U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF), or floating pier, off the shore of Gaza in support of Operation Neptune Solace, Friday, April 26, 2024. (U.S. Army Central)
WASHINGTON — Troops working on the construction of a floating pier off the coast of Gaza could possibly be shot at as they build a platform to deliver humanitarian aid to the embattled territory, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday.
Austin acknowledged the danger while testifying to the House Armed Services Committee and said troops from several military vessels could face a hostile situation as they set up the pier and assist with the delivery of aid.
A scenario in which someone from the Gaza Strip, where Israel is battling Hamas militants, could shoot at U.S. service members is “possible, yes,” Austin said in response to lawmaker questioning.
About 1,000 service members have been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to work on the $320 million pier system, known as Joint Logistics Over the Shore, or JLOTS. It is expected to be operational by early May and begin delivering the equivalent of at least 90 trucks of aid per day.
Civilians in Gaza are facing dire conditions after months of aerial bombardment and ground operations by Israel, with the entirety of the territory’s 2.2 million population lacking enough food. About half are at imminent risk of famine, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
Construction of the pier to provide much-needed aid has already come under fire. Last week, a mortar attack targeted an area where the pier will eventually touch ground. No U.S. troops were present but a United Nations team inspecting the site was forced to take shelter.
A high-ranking Hamas official told The Associated Press last week that the group will resist any foreign military presence involved in the pier project.
Austin told lawmakers Tuesday that he is satisfied with a plan devised by top military leaders to protect American forces in the Mediterranean and said he is confident “the right measures” have been put in place.
But he added that U.S. service members will be carrying firearms and will have the ability to protect themselves “if challenged.”
“They have the right to return fire,” Austin said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin answers a question during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Some lawmakers have raised concerns about the involvement of American troops in Israel’s campaign in Gaza and risks to service member safety.
While the U.S. military has stressed there will be no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., argued Tuesday that American service members responding to enemy fire from Gaza would contradict that.
“When Americans think boots on the ground, they think Americans in harm’s way or engaged actively in conflict,” Gaetz told Austin. “You guys seem to be sort of saying that boots on a pier connected to the ground, connected to service members shooting into Gaza doesn’t count as boots on the ground.”
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted the pier project on Monday and said troops working on its construction are within range of Hamas’ rockets.
Soldiers from the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and sailors from Naval Beach Group 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif., are involved in the construction of the pier. Israeli Defense Forces are tasked with anchoring a metal, two-lane causeway to the Gaza shore.
Once the system is operational, commercial ships carrying aid will sail from Cyprus to the floating pier, where the aid will then be moved to smaller Army boats that will travel to the causeway and on to aid groups. The new port is located southwest of Gaza City.
American troops will be housed and fed on ships near the floating pier. The British Navy announced Friday that a support ship, RFA Cardigan Bay, was sailing to provide accommodation for hundreds of U.S. sailors and soldiers working to establish the platform.
The U.S. military has said it will provide its own security for Army and Navy forces offshore while Israel will take care of security on shore.
