Camp Lemonnier

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Camp Lemonier
11°32′37″N 43°08′55″E / 11.54361°N 43.14861°E / 11.54361; 43.14861, Djibouti
Marines with Company A, Command Logistics Element, Marine Central Command, practice their speed and accuracy with M16-A2 service rifles
Type	USN Expeditionary Base
Built	Refurbished in 2001
In use	2001-Present
Controlled by	United States
Garrison	Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa
Commanders	U.S. Navy Captain Bill Finn, CEC

Camp Lemonier — is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base ^[1], situated at Djibouti's Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport and home to the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM)^[2] . It was established as the primary base in the region for the support of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA). The camp is a former military barracks of the French Foreign Legion. The original French base had been named after General Emile-René Lemonnier.^[3] After negotiations between March and May 2001, the Djiboutian government allowed for the base's use by the U.S., providing for demining, humanitarian, and counter-terrorism efforts, and it now serves as the location from which U.S. and Coalition forces are operating in the Horn of Africa. The agreement made by officials from the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti signed an access agreement with the Djiboutian government for use of the camp, as well as a nearby airport and port facilities.

Today, Camp Lemonier is the only U.S. military infrastructure located in Africa providing a base of operations geared toward building security, sovereignty, and stability in the region. Visitors to the base will see and hear the vibrant operational tempo that exists here day and night.

Planes and helicopters are constantly on the go, Navy Seabees are preparing for construction projects, and Marines are moving to meet ongoing missions. It is common to walk around base and see a wide array of uniforms from around the world, including the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and many African militaries.

For more information on the camp and facilities, visit the Camp Lemonier Web site [1]

Contents 1 History 2 Base of operations 3 Transfer to USAFRICOM 4 Tenant commands 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

Camp Lemonier is located on the south-west side of the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport, between the runway overflow areas and a French military munitions storage facility. Following use by the French Foreign Legion, the facility was operated by the Djiboutian Armed Forces. While the United States had long understood that Islamic extremists used the large desert areas of northeastern Africa, known as the Horn of Africa, as a base of operations, combatting the extremists had not been seen as a priority. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. decided to start such efforts. At first, this was limited to focused attacks, but in 2002, the U.S. government realized that to reduce extremism would require long term engagement with the local governments and populations. As a result, it established the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to conduct stability operations in the area. In November 2002, the CJTF-HOA staff, a Marine-based organization, arrived off the coast of Djibouti aboard USS Mount Whitney, a naval command ship.

While the intent was to move ashore, the Camp Lemonier facilities which had not been in use for several years was in a state of considerable disrepair. Some buildings were mere concrete shells and had been stripped of interior fixtures, pipes and wiring, while the roofs of several structures had collapsed. Goats roamed the property and birds had taken roost in several of the abandoned structures. The Djiboutians used the former swimming pool as a trash dump which was a borderline hazardous material site. Some buildings that were closer to the Djiboutian Air Force controlled side of the airport were in better shape and required minimal renovation. As a result, the CJTF-HOA staff remained aboard the USS Mount Whitney as U.S. Army (Bravo Co.46th Engineer (CBT)(HVY)) began extensive renovations. This involved building new concrete pads, maintenance facilities and living areas. In May 2003, Camp Lemonnier was livable and CJTF-HOA transitioned from the Mount Whitney to the camp. The pool was cleaned, refurbished, and opened in spring of 2003.

In January 2007, it was announced Camp Lemonnier would be expanded from 97 acres (390,000 m²) to nearly 500 acres (2 km²).^[4] As part of the process of moving the camp from an "expeditionary" base to a long term facility, the camp built a living area, known as CLUville. CLUville consists of long rows of containerized housing unit with concrete sidewalks and gravel roads. As CLUville was slowly expanded, the camp population moved from tents into these more durable berthing facilities.^[5]

[edit] Base of operations

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) began moving all headquarters personnel and equipment from its flagship, USS Mount Whitney, in the Gulf of Aden, into facilities at Camp Lemonnier on May 6, 2003.

Djiboutian workers were instrumental in preparing the newly-renovated 88-acre (360,000 m²) camp for movement of the CJTF headquarters ashore. More than 1,200 local and third-country national construction and support personnel currently work aboard the camp each day. PAE (Pacific Architects and Engineers) administers the contract for facilities and support operations aboard the camp, which include the laundry service and the dining facility. PAE is a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.

On July 1, 2006, the United States Marine Corps turned over responsibility for Camp Lemonnier to the U.S. Navy in a brief change of command ceremony. U.S. Navy Captain Robert Fahey (United States Navy)|Robert Fahey assumed command of Camp Lemonnier from United States Marine Corps Colonel Gerard Fischer.^[6]

In early July 2006, the U.S. and Djiboutian Government announced that a lease agreement had been signed to expand Camp Lemonier from 88 acres (360,000 m²) to nearly 500 acres (2 km²). The term of the lease is for 5 years with options to renew. Planned improvements to the Camp include fencing, additional billeting to replace existing tents, and compliance with various U.S. Central Command force protection standoff requirements.

[edit] Transfer to USAFRICOM

On October 1, 2008, responsibility for the task force was transferred from the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) to USAFRICOM as the latter assumed authority over the African theater of operations.^[2]

[edit] Tenant commands

Camp Lemonier is run by Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia which is responsible for its expansion, upkeep, and logistics support. Tenants include the U.S. Marine 9th Provisional Security Force which provides the camp's external security, the CJTF-HOA staff, a U.S. Navy Seabee battalion, U.S. Army C Battery 2nd Battalion 18th Field Artillery Regiment, 1-65th Infantry Regiment Puerto Rico Army National Guard as an additional security force, and several aircraft detachments.

Aircraft detachments include a U.S. Marine heavy-lift helicopter (CH-53) detachment, a U.S. Navy P-3 detachment (technically a part of NAVCENT's Task Force 57), and the U.S. Air Force's 449th Air Expeditionary Group. USAF detachments include a USAF HC-130 detachment, and a C-17 Globemaster III detachment.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Camp Lemonnier

• Camp Lemonier Official Web site
• Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Official Homepage
• U.S. Military plans to expand Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Stars and Stripes, August 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
• globalsecurity.org - Camp Le Monier / Lemonier

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Djibouti: a new army behind the wire, Le Monde diplomatique, February 2003 (English) (+ (French)/(Portuguese))