U.S. Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Michael Koch, senior enlisted leader of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, gives a speech to CJTF-HOA service members at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti on Oct. 27, 2023. CJTF-HOA personnel welcomed Koch to his new role here in Djibouti following the ceremony.

U.S. Marine Corps Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Kammer, the outgoing Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa senior enlisted leader, gave a speech looking back on his time here in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti on Oct. 27, 2023. Kammer will be replaced by U.S. Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Michael Koch.

U.S. Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Michael Koch, senior enlisted leader of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, greets CJTF-HOA service members and embassy members at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti on Oct. 27, 2023. U.S. Marine Corps Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Kammer, CJTF-HOA outgoing senior enlisted leader, handed over his responsibility as SEL to Koch during the ceremony.

U.S. Army Sgt. Pedro Cruz, a CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs East Africa team member, delivers refurbished desks at the Annex 3 School in Balbala, Djibouti Oct. 29. 2023. The Civil Affairs East Africa Team and 1782nd Engineer Support Company refurbishes desks and chairs as part of an ongoing project with local Djiboutian schools. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa service members deliver chairs to the Hali English center on Oct. 20, 2023, at Djibouti, Djibouti. The CJTF-HOA civil affairs team does regular engagements with local Djiboutians to build relationships with the community. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

U.S. Army Sgt. Trey Jefferies and U.S. Army Sgt. Pedro Cruz, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Civil Affairs East Africa team members, sand and paint refurbished desks at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Oct. 10, 2023. The desks were repaired by the 294th Engineer Support Company as a part of the CJTF-HOA led Desk Rejuvenation Project. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. Army Sgt. Trey Jefferies, CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs East Africa Team member, and 1782nd Engineer Support Company soldiers deliver refurbished desks to the Annex 3 School in Balbala, Djibouti on Oct. 29, 2023. The Civil Affairs East Africa Team and 1782nd ESC lead CJTF-HOA’s Desk Rejuvenation Project for schools around Djibouti. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Civil Affairs East Africa team members deliver refurbished desks to the Annex 3 School in Balbala, Djibouti Oct. 29, 2023. The Desk Rejuvenation Project is a program started by Civil Affairs personnel and the CJTF-HOA Engineer Support Company to fix and deliver desks to local Djiboutian schools. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa service members remove damaged desks from the Annex 3 School in Balbala, Djibouti on Oct. 29, 2023. The Civil Affairs East Africa Team and 1782nd Engineer Support Company lead CJTF-HOA’s desk rejuvenation effort for schools around Djibouti. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa service members post for a group photo with instructors from the Hali English Language Center after dropping off donated chairs on Oct. 20, 2023, at Djibouti City, Djibouti. The CJTF-HOA civil affairs team does regular engagements with local Djiboutians to build relationships with the community. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Bisi Akindele, CJTF-HOA Senior Healthcare NCO, speaks with Kamil Mohamed, the Headmaster of Hali English Center, during a chair drop-off to the school on Oct. 20, 2023, at Djibouti City, Djibouti. The CJTF-HOA civil affairs team refurbishes desks and chairs as part of an ongoing project with local Djiboutian schools. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Patrick Szvetitz, commander of the 2-130th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB), gives a speech during a transfer of authority ceremony signifying the end of his time with Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 28, 2023. The 3-58th AOB, will take over the responsibility of aiding in tactical and strategic operations across East Africa for CJTF-HOA. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Douglas Lindsay, commander of the 3-58th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB), gives a speech during a transfer of authority ceremony signifying the beginning of his unit’s time with Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 28, 2023.The 3-58th AOB will aid in tactical and strategic operations across East Africa. (U.S. National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) service members listen to speeches during their Transfer of Authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djiobuti, Oct. 28, 2023. CJTF-HOA provides dependable, tactical and strategic support to operations across East Africa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Patrick Szvetitz, commander of the 2-130th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB), and Command Sgt. Maj. Melodie Hunt, the senior enlisted leader of the 2-130th AOB, covers their unit’s colors to signify the end of the unit’s authority and the completion of their mission during a ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 28, 2023. CJTF-HOA provides dependable, tactical and strategic support to operations across East Africa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Members of the outgoing 2-130th Airfield Operations Batallion surrounds the Camp Lemonnier stage following their Transfer of Authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djioubti Oct. 28, 2023. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Combined Joint Task Force commanding general, wished a heartfelt goodbye to the North Carolina based AOB. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa commanding general, gives a speech welcoming the new Air Operations Battalion (AOB) during a transfer of authority ceremony on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 28, 2023. The 3-58th AOB will aid in tactical and strategic operations across Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, and other areas of interest for CJTF-HOA. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Hassan Ali is a native of Djibouti and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. He currently works for the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa based on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. (Courtesy Photo)

U.S. Army Sgt. Bertrand Ngampa leads an English discussion group (EDG) in Djibouti City, Djibouti, Feb. 23, 2023. The group provides an opportunity for service members from Camp Lemonnier to interact with students at the school, which teaches English to students of all ages. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Rachel L. VanZale)

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joseph Leveille shows a Djiboutian student a portrait he took during an English discussion group, led by U.S. Army Civil Affairs, at Hali English Language Center, Djibouti City, Djibouti Feb. 17, 2023. Civil Affairs soldiers are the principal experts in assisting a commander on the conduct of civil-military operations, and the sole force trained and tasked to conduct Civil Affairs Operations. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Mitchell Corley)

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, reads a French children’s book to students at the Balbala 3 School library in Balbala, Djibouti, Feb. 8, 2023. The Balbala 3 School Library was recently constructed by Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Army Engineers to provide Djiboutian students a place to learn and grow. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brent Voss, left, 934th Maintenance Squadron Air Force Reserve, with Staff Sgt. Joseph McKenna, aircraft structure maintenance craftsman 305th Maintenance Squadron, observes simulated aircraft repair techniques by a Djiboutian Airman during a training session as part of the initial standup of the first Djiboutian Air Force sheet metal shop, May 8, 2023, at the Djibouti Air Force Base, Djibouti City, Djibouti. The sheet metal shop is being established at the request of the Djiboutian military with equipment and hands on training though the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. State Department to facilitate the repair of their own aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Toby Valadie)

Mouhyadin A. Siid, Djiboutian Armed Forces, plugs in a cable during the Cyber Defense Engagement at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Dec. 14, 2022. Sixteen Djiboutian Armed Forces members participated in the engagement. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dallin Wrye)

Military personnel conduct hoist operations in an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364 (VMM-364) during Exercise Bull Shark in the Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti, June 3, 2023. Exercise Bull Shark is a personnel recovery exercise involving members of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, U.S. Navy, the Djiboutian Coast Guard, Spanish Navy, and Spanish Special Operations Maritime Task Unit, aimed to strengthen interoperability between like-minded partners in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Irvin)

230315-N-FV745-1285 MOMBASA, Kenya (March 15, 2023) Sailors assigned to Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1 work alongside Kenyan Navy divers during exercise Cutlass Express 23, March 15, 2022. Cutlass Express 2023, conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) and sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement techniques, promote safety and security in the Western Indian Ocean, and increase interoperability between participating nations. U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel James Lanari/Released)

Capt. Trey Maevers, 294th Engineer Support Company commander, speaks at his unit’s transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 18th, 2023. The 294th ESC completed 67 construction projects totalling over $10 million across the region during their time at the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

U.S. Army Capt. Trey Maevers, 294th Engineer Support Company commander, sheathes his unit’s guidon during their transfer of authority at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 18th, 2023. The ceremony is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a mission from one unit to another. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa commanding general, speaks at the transfer of authority ceremony between the 294th Engineer Support Company and the 1782nd ESC at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 18th, 2023. The engineering company’s mission, in support of CJTF-HOA and U.S. Africa Command, aims to support regional stability and improve relationships with partner nations through a variety of construction projects coordinated throughout CJTF-HOA’s area of interest. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

Members of the 294th Engineer Support Company, the outgoing engineers, pose for a group photo after their transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Oct. 18, 2023. Over the course of their deployment, the 294th provided force protection engineering, general construction, increased capacity for life support, and engineering support to other units within the Horn of Africa. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

1st Sgt. Michael Sarkkinen, 1782nd Engineer Support Company first sergeant, unfurls his unit’s guidon during their transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 18, 2023. The 1782nd ESC arrived from South Carolina to take up the engineering mission at Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)