Commander’s Cross
Order for Merits to Lithuania

Awarded to Fred H. Hutchison, for strengthening Lithuania’s energy security, economic resilience, and transatlantic relations. Sept. 21, 2026

Standing on the Shoulders of Many
By Fred H. Hutchison

None of us accomplish anything alone. Josh Kerr, who recently broke the world record for the mile, may have run the race to the tape by himself, but his success came through the toil, support, and sacrifice of many others, including family, trainers, and coaches.

So it is with me. On Mon., Sept. 21, 2026, I was deeply honored to receive the Commander’s Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania from President Gitanas Nausėda. The award was presented during the Presidential Business Forum on Resilience in NYC. The citation recognizes my contribution to “strengthening Lithuania’s energy security, economic resilience, and transatlantic relations.”

I did not earn this award alone. I had the unwavering support of the LNG Allies membership, diplomats and energy officials from Lithuania and many other nations, and my dear wife, Helen Y. Hutchison, who joined me on stage. It was Helen who told me in 2013 that I should return to my roots and spend more time with my fellow MIT alumni. That led us to a September 2013 MIT Club of Washington event at the Embassy of Lithuania, held during Lithuania’s six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. There we heard Simonas Satunas explain how USLNG could help Lithuania. LNG Allies sprang from that night.

Sept. 21, 2026, carried extra meaning for one more reason: Ignitis Group and EQT Corp signed the first long-term #USLNG supply agreement between our two countries, a ten-year deal linking Lithuania directly to United States gas production. LNG Allies introduced the two parties at EU-U.S. LNG Cooperation 2.0 on Feb. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh, which we sponsored together with H.E. Jovita Neliupšienė, the EU’s Ambassador to the United States.

Five decades into a career in energy policy, it isn’t often that a long-term USLNG contract signing and a personal honor like this land on the same day at the same event. Kerr trained at altitude and rebuilt his bedroom into a chamber to shave half a second off a record that had stood since 1999. This award was built the same way, slowly and quietly, by people who show up year after year, long before anyone is watching the clock.