US submarine receives top award for ‘demanding’ covert intelligence operations

• The submarine USS Washington was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation after a series of covert intelligence operations.
• The military said the “demanding” missions were vital to national security and obtained “sensitive and unique” information.
• The PUC is the highest unit award of the United States Department of Defense.

A US attack submarine crew has been honored with a top award after carrying out “demanding” secret intelligence-gathering missions.

The USS Washington, a Virginia-class fast attack submarine, received the award earlier this year for “outstanding performance in action” during a recent six-month deployment to the Sixth Fleet’s area of ​​operations, which covers approximately 20 million square nautical miles. ocean around Russia, Europe and Africa.

Last week, Submarine Forces Atlantic announced that the crew of the Washington received the Presidential Unit Citation in July. The prestigious award was presented to the crew by Captain Timothy Poe on behalf of US President Joe Biden.

The crew’s recent deployment included “three demanding missions vital to national security that resulted in the acquisition of sensitive and unique intelligence information,” the Navy said.

The Washington, also known as the Blackfish, also broke the record for most days on station for East Coast deployments and sailed with the most women ever deployed on a fast attack submarine.

The PUC is the highest unit award within the Department of Defense and is awarded to “any United States military unit that has distinguished itself by outstanding performance and heroism in action against enemy forces,” the Navy explained.

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It is unclear what the purpose of Washington’s intelligence-gathering missions was.

“The awarding of the Presidential Unit Citation to the USS Washington is a great honor that demonstrates the crew’s exceptional dedication and strategic impact,” said Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher, commander of the Submarine Forces.

Gaucher added that the submarine’s work “in challenging, high-risk environments, carrying out critical missions at the national level, demonstrates the key role our submarines play in ensuring maritime security and global stability.”

Fast attack submarines like the Washington are a mainstay of the Navy’s warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The Washington is a Block III Virginia-class ship and was commissioned in 2017. It was built by Huntington Ingalls Industries in collaboration with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat.