 ending a mission that has been fraught with repeated weather and security problems that limited how much food and other supplies could get to starving Palestinians. Critics called it a $230 million boondoggle that failed to bring the level of aid needed. The U.S. military, however, has maintained it served as the best hope as aid only trickled in during a critical time of near famine in Gaza and that it got close to 20 million pounds of desperately needed supplies to Palestinians. State Department spokesperson Vendit Patel said the U.S. did not set a goal for the pier.