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)

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, CJTF-HOA commanding general, joins a group of U.S. service members as they discuss ways to more proactively integrate WPS in their operational environment at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti, Sept. 26, 2023. During the class, men and women from all branches of service and backgrounds led discussions on how to make their workplace more secure and accepting of different gender perspectives. (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, and Denise Phillips, WPS gender advisor, watch over discussion groups during the Women, Peace, and Security level 100 class at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti, Sept. 26, 2023. Shawley visited the class to learn about how WPS is being taught and applied by U.S. service members under her command. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. Army Col. Antionette Mulholland, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa logistics director, takes notes during a group discussion for her Women, Peace, and Security level 100 course at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti, Sept. 26, 2023. Mulholland discussed the importance of bringing in different gender and racial perspectives in the armed forces. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. service members from the Women, Peace, and Security level 100 course engage in breakaway discussion groups at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti Sept. 26, 2023. The WPS course focuses on integrating gender perspectives across management, development, and employment within the joint forces.(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 during the Women, Peace, and Security level 100 class at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti, Sept. 26, 2023. Shawley emphasized to the class of over 40 U.S. service members the importance of WPS and how their expertise will be depended upon when attempting to educate commands on both the African continent and back at their home units.. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

U.S. service members from the Women, Peace, and Security level 100 course engage in breakaway discussion groups at the Sheraton Hotel, Djibouti Sept. 26, 2023. The WPS course focuses on integrating gender perspectives across management, development, and employment within the joint forces.(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin lll speaks to a group of deployed Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept. 25, 2023. Secretary Austin's visit to CLDJ is a part of his trip to Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola to strengthen partnerships and enhance regional security in Africa. Austin stopped at Camp Lemonnier to recognize top performers and gift coins to members of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin lll speaks to the U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Craishod Norris, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa foreign liaison officer coordinator, after awarding him with a coin during a visit to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept. 25, 2023. Secretary Austin's visit to CLDJ is a part of his trip to Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola to strengthen partnerships and enhance regional security in Africa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin lll speaks to a group of deployed Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept. 25. Secretary Austin's visit to CLDJ is a part of his trip to Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola to strengthen partnerships and enhance regional security in Africa. Austin stopped at Camp Lemonnier to recognize top performers and gift coins to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa members. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Jalen Miller)

Djibouti Mayor, Said D. Mohamed and U.S. Chargé D’Affaires to Djibouti, Mario Fernandez, sit with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa commanding general, during the CJTF-HOA 9/11 memorial ceremony held on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept. 11, 2023. Service members honored the lives lost during the attacks on 9/11 and paid tribute to the survivors, first responders, and U.S. military. (Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

Capt. John Williams, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa chaplain, speaks on the importance of remembering those lives lost during the 9/11 attacks during a memorial ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept. 11, 2023. CJTF-HOA service members who lived in New York during the attacks took to the podium to talk about their experiences during the ceremony. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)

U.S. service members assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa stand at attention awaiting the start of CJTF-HOA's 9/11 memorial ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Sept.11, 2023. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, CJTF-HOA commanding general, welcomed Djibouti Mayor, Said D. Mohamed, and U.S. Chargé D’Affaires to Djibouti, Mario Fernandez, and service members across Camp Lemonnier to the ceremony. (Department of Defense photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Gentile)