The Department of Defense announced the creation of a new medal to honor the actions of members of the military who directly affect the course of battle without physically being there—in other words, drone pilots, cyber warfare experts, and other remote warriors.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal "will be awarded in the name of the secretary of defense to service members whose extraordinary achievements, regardless of their distance to the traditional combat theater, deserve distinct department-wide recognition," a spokesperson for the Department of Defense said in a release announcing the new decoration.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta authorized the new medal. "I have seen first-hand how modern tools like remotely piloted platforms and cyber systems have changed the way wars can be fought," he said in a statement. "We should also have the ability to honor extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations, even if those actions are physically removed from the fight."

The DWM is one notch below a Distinguished Flying Cross in terms of order of precedence. It will be awarded for "actions in any domain" that effect the outcome of a military operation not involving personal acts of bravery.