Gaza Aid Pier: Why 62 US Troops were Hurt in a Mission that Shouldn't Have Happened - Analysis
More soldiers were injured than previously known, illustrating that the previous US admin was not forthcoming about this failure.
By: Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com
A new report has revealed that the temporary pier the US military deployed to Gaza was more dangerous than previously known. The Pentagon’s inspector general’s office released a report that said a total of 62 people were injured during the deployment.
The pier, called Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) was ordered by the White House to be sent to Gaza in March of 2024. It was supposed to help deliver humanitarian aid.
From the beginning, it was obvious this was a bad choice. The forces lacked training and equipment for the mission. The US Army is supposed to be responsible for the capability to deploy a floating pier.
However, the army watercraft for the mission was not ready. There were only 64 vessels due to the downsizing of this capability.
But instead of telling the Pentagon and the president that it was ill-prepared, the army went ahead anyway. This wasn’t a place and time for heroism. The US wasn’t fighting a war. This also wasn’t an aid mission to a hostile place. This was a mission to Gaza, which is controlled by Israel.
cont’d…