From the American Homefront Project:
Less than two days after President Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union address that the United States would bring food aid to Gaza, an Army vessel from the 7th Transportation Brigade left a pier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. We started to leave the port.
When the last boat departed, there were still major unanswered questions about the military-led effort.
“This is an opportunity for military watercraft, and we're ready for it,” said Col. Sam Miller, the unit's commander. “The United States and the world will continue to see our humanitarian capabilities demonstrated and practiced.”
It takes a month for the small, flat-bottomed army boats to reach the Eastern Mediterranean. President Biden has promised to have the operation in place by early May.
“I'm mainly focused on my ability to get out of here and get there and build this, and then they'll give me more command from there,” Miller said. Ta.
The Navy is transporting floating docks the size of soccer fields that can be assembled at sea. A large Navy ship bound for Gaza can cross the Atlantic Ocean in half the time it takes a small army boat.
Naval Beach Group 2, based in Coronado, California, will bring 260 sailors. The operation will be led by the Army, which plans to send 500 soldiers to the waters off Gaza.
Navy vessels and, in some cases, non-governmental organization vessels will deliver supplies to the floating docks. The truck then boards a barge and transports it to shore. There you will need to build a pier.
The Army has been building mobile piers since World War II, when it patrolled the Pacific islands with the Navy and Marine Corps. The U.S. military built a similar facility for relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, but it was not a potential war zone.
Soldiers from the 7th Transportation Battalion load ramps onto a ship at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, March 12. The troops are heading to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the U.S. humanitarian effort in Gaza.
Jacques Legrand / US Air Force
Army and naval forces are trained to respond quickly, but it will take weeks to deliver the first pallets of food to Gaza.
“We have quite a few different organizations, different personnel, working 24/7 to get on scene and assist as quickly as possible,” said Maj. Katie Keller of the Army's Military Deployment and Distribution Command. Told.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the White House to provide details of the operation before the equipment arrives in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Army and Navy officials agree that a more concrete plan is needed before starting food supplies to Gaza.
President Biden has said that U.S. troops will not set foot in Gaza. The United States is hiring private contractors to anchor a pier on the shore and set up a logistics hub for aid supplies.
“Let me start by saying this: Our number one priority on any deployment is the protection of our Soldiers,” said Army Brigadier General Brad Hinson, commander of the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, based at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Told. Fort Bragg.
Cargo must be inspected before arriving at the sea dock, and empty containers must be inspected again before being returned.
“This is a plan that is currently being developed in close collaboration with Israel and the Army,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said. “So we are confident that we can provide the security needed to protect our seafarers, while also providing the international community that really needs help in Gaza.”
The Biden administration also continues to seek an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would lead to a ceasefire, the release of hostages held by Hamas, and the provision of more humanitarian aid.
“It is clear that a ceasefire is welcome in order to more effectively deliver humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip,” del Toro said.
The U.S. Air Force airlifted more than 35,000 meals and 31,000 bottles of water to northern Gaza. The Army estimates that mobile pier operations allow the United States to transport 2 million meals per day.
Tim Hoffin of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) told NPR that hunger is already widespread and famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip. FEWS NET is funded through the Department of State's U.S. Agency for International Development and analyzes data on hunger levels around the world.
This article was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration reporting on America's military life and veterans.
