The Biden administration is now confirming that U.S. military personnel building the ocean pier in Gaza will likely be shot at from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
During a hearing in the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01) asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin if there was a likelihood of U.S. service members being shot at when deployed to Gaza as they build the "humanitarian" pier.
Senator Rick Scott is on record of saying that any funding measure to bring aid to Gaza is "the stupidest idea ever."
Secretary Austin’s response is telling, and while he confirms U.S. military servicemen and servicewomen will likely be shot at, their presence does not constitute “boots on the ground.”
Sec. Austin said the American soldiers “have the right to return fire to protect themselves.”
When Rep. Gaetz asserted,”You guys seem to be sort of saying that boots on a pier, connected to the ground, connected to servicemembers shooting into Gaza doesn't count as boots on the ground,” Austin responded simply by saying, “It does not.”
Here is the full transcript of the exchange between Rep. Gaetz and Sec. Austin:
Rep. Gaetz: Let's stay on the same subject, Miss Slotkin just said there'll be about 1000 U.S. servicemembers operating a peer system off of Gaza. How many of them will have guns? Mr. Secretary?
Secretary Austin: Typically, all of the deployed service member carry servicemembers carry guns and they have the ability to protect themselves if challenged.
Rep. Gaetz: So if someone from land and Gaza shoots at our servicemembers who are on the $320 million pier that we're building, you're telling me our service members can shoot back.
Secretary Austin: they have the they have the right to return fire to protect themselves. Now,
Rep. Gaetz: what do we do that's like so now want to move to the likelihood that we think someone from land and Gaza might shoot at our service members on this pier? Do you think that that's a likely scenario?
Secretary Austin: That's possible? Yes.
Rep. Gaetz: This is a very telling moment, Mr. Secretary, because you've said something that's quite possible. That could happen right? Shots from Gaza, on our servicemembers, and then the response our Armed Service members shooting live fire into Gaza. That is impossible outcome here so that we can become the Port Authority and run this period. Right.
Secretary Austin: That's correct. And I expect that we will always have the ability
Rep. Gaetz: You think that counts as boots on the ground? President Biden told the country that we weren't going to have boots on the ground in Gaza.
Secretary Austin: and we won't.
Rep. Gaetz: okay, but you guys parse the distinction between like when Americans think boots on the ground, they think Americans in harm's way, are engaged actively in a conflict. You guys seem to be sort of saying that boots on a pier, connected to the ground, connected to servicemembers shooting into Gaza doesn't count as boots on the ground.
Secretary Austin: It does not.
Rep. Gaetz: I they're gonna find the American people have a different perspective on that. And if we're gonna have people shoot into Gaza, we probably should have a vote on that pursuant to our war powers,
