A new Defense Department Office of Inspector General report shows that former President Joe Biden’s failed Gaza pier mission resulted in the death of one U.S. service member and left 62 other service members injured. The report also showed that the failed Gaza pier mission caused at least $31 million in military equipment damage.
According to the Defense Department Office of Inspector General’s report, U.S. Central Command reported 62 injuries as part of the Biden administration’s humanitarian aid Gaza pier mission, which was labeled “Operation Neptune Solace.” The report indicated that it was not clear whether the 62 injuries occurred “during the performance of duties or resulted off duty or from pre-existing medical conditions.”
The Pentagon watchdog’s report claimed that the U.S. Army and Navy were not properly prepared for the Biden administration’s Gaza pier mission and faced “low equipment mission-capable rates and low manning and training levels.”
“The Army and Navy did not allocate sufficient maintenance, manning, [or] training,” the report stated. The Pentagon watchdog also claimed that the Army and Navy “did not organize, train, and equip to a common joint standard” for the Gaza pier operation.
READ MORE: Pics: US soldier dies from failed Gaza pier injury
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General determined that the Gaza pier mission resulted in 27 watercraft and other military equipment sustaining damage that cost the U.S. military roughly $31 million to repair. “Army- and Navy-specific equipment, including watercraft, piers, and causeways, as well as command, control, and communications systems was not interoperable,” the report stated.
Following the release of the Defense Department Office of Inspector General’s report, CNN commentator Scott Jennings tweeted, “One of the biggest Biden embarrassments – the half baked Gaza Aid Pier. $230 million. 20 days in use. And now we find out it injured 60+ US soldiers. One soldier died! All to placate terrorists & their sympathizers in the Democratic Party. Insane scandal.”
The Defense Department Office of Inspector General warned that the Pentagon faces “potential challenges in global operations” that require Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability.
The report noted, “Insufficient manning, training, and materiel readiness at the Military Service level, coupled with the lack of integration and the interoperability of JLOTS capability and capacity at the Joint level, reduced the DoD’s effectiveness by repeatedly encountering known challenges and inefficiencies in JLOTS operations and exercises, including Operation Neptune Solace in Gaza.”
