Impact of Gaza aid pier to be investigated by Pentagon watchdog

A Pentagon watchdog announced on Thursday it would investigate the effectiveness of the Gaza pier mission in delivering humanitarian aid.

The Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General will coordinate with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s watchdog on two independent investigations, according to a statement from the Office of the Inspector General.

“The agreements between the [Pentagon] and USAID establish roles and responsibilities that help enable U.S. humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza through the maritime corridor,” Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch said in the statement. “Given this, the [Pentagon Inspector General] and USAID [Inspector General] are working together to address the challenges associated with this mission.”

The Gaza pier mission uses a lesser-known military capability called Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore , or JLOTS, that generally involves sailors and soldiers.

First anchored off the coast on May 16, the pier has delivered 15 million pounds of humanitarian aid to Gaza as of June 25, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday.

But the humanitarian mission has not been without problems.

On May 25, the pier broke apart after heavy winds and high seas pummeled it only a week after it became operational. It took until June 8 for the pier to be operational again.

Three U.S. service members have also sustained non-combat related injuries during the mission, with one in critical condition requiring a medical evacuation to an Israeli hospital.

The soldier was later sent to an Army hospital in Texas.

Zamone “Z” Perez is a reporter at Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.

五角大楼的一个监督机构周四宣布，将调查加沙码头运送人道主义援助物资的有效性。

据五角大楼监察长办公室发表的声明，该办公室将与美国国际开发署的监督机构协调开展两项独立调查。

五角大楼监察长罗伯特·斯托奇在声明中表示：“五角大楼与美国国际开发署之间的协议明确了双方的角色和责任，有助于美国通过海上走廊向加沙提供人道主义援助。鉴于此，五角大楼监察长和美国国际开发署监察长正在携手合作，共同应对这项任务所面临的挑战。”

加沙码头任务运用了一种鲜为人知的军事能力，称为岸上联合后勤保障（JLOTS），通常涉及水兵和士兵。

五角大楼发言人帕特·莱德少将周二表示，该码头于 5 月 16 日首次在海岸附近抛锚，截至 6 月 25 日已向加沙运送了 1500 万磅人道主义援助物资。

但这项人道主义救援任务并非一帆风顺。

5月25日，码头在投入使用仅一周后，便因强风暴雨而断裂。直到6月8日，码头才重新投入使用。

在这次任务中，还有三名美国军人遭受了与战斗无关的伤病，其中一人伤势危重，需要被送往以色列医院接受治疗。

这名士兵随后被送往德克萨斯州的一家陆军医院。

扎莫内·“Z”·佩雷斯是《军事时报》的记者。他曾就职于《外交政策》和《乌法哈姆非洲》。他毕业于西北大学，毕业论文研究国际伦理和暴行预防。他的推特账号是@zamoneperez。