In 2016 ATOs serving as part of Operation Helvetic dealt with terrorist bomb alerts roughly once a week . Of these 49 % were classified as " serious threats " . The lack of a General Service Medal for ATOs serving as part of Operation Helvetic was the subject of controversy in 2017 following the rejection by the cabinet office of a request for the award of the GSM to ATOs from Andrew Rowe , Northern Ireland 's most senior army officer . In 2018 the operation was the subject of a freedom of information request brought by the Committee on the Administration of Justice , which was seeking the disclosure of the terms of reference for Operation Helvetic . The request was opposed by the UK ministry of defence on grounds of operational secrecy . Though the Information Commissioner 's Office found against the MoD , the MoD plans to appeal the decision
General Service Medal
General Service Medal (1962)
Operation Helvetic