What little we know of the administration's plan to build a port and causeway to deliver aid to Gazans raises serious questions about the safety of American troops involved in the project.
This is a project of stupendous scale involving hundreds of thousands of American military personnel, the participation of several other nations in the region, and possibly even Israeli assistance.
It would also expose American naval vessels and personnel to hostile fire from any number of sources. The Navy is planning for these eventualities and has long experience covering operations of this kind.
The port will take 30-60 days to build, assuming there are no major delays.
Tonight, Biden will look into the camera and solemnly swear that no American troops will set foot in Gaza. I wonder how he can make such a promise. Unless the Israelis pledge to protect the port from attack once it's in place, the job will be left to Egypt. And Cairo doesn't want the headaches any more than Israel does.
The effort will be undertaken by the U.S. and partner countries, a senior defense official said, and will take "a number of weeks to plan and execute." The official said the forces needed to complete the mission are either already in the region or will head there soon.
senior defense official said the operation will not require American troops to be on the ground. Later pressed, the senior White House official said the U.S. military has "unique capabilities" and "can do things from just offshore that is extraordinary."
Initial shipments of aid will arrive through the port via Cyprus, the defense official said.
I predict that shortly after the port is complete, Americans will be on the ground somewhere in Gaza. Biden's best intentions, in this case, aren't going to be enough. Israel would like nothing better than for America to become tangled up in the Palestinian problem. It would take the international target off Israel's back or at least allow the U.S. to share the responsibility for the subsistence of the Palestinian people.
The Army Corps of Engineers has long experience in the rapid construction of floating docks to accommodate U.S. military operations. One of the main military units involved in the construction will be the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), out of Joint Base Eustis-Langley, Va., near Norfolk, according to U.S. Defense Department officials.
The ships, which are large, lumbering vessels, will need armed escorts, particularly as they get within range of the Gaza coast, the officials said, so the Defense Department is working through how to ensure their protection as they build the pier. Assuring them that armed protection could take weeks to a few months, and the White House put no firm timeline on the construction effort.
America's defensive naval capabilities are second to none. But considering how many terrorist groups are going to want to take a shot at stationary U.S. naval vessels, it seems that Biden hasn't considered that those "large, lumbering vessels" would be sitting ducks to any number of anti-ship missiles and drones.
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