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CJTF-HOA completes joint readiness exercise

USMC

Story Identification Number: 20033116164
Story by CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

USS MOUNT WHITNEY(March 11, 2003) -- Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) completed a 12-day Joint Readiness Exercise (JRX) today in Djibouti using air, land and sea assets and having planned and controlled numerous live-action, scenario-driven events from its headquarters flagship operating in the Gulf of Aden.

The exercise design focused on planning, executing and then evaluating missions CJTF-HOA forces expect to face in future operations in the Global War on Terrorism in the Horn of Africa region.

The common theme driving the JRX scenario centered on detecting, identifying and tracking transnational terrorist activities in the region, culminating in a live, mission executed by CJTF-HOA forces. The exercise's mission resulted in the capture of several terrorist operatives, as well as sensitive information and material that could be used to further pressure terrorist organizations operating in the region.

The exercise spanned functional area activities across the entire CJTF including intelligence, operations, logistics, communications, and also addressed force protection, legal and medical issues.

Aside from direct engagement with terrorist operatives during the exercise, the CJTF was also forced to handle such diverse issues as sabotage, including food tampering in theater and fuel contamination, along with information assurance, air and waterborne threats and attack on U.S. personnel and facilities within the region.

In addition to testing staff planning and coordination efforts, the JRX was unique in the Horn of Africa region in that aircraft and ships moved in real time, troops mustered and deployed and role players simulated key personnel including regional leaders such as ambassadors and coalition military commanders.

The key lesson reinforced to all CJTF-HOA personnel during the JRX was that the war on terrorism is just that - a war - albeit a new kind of war. Through the exercise, CJTF-HOA refined processes and honed skills that will be immediately put to use with coalition partners in hunting for and combating terrorists across the Horn of Africa region.

The mission of CJTF-HOA is to detect, disrupt and defeat terrorism in conjunction with coalition partners across the Horn of Africa. In addition to CJTF-HOA-specific actions, the mission centers on gathering information, fusing elements of information together and providing information to coalition partners so they are able to more effectively wage the war on terrorism within their own borders.

The CJTF headquarters was formed to oversee operations in the Horn of Africa for U.S. Central Command in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

For this operation, CJTF-HOA is defining the Horn of Africa region as the total airspace, land areas and coastal waters of Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen and Ethiopia.

The CJTF headquarters has about 400 members aboard the USS Mount Whitney, currently operating in the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and Indian Ocean areas. The force also includes about 1,300 personnel at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti and a small number of liaison personnel working in other parts of the region.