Modding of STR Files in SF2

[starfighter006]

Hello,

I just recently discovered SF2 and I am amazed how easy it is to mod the game.

I  started adding my own fantasy nation to the game and I am doing pretty well so far.

However, one thing that I could not figure out yet is how to edit STR Files?

I understand that is is a binary file containing string information, for instance MEDALUSAF.STR contains the ID of the medal and the medal name that, I suppose, is being displayed in the game.

It is referenced in Nations.ini file. e.g.:

Medals=MedalsUSAF.ini
MedalTextFile=MedalsUSAF.str

I would like to add my own fantasy medals to the game, but I am not sure to handle this STR file.

It seems odd to me that the game makes extensive use of text ini files, but for this specific case it refers to an STR file? 

I know that there is an Medal expansion pack, but I am not allowed to download it yet for analysis.

So maybe anyone can give me some hints.

Many thanks!