. Documentation. The following documentation should be forwarded to the International Military Student Division, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 100 Stimson Avenue Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-1352 with information copies to the appropriate U.S. unified commander.
   1. Letter of Nomination. The original letter must explain in detail how the nominee qualifies for the nomination with inclusive dates of appointment if current. The nomination packet must also include a letter from the U.S. Ambassador stating that he concurs with the nomination.
   2. Biographic Data. A one or two page biography (in narrative format) of the officer's military service must be included. Please be certain the biography either includes all these data points or the data points are included on a separate memorandum. Rank and date of rank; Branch of Service, present duty assignment, date of assignment; Promotion history; Education; Aliases; Date of birth (DoB) and place of birth (PoB); Gender; National Identification Number; Passport number; Citizenship; Ethnicity; Home and work phone number; Previous awards and decorations; Name / PoB / DoB of spouse and children; Foreign travel (if available).
   3. Photograph. A high-quality digital photograph suitable for permanent public display in 5" x 7" black and white format must be included. This should be an official, head and shoulders portrait. Most IHOF photos are in service dress uniform, however battle dress is acceptable as well, assuming confidence the nominated officer would prefer battle dress over service dress for this purpose.
3. Clearance Process.
   1. Upon receipt of a nomination packet, the USACGSC will review it for completeness, accuracy, and suitability. This part of the clearance process may take up to 6 weeks. USACGSC will then forward it along with an appropriate recommendation to DASA (DE&C) for concurrence and clearance by DoD and by Department of State. This part of the approval process takes up to 6 months. DASA (DE&C) will process no more than 4 nominations per year and will not guarantee approval in fewer than 6 months from the date they receive a nomination.
   2. After the proper clearances are received, USACGSC will inform the nominating agency, requesting that they obtain approval from both the host government and the nominee to accept induction, advise USACGSC of acceptance, and whether the nominee desires to attend the induction ceremony.
   3. For nominees disapproved by DA or who decline induction, no further action is taken.
   4. CGSC conducts only 2 IHOF ceremonies yearly: one in the Spring; one in the Fall. The actual dates are scheduled not more than 6 months in advance. Spring ceremonies are typically held in March or April, and fall ceremonies in September or October.
   5. Due to the lengthy clearance process, nomination packets should be received by CGSC at least 1 year in advance of a potential induction ceremony. CGSC cannot schedule a nominee's induction date before a nomination has completed the approval process.

Induction Ceremony

All International Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held at USACGSC. Inductees are cordially welcome to travel to Fort Leavenworth to be inducted in person. However, USACGSC cannot fund this travel. Most inductions are conducted with the officer physically present, however inductions can also be made in absentia. The senior international student from the country or region concerned represents the officer to be inducted. USACGSC will forward to the nominating agency a Certificate of Honor for an in-country presentation to the inductee. Copies of photographs and any newspaper publicity of the Fort Leavenworth ceremony will be forwarded as well. Photographs and any publicity of the in-country presentation ceremony should be forwarded to USACGSC.

Implementation

This policy supersedes all previous criteria for induction into the USACGSC International Hall of Fame; and, is effective upon receipt. The criteria are not retroactive and may not be used to nominate officers who have served in a qualifying position prior to the date of this document.