January 15, 2003 18:02

Guest Column: Marines at Risk in Djibouti

Editor's Note: The U.S. Marine Corps this coming October 23 will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Beirut terrorist bombing incident that killed 241 members of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit guarding the Beirut International Airport as part of a multinational peacekeeping operation in Lebanon. The official Long Commission inquest into the incident revealed that a cumbersome chain of command, confused interpretations over the unit's mission, and severely strict rules of engagement were contributing factors to the success of the terrorist attack.

There have been dozens of major terrorist strikes against the United States since 1983, and a review of the record shows that the U.S. military itself has repeatedly deployed military units or personnel into unstable areas with an inadequate physical security plan and insufficient intelligence protection - and suffered four separate terrorist attacks that killed a total of 43 military personnel. This includes a 1985 car bombing in Germany, two separate car/truck bombings in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996, and the Oct. 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.

In the wake of 9/11, the U.S. military has deployed forces to dozens of countries in the war against terrorism, and is currently surging forces to Southwest Asia in event the United States opts to intervene in Iraq. However, as the Guest Column that appears here indicates, the Defense Department is still deploying troops in harm's way with a dangerous indifference to the need for effective physical security.

By a Concerned Officer

I am writing to DefenseWatch because the U.S. Marines serving in Djibouti need help.

Here's the situation: I am currently serving with the Combined Joint Task Force/Horn of Africa. The majority of the task force is currently embarked on the command ship USS Mount Whitney but the rest of us are based at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Camp Lemonier is horribly defended. The front gate has nothing higher than a 5.56mm covering it, and is only yards away from the base operations center. The only sandbags around are to hold the flaps of tents down. The Army MP Company that does security is lazy and doesn't coordinate with its other-service counterparts on the base. The perimeter is reinforced with concertina (barriers filled with rock and sand) in some places, but in others it is just a fence.

The Djiboutians who work at the camp drive so horribly that the snake obstacles at the front gate were removed, thus allowing anybody plenty of room to drive a truckload of explosives into the camp. There are no bunkers.

Finally, upon entering Camp Lemonier - unless you are part of the guard force - you are required to lock your weapon in the armory and surrender all your ammunition.

I find this situation to be unsatisfactory. The current commanders are more afraid of personnel having accidental weapons discharges than they are of the enemy. If an enemy force penetrated the camp tomorrow and killed 20 personnel, I doubt that anyone would be relieved of command.

No matter what the threat is perceived as by higher commands, all U.S. military personnel have the right to self-defense. I define the right to self-defense as being allowed to carry my sidearm fully loaded at all times.

The folks who run the camp don't work for CJTF-HOA, they work for Marine Corps Central Command (MARCENT). The commanding general of CJTF-HOA is Maj. Gen. John F. Sattler USMC, while MARCENT is commanded by Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston USMC.

The folks here worry more about offending the perceived thin-skinned Djiboutians by fortifying the base than they do about ensuring that all our personnel make it back home in one piece.

One more thing: Abdirahaman Boreh, the primary contractor supplying our host-nation workforce for Camp Lemonier, is a known associate of Osama bin Laden. He is a friend of the president of Djibouti and one of the most powerful people in the region.

The entire local work force building Camp Lemonier has been hired by Brown and Root (yes, the company that Dick Cheney used to head), but they are hiring folks supplied by Boreh. The bottom line is that a known high-level associate of Osama bin Laden is supplying the work force for Camp Lemonier.

When we found out about this, we notified Central Command headquarters. Apparently in order to not offend the Djiboutians and Boreh, and cause a rift in relations between the United States and Djibouti, CENTCOM told us to forget about it.

We are in danger and powerless to stop it. Worse than that, nobody seems to want to stop it.

Do you think Boreh's workforce is pacing out the locations of everything in the camp for mortar attacks? Probably so.

The author is a U.S. Marine Corps officer serving in Djbouti.