Four U.S. Army supply ships loaded with tons of equipment and steel pier segments left Virginia on Tuesday heading to Gaza ready to fulfill President Joe Biden’s promise to build a pier linking the war-torn territory to the rest of the world.
AP reports the vessels pulled out of docks at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and headed toward the Atlantic Ocean for what could be a month-long voyage to the Mediterranean Sea.
There, at a yet-to-be-announced location along the Gaza shore, the ships and troops from the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) will build and operate a floating dock courtesy of U.S. taxpayers.
As Breitbart News reported, Biden used his recent State of the Union address to propose the U.S. military build a new port in Gaza to link it to the world.
This is despite the Israeli government repeatedly pointing out unlimited amounts of aid already enters Gaza; the problem is distribution, especially as Hamas steals much of the aid.
And the White House itself admitted in a briefing that trucking aid in is a more efficient and effective approach. Despite that, the four latest ships follow the General Frank S. Besson which left a base in Virginia and is now on its way to the Eastern Mediterranean also laden with equipment for construction.
CW3 Jason West, left, skipper for LSV SP/4 James A. Loux, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), stands with his family before deploying on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)
BG John “Brad” Hinson, commander of 3rd Expedition Sustainment Command and Assistant Commanding General (Supply) of XVIII Airborne Corps, speaks during a press conference pertaining to four army watercraft deploying to Gaza for delivery of humanitarian aid on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)
The latest Pentagon plan calls for the U.S. military to build what is called a modular causeway system. Offshore, the Army will build a large floating platform where ships can unload large containers of aid, the AP report notes.
Then the aid will be transferred by the Army to a motorized string of steel causeway sections that have been pushed to the shore.
That pier is expected to be as much as 1,800 feet long, with two lanes, and the Pentagon has said it could accommodate the delivery of more than 2 million meals a day for Gaza residents. Officials have not said who will be unloading the containers and taking the aid ashore.
Biden has said there will be no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza.
The brigade’s commander, Army Col. Sam Miller, said about 500 of his soldiers will participate in the mission. All together, Pentagon officials have said about 1,000 U.S. troops will be involved.
“The soldiers here are energized, they’re motivated, they’re excited,” Miller said, adding that the new humanitarian mission “gives them purpose and meaning” and highlights the Army’s watercraft.
The Associated Press contributed to this report