CHABELLEY AIRFIELD, Djibouti — Chabelley Airfield marked a major operational milestone with the opening of its small arms range, a $1.6 million project that significantly expands on-site training capacity and operational flexibility for U.S. and partner forces.
Prior to the range’s completion, U.S., allied and partner personnel were required to convoy to off-base training locations or wait as long as a month to access the range at Camp Lemonnier.
“With nine lanes, Chabelley has tripled our local training capacity,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lawrence Melnicoff, 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron commander. “This allows American forces to qualify and sustain critical skills on site while reducing exposure associated with off-base movements.”
Completed four months ahead of schedule, the range provides a dedicated capability for small arms qualification, sustainment training and forward-deployed mission rehearsals. The project supports the 406th Air Expeditionary Wing and 449th Air Expeditionary Group mission by enabling forces to train locally using shared tactics, techniques and procedures.
Supporting distributed, austere and expeditionary operations across the region, Chabelley Airfield plays a critical role in enabling forward operations. According to Melnicoff, the new range directly supports that mission set.
“This capability gives us the ability to conduct skills shoots and rehearse concepts here before deploying forward for combat operations,” Melnicoff said. “Training in the same environment where we operate matters.”
A civil engineer project manager assigned to the project said early coordination and strict quality control were critical to completing the range ahead of schedule, particularly given Chabelley’s limited space and proximity to active flight operations.
“One of our biggest challenges was identifying a suitable location, since land at Chabelley is extremely limited,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Arvin Tena, 776th EABS Civil Engineer project manager. “We also worked with local contractors who were unfamiliar with American construction standards, especially for concrete walls and pads. Constant, hands-on supervision and on-the-spot quality control allowed us to maintain standards and avoid rework.”
The civil engineering team coordinated closely with the contractors, airfield operations and base security to minimize delays, maximize quality of work and deconflict with active runway operations.
Quality assurance measures included soil compaction testing, concrete slump tests and material certifications to ensure the range met ballistic protection requirements.
Melnicoff emphasized the range’s broader impact on force protection and long-term operations at Chabelley Airfield.
“This is Djibouti’s premier range and a key investment in credible deterrence,” he said. “Immediate-response training is now tied directly to Chabelley’s actual threat environment, which strengthens force protection and coalition integration.”
The range is part of a series of efforts aimed at enabling Chabelley Airfield to self-sustain core military functions while supporting 13 joint and allied partners operating from the installation.
“This range compresses the readiness loop, hardens force protection and anchors Chabelley as a credible, self-sustaining operational node,” Melnicoff said.