The Pentagon’s watchdog agency has launched another review of the temporary floating pier off the Gaza Strip that was intended to ferry humanitarian relief to Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas militants.
The Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced Monday it had launched an evaluation of the U.S. military’s capability to “effectively” carry out joint logistics over-the-shore (JLOTS) operations and exercises.
“This comprehensive assessment of DoD JLOTS capabilities is separate from and in addition to the DoD Office of Inspector General’s ongoing review examining the DoD’s involvement in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor,” the office said in a memo.
The Defense Department completed the deployment of JLOTS in early May. The project included a floating pier several miles off the coast of Gaza along with an additional pier, referred to as the Trident Pier, that was anchored on the Gaza Shore.
Commercial cargo ships loaded with humanitarian aid in Cyprus sailed to the floating pier. The relief supplies then were loaded onto Army-owned logistics vessels and transported to the Trident Pier.
However, weather and rough conditions in the Mediterranean Sea forced JLOTS to halt operations twice. The first time was after a storm broke apart sections of the pier, and the second was after it was moved out of the area in anticipation of rough weather, officials said.
JLOTS cost an estimated $230 million, but Pentagon officials insisted it was successful. The floating pier facilitated the transfer of 20 million pounds of humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza. The Defense Department said it was the largest quantity of aid ever delivered to the Middle East by the U.S. military.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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