Refueling ship to get Presidential Unit Citation
The USNS Kanawha supported military operations in the Caribbean and in Operation Epic Fury.
Nicholas Slayton
Published Jun 27, 2026 7:48 AM EDT
An oil replenishment ship will receive the nation’s highest unit-level military honor for combat valor for its support of the Ford Carrier Strike Group during Operation Epic Fury. The USNS Kanawha, a refueler ship under Military Sealift Command, will get the Presidential Unit Citation next month, becoming the first auxiliary ship in the command’s history to receive the combat award.
Rarely given out, the Presidential Unit Citation’s award history runs through some of the most daring and complex operations in U.S history, including Army Rangers on D-Day, the Navy SEALs who killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, and the US Coast Guard’s full-throttle response to Hurricane Katrina.
James Clark, Jeff Schogol
The Kanawha will be the first ship to ever receive the citation in the Military Sealift Command’s history, which operates transport and supply ships that support the Navy. Though MSC ships are owned by the Navy, they are not commissioned warships but are considered auxiliary forces, manned mostly by civilian sailors and Merchant Marines. They are often unarmed or lightly armed for self-defense.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-usns-kanawha-presidential-unit-citation/
