The mission to establish a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza is well underway.
The project, known as Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, announced by President Biden during his March 7 State of the Union Address, would, when completed, permit the delivery of up to 2,000,000 meals per-day for Gaza’s 2.3 million people.
At the time, DoD estimated that JLOTS could be operational in 60 days, including “the time it will take to transport some of the JLOTS components from Virginia to the Middle East.”
It seems that DoD will meet the deadline.
The first of several ships used to construct the pier began its transit from the construction unit’s homeport in Virginia to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility less than two days after the President made the announcement.
On March 12, 2024, four more Army vessels set sail from Joint Base Langley-Eustis to join the operation.
On March 15, the Bob Hope-class MV Roy P. Benavidez, a large, medium speed roll-on, roll-off ship, departed Newport News, Virginia, carrying heavy equipment and material needed to construct the temporary pier.
At a press conference on March 28, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the 60-day deadline. “So we’re, you know, almost halfway there” he said, adding, “But again, right now, based on the information I have, everything is proceeding according to schedule.”
Since the mission was announced, assurances have been given that there will be no U.S. boots on the ground and concerns have been raised about how our troops (more than 1,000 American service members will be involved in the project) would be protected from attacks by Hamas.
Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have voiced “strong reservations” about the “significant risk” the mission entails to U.S. personnel as they will be “working near active fighting between Israel Defense Forces and Hamas militants.”
White House officials continue to insist that U.S. troops will not be on land for the work and emphasize that protecting U.S. troops and ships is of top priority.
At a March 28 press event, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown stated:
Force protection is at the top of our list any time we put our forces in harm’s way…There will be our own capabilities to protect our forces, the Israelis have also committed to help protect our forces in the area, and have other nations that are also part of this as well.
At the March 28 press conference, Gen. Ryder commented:
…as I highlighted, we are continuing to work through the details. You know, certainly, Israel is an important partner in the region. And we will continue to consult with them on that front…
The Gaza JLOTS project is one more chapter in America’s storied tradition of noble humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.
This latest effort carries significant risks but is desperately needed by the people of Gaza. We wish our troops success and a safe return home.
