Pentagon: Suez Canal Blockage May Affect US Military Vessels Transit

Pentagon officials confirmed Sunday that that Suez Canal ongoing blockage would affect the movement of U.S. military vessels, according to a report published by The Hill.

The report stressed that the Defense Department had alternative means of supporting operations in the area, following stoppage of traffic caused by a grounded container ship in the Suez Canal.

"A Defense Department spokesperson wouldn't comment on specific impacts the stoppage was having on U.S. defense or naval capabilities, but noted that the issues it posed would only grow the longer it took Egyptian officials to move the 1,300 foot-long ship from the narrow canal," The Hill reported.

The report added that "The Suez Canal is an essential maritime choke point, and the longer passage is suspended, the more impact it will have to civilian and military transits."

However, Rebecca Rebarich, a public affairs official with the Navy, stressed that the U.S. has alternate capabilities to mitigate impact and support to its operations in U.S. Central Command's area."