6/6/2022

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), hosted a D-Day commemoration ceremony and ruck march June 6, 2022, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to remember the sacrifices of Allied forces during the storming of the Normandy beachhead during World War II.

6/3/2022

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldiers conducted a Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3) medical knowledge exchange with Task Force Red Dragon, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), for the first time at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, May 27, 2022.

6/2/2022

French Armed Forces stationed in Djibouti (FFDJ) alongside U.S. service members with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) completed the four phases of the French Desert Commando Course (FDCC) in a variety of locations across Djibouti from April 5 - May 11, 2022.

5/23/2022

COVID-19 reminded the world of the danger unknown pathogens can present to the world, as the disease swept across the globe, shutting down entire societies in the early days of the pandemic. For many of us, pathogens are not a common consideration, or at least not at the microscopic level. There are however a select few people and organizations dedicated to identifying, observing, and analyzing this very topic. Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Pavlicek, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. – 3 (NAMRU-3) director of the microbiology laboratory at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, is one of those people.

5/16/2022

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley assumed command of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa from U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Zana during a change of command ceremony May 14, 2022. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) presided.

5/13/2022

More than 50 US government interagency officials working in more than 10 countries throughout East Africa met together at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti for the 2022 East Africa Security Forum May 11, 2022. The forum provided a face-to-face platform for representatives with the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the National Security Council. The discussions ranged from overarching long-term strategy to specific security threats in the region.

5/10/2022

U.S. leadership with the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) co-hosted a Women, Peace and Security (WPS) workshop with the Djiboutian Ministry of Women and Family at the Palace Kempinski, Djibouti, May 8, 2022. The participating parties, including members of the Djiboutian Ministry of Women and Family, CJTF-HOA, and U.S. Embassy Djibouti, used the venue to initiate an update to Djibouti’s WPS National Action Plan (NAP). The NAP serves as a binding document for integration of WPS principles, including how they will be prioritized and governed within Djibouti.

4/29/2022

Two members of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa attended the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) 100-level course April 12-14, 2022. Sponsored by United States Africa Command, the course generated unit-level gender focal points who can ultimately assist with command-level gender and security decisions.

3/23/2022

The Combined Joint Task Force- Horn of Africa surgeon cell hosted partners and other U.S. military medical professionals during a Military Tropical Medicine Course (MTMC) here March 1-3, 2022. The course provided participants with the most recent knowledge and skills to address infectious and communicable diseases commonly found in East Africa.

3/23/2022

U.S. Army Civil Affairs East Africa Soldiers partnered with the Djiboutian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to conduct a veterinary civic action program (VETCAP) March 16, 2022, in a small Djiboutian village, Hindi. The team treated the goats and sheep for intestinal parasites and gave them a multivitamin injection, oral de-wormer and sprayed them for ecto-parasites. Additionally, animals with infections or upper respiratory diseases were treated with the appropriate antibiotics, ticks were collected for disease surveillance testing and stool samples were taken for intestinal parasite testing.

3/22/2022

French Forces in Djibouti (FFDJ), alongside U.S. service members with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) and units from Camp Lemonnier, participated in the French-led Exercise WAKRI 22, March 13-15, 2022.

3/19/2022

3/18/2022

U.S. Navy Reserve members with the Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 10 (MSRON 10), Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, participated in the French-led Joint Exercise WAKRI with members of the French Armed Forces at Port Djibouti, Djibouti, March 13, 2022. French-U.S. partnership during the exercise demonstrates Allied interoperability capabilities in austere and complex locations.

3/15/2022

U.S. service members assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF), a crisis response asset of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), conducted an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) alongside Kenyan Defense Force members with the Special Program for Embassy Augmentation and Response (SPEAR) and Marine Security Augmentation Unit (MSAU) members in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 25, 2022. The EDREs ensure the CJTF-HOA is prepared for any contingency, including crisis response, humanitarian assistance, non-combatant evacuation operations, disaster relief operations, support to U.S. embassies, recovery capabilities of aircraft and personnel, and other missions as directed.

3/15/2022

U.S. Army Soldiers with the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) and U.S. Marines with with the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 (VMM-161) volunteered to teach children oral hygiene basics at Caritas Orphanage, Djibouti, March 7, 2022. The oral hygiene course consisted of brushing and flossing teeth, identifying cephalic body parts and learning basic oral hygiene practices.

3/1/2022

Seven U.S. military engineers from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Camp Lemonnier’s Public Works Department, and the 712th Engineer Support Company toured the University of Djibouti’s Faculty of Engineering, Feb. 9, 2022. The team met with engineering faculty, including Adoulkader Ibrahim Idriss, the dean of the engineering school. During the tour, they discussed their educational and working experiences while also learning about the school curriculum and facilities.

2/28/2022

Soldiers from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) transferred responsibility of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) mission over to the Illinois Army National Guard’s 404th MEB, Feb. 26, 2022. As a dynamic operational headquarters, CJTF-HOA ensures a strategic partnership with Djibouti, responds to crises, supports operations, protects U.S. lives and enables the countering of violent extremist organizations throughout East Africa in order to enhance stability and prosperity. CJTF-HOA works with partner nations, coalition forces and interagency and intergovernmental organizations to achieve a unified effort.

2/2/2022

More than 40 U.S. service members from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) and the Djiboutian Gendarmerie came together for a medical knowledge exchange of casualty care practices at the Gendarmerie compound in Djibouti City, Djibouti, Jan. 17- 20, 2022. The exchange allowed both parties to share their medical practices and tactics, while strengthening bonds between the Gendarmerie and the CJTF-HOA service members.

1/12/2022

U.S. Army National Guard battalion, 1-102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray, cased the unit's regimental colors to signify handing responsibility for the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa’s security forces mission over to the 1-116th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Red Dragon, during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Jan. 8, 2022.

1/12/2022

The silence is broken with the distinct cry of a horn cutting through the morning air. As if commanded by the sound, Djiboutian, French, Japanese and American Soldiers all leap from the starting line, sprinting across the arid desert. This dash across the Djiboutian desert was part of a rifle marksmanship competition held on Dec. 11, 2021, and hosted by Soldiers from B Company, 1-157th Infantry Regiment (Mountain), Task Force Iron Gray (TFIG), Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).