CJTF-HOA Commander says SD National Guard soldiers leave their mark
SDNG Public AffairsMay 14, 2021News (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman KristinU.S. Army soldiers assigned to the East Africa Response Force and the South Dakota National Guard’s 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in support of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA). Live-fire joint artillery training.
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – South Dakota National Guard soldiers assigned to the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), are deployed to Camp Lemonnier, as the core staff for Combined Joint Task force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA). This is the first time in the history of CJTF-HOA that the staff has been made up of primarily one unit.
26 I never thought I’d be back in Africa,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Issaka Guebre, a Burkina Faso native. “Having the opportunity to do this course in Africa means a lot.”
Guebre, a combat medic with Civil Affairs East Africa Southern European Task Force Africa (CA-EA SETAF-AF), in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, is one of about 40 U.S. Servicemembers who participated in this month’s iteration of the French Desert Commando Course (FDCC).
The multi-day course consisted of various land and water obstacles, combative training, and extreme endurance exercises in order to challenge participants both physically and mentally. Those that completed each obstacle successfully in the allotted time, received the coveted FDCC badge at the end of the course.
1 CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Boston’s Berklee College of Music is one of the world’s preeminent music study institutes. Many graduates go on to become industry professionals while others become mega music stars. But only one graduate of Berklee now serves with the U.S. Army in the Horn of Africa.
Army Capt. Kai Callwood, who holds a degree in music production and engineering and another in music business management, is a Logistics Civil Augmentation Program professional assigned to the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Army Field Support Battalion-Africa.
Currently deployed to Djibouti and Somalia, the classical and jazz tuba and trombone musician now spends most of his days as a 405th AFSB LOGCAP professional assisting with various contractual and logistical requirements. He also serves as a petroleum and water operations planner and volunteer mortuary affairs officer.
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The United States has said there is no plan to relocate its Africa Command from its current base in Germany to Nigeria or any other part of Africa despite the worsening state of insecurity in the region.
The US gave the response barely two weeks after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), appealed to the US government to consider relocating AFRICOM to Africa to assist Nigeria and other adjoining countries to combat worsening terrorism, banditry and other security crises.
The President made the plea in a virtual meeting with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on April 27.
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Oyetunji Abioye
Published 8 May 2021
The United States has said there is no plan to relocate its Africa Command from its current base in Germany to Nigeria or any other part of Africa despite the worsening state of insecurity in the region.
The US gave the response barely two weeks after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), appealed to the US government to consider relocating AFRICOM to Africa to assist Nigeria and other adjoining countries to combat worsening terrorism, banditry and other security crises.
Germany-based Africa Command (AFRICOM) is the US military headquarters that oversees its operations in Africa.