USNS Kanawha is First MSC Ship to Get the Military's Highest Unit Award

A Military Sealift Command auxiliary will be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), the first time ever that a civilian-crewed vessel in the MSC fleet has received the Pentagon's highest honor. It is a rare recognition: the Pentagon has only issued it about 100 times since WWII, and recipients are among the most storied units in military history.

USNS Kanawha will receive the award for her crew's remarkable performance in support of the Ford Carrier Strike Group from February through May, during Operation Epic Fury. The crew conducted more than 110 underway replenishments over the course of the deployment, transferring more than 17 million gallons of fuel to keep the strike group in the fight.

The military-crewed warships in the strike group received the same award, and Kanawha's award recognizes her comparable participation (but with merchant mariners operating the vessel, and without onboard defenses of their own).

Last year, USNS Kanawha received the Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) ribbon - the Navy's second-highest honor, just behind the PUC - for her performance in support of combat operations related to the Red Sea crisis. That deployment put the ship in harm's way, within reach of attack from Houthi forces in western Yemen. Kanawha operated in the area from October 2023 through May 2024, conducting more than 110 UNREP evolutions, transferring 3,400 pallets of goods, 30 million gallons of diesel and 4.7 million gallons of MGO.

"[Kanawha's crew] protected vital global commerce through two strategic maritime chokepoints, defended key allies and partners, deterred aggression, and forged partnerships founded in trust and unity of effort against violations of international law," the earlier NUC citation reads. "They provided a crucial naval presence in the region at a pivotal moment in history."