U.S. Army Vessel General Frank S. Besson from the 7th Transportation Brigade, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, departs Saturday, March 9, 2024, from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., en route to the Eastern Mediterranean to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea. Besson, a logistics support vessel, is carrying the first equipment to establish a temporary pier to deliver vital humanitarian supplies. (U.S. Central Command)
Four U.S. Army ships departed Virginia on Tuesday en route to the eastern Mediterranean Sea where soldiers on board will help build a temporary, offshore port to deliver needed aid into war-torn Gaza, the Pentagon announced.
The ships left Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Tuesday morning carrying dozens of soldiers from the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade, which was tapped last week with building the floating pier and causeway into Gaza. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said Navy personnel would also deploy to help construct the port, but the service has not publicly announced which of its units or ships would participate.
“Once in theater these vessels and their crews will establish a roll-on, roll-off pier capability that allows ship-to-shore humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” Ryder said. “We expect the pier to be fully operational in approximately 60 days, which will be able to facilitate the delivery of up to 2 million meals daily.”
The efforts will expand the U.S. military’s ability to supply Gaza civilians — who the U.N. has said are on the verge of famine — with aid, which it has been airdropping into the Palestinian enclave in recent days, Ryder said.
The latest airdrop from U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo planes came Tuesday when about 5,280 pounds of food, including rice, flour, pasta, and canned goods were dropped into northern Gaza, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.
U.S. Army Vessel General Frank S. Besson from the 7th Transportation Brigade, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, departs Saturday, March 9, 2024, from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., en route to the Eastern Mediterranean to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea. (U.S. Central Command)
Ryder said the United States has now conducted eight humanitarian assistance drops alongside its partners from the Jordanian military, delivering more than 204,000 meals, 48,000 bottles of water and more than 5,000 pounds of other food items.
President Joe Biden ordered construction of the temporary port last week, announcing it on Thursday during his State of the Union speech. He and Pentagon officials have said no U.S. troops would enter Gaza at any time during the building of the port or to deliver aid. Ryder said last week the Pentagon was working with international partners to ensure security of the operation, including to U.S. troops working on the port. Combat operations have spanned most of Gaza since Israel launched a war on Hamas militants in response to the Palestinian group’s surprise assault on Israelis on Oct. 7.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Vessel, or USAV, James A. Loux, the USAV Monterrey, the USAV Matamoros and the USAV Wilson Wharf deployed, Ryder said. They followed the USAV Frank S. Besson, which left Joint Base Langley-Eustis on Saturday, according to the Defense Department.
Army officials said about 500 soldiers were expected to deploy to support the pier-building operations. It was not clear how long those soldiers would be deployed, but officials said they were expected to arrive in the eastern Mediterranean within one month. In all, Ryder said about 1,000 U.S. troops would deploy to support the operation, which is known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS.
The USAV James A. Loux and the USAV Frank S. Besson are each about 270-foot-long roll-on, roll-off logistics support vessels, according to the Army. The USAV Monterrey, the USAV Matamoros and USAV Wilson Wharf are all about 174-foot large landing craft vessels.
