Submitted by: Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa
Story Identification Number: 2003710122154
Story by Staff
USMC.mil
CAMP LEMONIER, DJIBOUTI(July 10, 2003) -- Marines and Sailors of the North Carolina-based 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) came ashore here today to conduct a wide variety of training exercises and civil-military operations over the coming days.
Joining the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa's pool of available assets in the Global War on Terrorism, the 2,300-strong military force will conduct numerous live-fire training events, exercising the full gamut of combined arms team capabilities including tanks, artillery, light infantry, combat service support, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft.
"Djibouti is an excellent training opportunity for the Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU (SOC)," said Col. Andrew P. Frick, the unit's commanding officer. "The climate is hot, the ground is rugged and there's significant elevation to contend with. By training here, the troops can become familiar with the kinds of environments where they may be asked later to prosecute the will of the National Command Authority."
In addition to combat training, 26th MEU forces will also participate in civil-military operations. Arrangements have been made for a clothing donation through the local non-governmental organization Caritas. Also, along with forces from CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs, the MEU intends to conduct a Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) in Djibouti.
The CJTF has found that MEDCAPs are both an efficient and effective means of providing needed services and improving life for people in rural communities across the Horn of Africa region. With the combined 26th MEU and CJTF effort here, both commands expect to treat and provide much needed aid to several hundred locals.
Medical education in the control and prevention of infections and diseases is a vital part of preventive medicine programs within the overall humanitarian activities plan for both 26th MEU and CJTF forces. MEU personnel will also participate in a refurbishment project at the clinic in Tadjoura, providing a lasting means for future quality medical care for locals.
Supporting MEU training ashore are elements of the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). The ARG consists of more than 2,500 Sailors aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), USS Nashville (LPD-13) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), all from the Norfolk, Va. area.
The 26th MEU (SOC) has been operating in and around the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for several months, having previously supported Operation Iraqi Freedom, seeing action in Northern Iraq near the town of Mosul. This is the second trip into the Gulf of Aden for the Iwo Jima ARG, which is coming from duty in the Arabian Gulf after operations in the Horn of Africa region in early June and participation in exercises in Albania in May.
The 26th MEU (SOC) also participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from November 2001 to February 2002 and follows both the 22d and 24th Marine Expeditionary Units who previously trained and supported counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa region.
CJTF-HOA, headquartered here at Camp Lemonier, arrived in the region in December 2002 and was formed specifically to oversee operations in the Horn of Africa for U.S. Central Command in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The CJTF mission is to detect, disrupt and defeat transnational terrorist groups in the region and support Coalition partner efforts to deny the opportunity for reemergence of terrorist networks in the Horn of Africa.
For its counter-terrorism mission, CJTF-HOA defines the Horn of Africa region as the total airspace, land areas and coastal waters of Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.
With a fully function headquarters command and control element, an infantry-based battalion landing team, a composite aircraft squadron with both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft and a combat service support group providing an organic logistics capability, the 26th MEU is fully capable of engaging across the full spectrum of CJTF-HOA counter-terrorism missions, as well as other missions that may be assigned by the National Command Authority.
Submitted by: Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa
Story Identification Number: 2003721131410
Story by Sgt. Bradly Shaver
USMC.mil
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti(July 21, 2003) -- The United States Navy's High Speed Vessel, HSV-X1 Joint Venture, recently arrived at the Port of Djibouti with personnel from Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa who have been participating in training exercises in Kenya.
The introduction of the high-tech Joint Venture and CJTF-HOA personnel in early June closely follows a wide range of Kenyan initiatives to guard against terrorist threats.
A leader in the war on terrorism in the region, Kenya has taken decisive action to address anti-terrorism issues associated with air and port security. Now in partnership with CJTF-HOA, combined forces are focusing on countering coastal and maritime terrorist activity, according to a Joint Special Operations Task Force spokesperson.
The counter-terrorism training, conducted in Kenya's coastal water and the international waters within CJTF-HOA's area of responsibility, supports the CJTF-HOA's mission to detect, disrupt and defeat transnational terrorist groups in the region. This area is defined as the total airspace, land areas and coastal waters of Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.
The 313-foot Joint Venture is a high-speed, aluminum catamaran-hulled, ocean-going vessel. It is rapidly re-configurable and can ferry up to 325 combat personnel and 400 tons of cargo nearly 3,000 miles one way at speeds in excess of 40 knots, said Navy Capt. Phil Beierl, officer in charge, HSV-X1.
Other capabilities of the vessel include ship-to-shore logistics in coastal or littoral waters, command, control and support for helicopter and amphibious operations including force insertion, recovery and redeployment.
"The HSV-X1 provides a moving command post and logistics base, supporting troops in distant regions - and that's exactly what it did for the exercise in Kenya," said Beierl. It is highly maneuverable, and capable of making a sharp 90-degree turn at full speed and stopping in three ship lengths.
The Joint Venture provides CJTF-HOA and coalition partners with high-speed, ocean-going reach, he added. It has the capability for at-sea forward staging base operations in support of maritime forces and smaller craft. This capability area is a key asset in the Horn of Africa and its surrounding regional coastlines.
"It is bar none the most maneuverable ship in the Navy," remarked Beierl. "The HSV operates as a countermeasure command ship, and shows a strong capability for acting as a mother ship for the wide variety of future systems that are in the works now."
The HSV-X1 Joint Venture provides for a valuable training asset in the Horn of Africa, helping CJTF personnel defend against terrorist networks in the region.