You may recall a speech by Joe Biden during which he pledged to construct a pier off the Gaza shore to send "humanitarian aid" to people who support an inhuman regime.
Biden also said there would be no boots on the ground that might endanger U.S. troops.
Well . . . so much for that.
The Gaza pier project was another humiliating defeat for the formerly formidable U.S. Navy. This time at the hands of the weather.
It wasn’t quite as bad as watching a carrier burn in its home port, but that’s not saying much.
CNN reports, "The temporary pier constructed by the U.S. military to transport aid into Gaza broke apart and sustained damage in heavy seas on Tuesday in a major blow to the American-led effort to create a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies into the war-torn enclave, the Pentagon said."
Construction on the pier had been underway for some time and it was supposed to be fully functional on May 17 when supplies began to be unloaded.
"The pier, which cost $320 million, had only begun operating on May 17 when heavy seas forced the maritime shipments to stop one week later on May 24, two days before part of the pier disconnected. It is unclear when shipments will resume.
"The temporary pier, called the Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS), requires very good sea conditions to operate. CNN reported previously that JLOTS can only be operated safely in a maximum of 3-foot waves and winds less than approximately 15 miles per hour."
But a pier that requires optimal weather to operate wasn’t the worst of it, during the same heavy seas four Navy ships lost power and two of the vessels washed ashore on a beach in Israel and the other two evidently were able to anchor — it appears the Navy can still drop heavy objects — before running aground.
In an uncontested operation, with ample time to prepare, the Navy can’t build a pier that can weather a storm and it can’t train crews to keep engines running in its ships.
"The pier was 'damaged and sections of the pier need rebuilding and repairing,' Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday.
"The pier will be removed from its location on the Gaza coast over the next 48 hours and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where US Central Command will carry out repairs, Singh said.
"The repairs will take more than a week, further delaying the effort to get the maritime corridor fully operating."
This latest is a continuing cavalcade of incompetence from a service that was formerly the best navy in the world. Yet we’re willing to bet no officer will be relieved for this failure and there will be no accountability.
The Pentagon is going to get a real wake-up call in the future. We hope it’s not the last one.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now With Added Humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.