U.S. Army National Guard Security Forces task force known as Task Force Tomahawk relinquished control over the essential security mission in East Africa to the 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Brigade during a transfer of authority ceremony on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Feb. 10, 2024.
Last May, 1000 National Guard troops arrived to support the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa as a part of Task Force Tomahawk. The task force, made up of Soldiers from Oklahoma’s 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, as well as Soldiers from Nebraska and Indiana, spent nine months providing operational security and crisis response operations across outstations in the Horn of Africa.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, CJTF-HOA commanding general, gave a heartfelt goodbye to the Task Force Tomahawk, thanking them for their outstanding professionalism, discipline and resilience.
“Tomahawk, your accomplishments and sacrifices only add excellence to your distinguished heritage. When Tomahawks of the future look back and talk about their distinguished legacy, the pride in their eyes when they talk about the shoulders of giants that they come from,” said Shawley. “Those are your shoulders.”
During their tenure at Camp Lemonnier, Task Force Tomahawk operated security posts across Africa and provided landside security operations for naval vessels. The team also conducted Emergency Defense Readiness Exercises in Tanzania, Madagascar, Kenya and other East African nations in support of CJTF-HOA’s crisis response mission.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brent Weece, commander of Task Force Tomahawk, expressed appreciation for the work his Soldiers accomplished.
“As we completed this ceremony nine months ago, I couldn't predict all the events and challenges that Task Force Tomahawk would face, but I was confident that our Soldiers would succeed,” said Weece.
During the ceremony, incoming security forces commander U.S. Army Lt. Col. Eric Ponzek of the 2-112th, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Barclay, the 2-112th Infantry senior enlisted leader, unfurled their unit's colors, an act which represents Task Force Paxton assuming control over the SECFOR unit in CJTF-HOA.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 2-112th Infantry Brigade's call sign Paxton is derived from a Native American word meaning, “Where the waters stand,” for a specific place in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. In addition, the task force’s heritage can be traced back to the Logan Guards of Lewistown, Pennsylvania and the Bellefonte Fencibles who were both organized in 1858 and went on to fight with distinction for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Task Force Paxton now has the essential mission of providing critical security support at installations across the Horn of Africa.
As the United States’ largest tactical unit on the continent of Africa, the security task force makes up more than two-thirds of the CJTF-HOA force and is critical to providing security and building partnerships throughout East Africa in support of U.S. Africa Command.
“We look forward to joining that proficient team that you’ve built,” Ponzek said, referring to CJTF-HOA . “We strive to meet the expectations of each mission set in the Horn of Africa, working tirelessly through the heat of the long days to overcome the challenges ahead,” said Ponzek.
