(NewsNation) — As the Pentagon works out details on a maritime corridor to move humanitarian aid into Gaza, the safety of U.S. troops offshore is a “top concern,” officials told NewsNation.
Still, some lawmakers are still worried about their proximity to the Israel-Hamas war, even as President Joe Biden said there will be no U.S. boots on the ground.
Biden announced the creation of the temporary port on the Gaza coast with the help of U.S. military personnel during his State of the Union address in early March. A U.S. Army ship left three days later from Joint Base Langley-Eustis for the Mediterranean Sea to start construction on the temporary pier.
The Biden administration is trying to expedite the process as the Israel-Hamas war puts those in the Gaza Strip in a dire situation. Officials say they hope to get aid there within the next 60 days.
Pentagon officials told NewsNation that planning for the port is still underway, although its cost to the U.S. taxpayer is still unclear. A Defense Department official told NewsNation it’s “too early” in the operation to provide an assessment but said the cost of not providing the assistance is too high.
When it comes to securing the floating pier and causeway, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “wants to make sure that our people are taken care of,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday.
Singh said the Pentagon is “around 50 days” from when the pier and causeway will be operational, but she added that’s a “rough” timeline.
“It’s obviously something that we take very seriously,” Singh said.
Maj. Pete Nguyen, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, said while the temporary pier will bring “much-needed assistance” into Gaza, “it’s important to note this is in addition to our ongoing efforts” to give people aid.
Exact details of the port are still being worked through with U.S. partners in the region, including the Israel Defense Forces.
However, this comes at a time when famine is imminent in northern Gaza, with about 70% of people experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report by the international community’s authority on determining the severity of hunger crises. Aid groups said deliveries by air and sea by the United States and other countries are too slow and too small.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Central Command troops will move the pier off the coast, and then IDF assets will secure it, so U.S. troops will not physically be in Gaza.
The CENTCOM commander feels good about progress the Department of Defense is making, Sullivan added.
“We’re moving heaven and Earth to get all of the complex logistics associated with it fully integrated into the pipeline for aid going into Gaza,” Sullivan said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
