Roughly seven months after setting sail for the US military’s troubled temporary pier mission off the Gaza coast, three US Army boats are expected to be hauled back to the US by contracted civilian vessels behind schedule, raising concerns about the state of the Army watercraft involved in the humanitarian aid effort for Gaza.
The US Army Vessels Monterrey, Matamoros, and Wilson Wharf were deployed in March for the mission known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS). The boats are now scheduled to be transported back on contracted Float-On/Float-Off vessels with an expected arrival in late October.
The contract for transporting the boats back to the US is currently in the procurement phase, with an estimated cost of $300,000 per vessel. The temporary pier mission, announced by President Joe Biden in March, aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza but was operational for only about 20 days at a cost of $230 million.
Following the end of the pier mission, humanitarian aid is now expected to be delivered from Cyprus through Israel’s Ashdod port to Gaza. A remaining six million pounds of aid is en route to Ashdod on the Motor Vessel Cape Trinity.
The decision to bring the Army boats back by contracted vessels suggests they may require significant maintenance, according to a retired warrant officer. The Military Sealift Command is seeking vessels capable of carrying the boats from Rota, Spain, to Norfolk, Virginia, by November 5.
The Army’s vessels faced maintenance issues throughout the pier mission, with concerns raised about the lack of funding for timely repairs. The operation has drawn scrutiny from Pentagon and USAID inspectors general, who are conducting reviews of the humanitarian mission to Gaza.
Despite the challenges, one of the logistics support vessels, the USAV Frank S. Besson, is expected to arrive back in the US by the end of August. The issues with the Army boats are the latest in a series of logistical problems that have plagued the mission since its inception.
