US submarine awarded highest military unit award for spying on enemies

US: The highest military unit honor was given to an American nuclear-powered submarine for gathering “sensitive and unique” information while deployed in Europe.

Presidential Unit Citation for “outstanding performance in action while conducting operations within U.S. Sixth Fleet” was given to the USS Washington, a 7,900-ton Virginia-class fast-attack submarine with conventional weapons, for its recent six-month deployment.

The Pentagon’s highest unit honor, the PUC, is given to any U.S. military unit that has stood out for “outstanding performance and heroism in action against enemy forces,” according to a press release issued by the Submarine Force Atlantic on Friday.

Former U.S. Navy submarine commanding officer and adjunct senior scholar at the Center for a New American Security, Tom Shugart, told a media report, “The PUC is a significant honor and a fairly rare unit award.”

As part of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, which has jurisdiction over all of Europe and Russia, including the Arctic Ocean and almost the whole continent of Africa, the Sixth Fleet is one of the numbered fleets of the U.S. Navy.

The submarine, which is capable of carrying 25 torpedoes and 12 land-attack cruise missiles, fulfilled three difficult national security tasks during the deployment in December of last year by obtaining sensitive and distinct intelligence data.

According to the press release, the award was given on July 19 on President Joe Biden’s behalf and recognized “the crew’s exceptional dedication and strategic impact” as they performed critical national-level tasks in “challenging, high-risk environments.”

Because of the classified nature of the deployment, the Submarine Force Atlantic informed the media report it was unable to disclose any other details. Whether the submarine’s activities were connected to Russia’s underwater combat capabilities was not apparent.

With its submarines carrying a large number of cruise missiles to threaten the U.S. homeland, the U.S. military has described Russia as the “primary threat” and warned of the expanding presence of Russian military nuclear-powered submarines off the U.S. shores.

An analyst earlier told a media report that increased Russian submarine activity in the Arctic and northern Atlantic oceans was a “stark reminder” that Russia’s danger to the U.S.-led NATO was not only confined to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

According to Shugart, who cited a publicly accessible document, U.S. submarine personnel used underwater camouflage to assist national interests in conflicts that “characterize today’s unstable international environment” by providing unique information, surveillance, and reconnaissance. According to former U.S. Navy submariner Bryan Herrin, who spoke to media report, the PUC has mostly always been given out during times of war or ongoing operations like the Global War on Terror, which makes the award for the Washington “extremely interesting.”

“The PUC criteria language would indicate an extraordinary mission or event,” he said.

For its 2013 performance, the PUC was awarded to the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered, conventionally armed fast-attack submarine.

The newly established Arctic Service Medal was also given to the Washington in recognition of its “exceptional service and dedication during operations in the strategic Arctic region.”

According to Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, the U.S. Navy plays a critical role in keeping rivals from interfering with newly established marine lines of communication in the Arctic. “We must be able to operate in the Arctic to protect our homeland.”

The Navy states that military men assigned to a unit that completed a passage of the North Pole or an ice-covered strait are eligible to receive the Arctic Medal.

Additionally, individuals assigned to an ice camp or operations center positioned on an ice floe, as well as those assigned to a submarine that carried out vertical surfacing through ice or at least seven days of military operations beneath the ice, are shown.

The Pentagon cautioned in its most current Arctic Strategy that China was attempting to get engaged in Arctic administration while Russia was improving its military capabilities. It demanded more allied collaboration, military presence, and intelligence capabilities.

The Washington landed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine on September 27 in order to undergo repairs and improvements. Construction on the submarine started in September 2011, and it was deployed in October 2017. Virginia’s Naval Station Norfolk serves as its home port.