The existing port in Gaza is not really much of a port. It can take very small craft and barges.
It begs the question, where has all the UN aid money gone for all these decades? Seaborne transportation is by far the most efficient form of transport, yet Gaza has no real port and much of the aid and trade through the Rafa Gate with Egypt is ridden with weapons, fraud, corruption, and pilferage. The Egyptians never liked the Mos Eisley freak show at Rafah and would like to totally seal the whole border with Gaza.
The airdrops have been done mostly for the benefit of media. There have been multiple fatalities and injuries as these air dropped bundles land, many have died in the violence of fighting over these bundles, and the cost per delivery is very expensive.
So the Biden Team’s thought is to use JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over The Shore). Not a bad idea in theory.
This concept uses floating Modular Causeway Sections (MCS). These are essentially floating steel boxes. Most sections are unpowered. The unit requires a crane to help load/unload the sections, powered sections, and some tugs to help move and set up. The lead ship has already left Ft. Eustis, Virginia.
Not a bad idea - but one big problem. It is highly likely that once set up, the Army will never receive back this equipment. This equipment is sorely needed for expeditionary base operations in the Pacific. So this “donation” to the Gazans will disappear from the Army inventory. The FY 24 budget submission had ZERO funds for new MCS buys or the related equipment.
The Army trendline for the watercraft budget is sliding downward. Supposedly the FY25 request will go up. I’m not sure I trust that. The existing causeway systems are End of Life, in other words, worn out and in poor shape. The Army has neglected the watercraft world for decades and almost divested of everything in 2019.
Bottom line - a seaport is the most efficient way to deliver all product to Gaza. Who will ensure aid is not stolen or sold? Who will make sure that more weapons are not hidden in the aid? How will the U.S. Army receive back its equipment? Who will ensure the Army is driven into a watercraft renaissance? November is not going to be here soon enough.
