Who is the approving authority for the Good Conduct Medal?

• A. The battalion commander
• B. The company commander
• C. The platoon leader
• D. The command sergeant major

Answer: (B)

The approving authority for the Good Conduct Medal is the unit commander who directly leads the soldier. For a soldier assigned to a company, that responsibility sits with the company commander because this award is based on three years of honorable service and consistent conduct under that specific command. The company commander is in the best position to review the soldier’s record, endorsements, and any disciplinary history to determine eligibility.

Other roles are not the formal approving authority for this medal in a standard chain of command. A platoon leader is lower in the chain and not the official signer for this award, while the battalion commander or command sergeant major handle higher-level or different awards, rather than the routine company-level Good Conduct Medal.