The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) announced today that it released the “Evaluation of the DoD's Capabilities to Effectively Carry Out Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore Operations and Exercises.”
The DoD’s joint logistics over-the-shore (JLOTS) capability enables the delivery of cargo from ship to shore using special watercraft and other equipment in areas where fixed-port facilities are not available. The Senate Committee on Armed Services directed the DoD OIG to conduct a review of the DoD’s JLOTS capability after public reporting called into question the effectiveness of the DoD’s provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of Operation Neptune Solace in 2024.
The DoD OIG found that the Army and Navy did not meet Service-level standards for equipment and unit readiness for their watercraft units. The DoD OIG also concluded that some Army and Navy equipment and command, control, and communications systems were not interoperable resulting in damage during operations and exercises, including Operation Neptune Solace in Gaza.
“The DoD experienced several challenges during Operation Neptune Solace and while performing JLOTS exercises,” said Deputy Inspector General for Evaluations Michael Roark. “The DoD must improve and learn from these previous deployments and exercises to meet the demands of future JLOTS missions.”
The DoD OIG made three recommendations, including that the Army and Navy review their watercraft units and determine improvements to force structure, training, and equipment acquisition and maintenance. None of the recommendations is closed and the DoD OIG will monitor the progress until corrective actions are fully implemented.