A Pentagon watchdog report released Friday shows the U.S. Army and Navy were unprepared for a 2024 mission to deliver aid to Gaza using a floating pier system.
The pier system, known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS), was built to move supplies from ships to shore without a working port. Ordered by President Joe Biden in March 2024, the operation was meant to help Palestinians after an Israeli campaign left the region heavily damaged.
Though it delivered 19.4 million pounds of food aid, enough to feed about 500,000 people for a month, the system worked for only 20 days before it was shut down in July due to equipment failures and bad weather.
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG) report published on May 2, has found that both the Army and Navy had not trained enough for the mission and did not fully plan for the harsh sea conditions off Gaza’s coast.
Additionally, the report found that both services struggled to staff the mission and lacked the appropriate equipment to carry it out.
The Navy reported $31 million in damages to 27 boats. The U.S. Central Command reported that 62 American personnel were injured during the operation though the Inspector General did not specify how the injuries occurred. It can be recalled that Army Sgt. Quandarius Stanley died in October after being critically injured when high seas damaged the pier in May 2024.
The report ties many of the problems to years of funding cuts. From 2014 to 2024, the Army cut $23 million, and the Navy cut $69 million from the JLOTS program. During that time, the Army retired 64 of its 134 watercraft, and the Navy disbanded one of its two JLOTS-capable units.
The report said “the reductions created significant challenges for each service’s ability to meet future JLOTS requirements.”
The report also criticizes U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), responsible for coordinating the mission, for failing to establish clear standards or provide sufficient guidance to the Army and Navy.
The report recommended that the Army and Navy each review their JLOTS capabilities and identify necessary changes to meet mission requirements. It also urged the USTRANSCOM to develop and implement a plan to meet JLOTS responsibilities.
