Mission and Vision
Camp Lemonnier provides, operates and sustains superior service to support regional and combatant command requirements; and enables operations in the Horn of Africa while fostering positive U.S.-African Nation relations.
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, its efforts to combat the threat had been minimal before the attacks of Sept 11, 2001. Following the attacks, the U.S. began to expand anti-terrorism efforts in the area. At first, those efforts were 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 (CJTF-HOA) to conduct stability operations in the area.
Today, Camp Lemonnier is home to CJTF-HOA and 23 tenant commands, serving as a key location from which U.S. and Coalition forces operate in the Horn of Africa.