ARTA, Djibouti - A handful of U.S. Marines and their Navy corpsman exchanged tactics with an elite Djiboutian army unit Feb. 15-20 as part of what they hope will open the door to creating a new Djiboutian counter-terrorism battalion.
Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 12, the Marines’ parent command, sends small security and logistics cooperation teams into Africa to train with native militaries facing regional terror threats. The task force, led by elements of the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company based in Alameda, Calif., coordinates its teams from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily.
The Djiboutian Rapid Action Regiment, formed in 2008 and tasked with securing the nation’s border lands, was chosen as a pool for the proposed unit because of its already high-level of tactical proficiency. Djibouti’s national police already boast a domestic quick reaction force in the form of the Groupe D'intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) while the proposed unit is expected to take a more expeditionary role.
“What gives us the advantage is our extensive field training,” explained RAR Lt. Mahmoud Farah.
The exchange lasted less than a week as the forces took turns explaining and demonstrating their basic soldiering techniques. The team’s objective is was to learn how its doctrine fits with the Djiboutian’s, while convincing RAR commanders of the feasibility and usefulness of a partnership with the Marines.
“SPMAGTF-12 is built around force reconnaissance and force reconnaissance is recognized as an elite force within the Marine Corps,” said Maj. Dean Malik, the unit’s liaison to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier and one of the exchange’s main planners. The U.S. Embassy Office of Security Cooperation specifically requested SPMAGTF-12 for the mission.
Djiboutian soldiers frequently stopped the exchange to ask questions and find time to copy detailed notes as Sgt. Raleigh Krigbaum, a task force mortarman, talked about Marine infantry patrolling.
“Today we are just barely scratching the surface of what we can offer,” he told them. “If you want us to come back and do a more in-depth training package, talk to your command. We’re very excited about coming back again.”
The task force, made up of about 180 Marines and sailors, sent about a dozen Marine mechanics and supply specialists into Djibouti late last year at the request of a local motor pool preparing to deploy a part of the nation’s first commitment of troops to the African Union mission in Somalia. That exchange arose suddenly and was completed just ahead of the Djiboutian’s deployment date. The contact team’s mission is designed to be the beginning of a long-term relationship between U.S. forces and the Djiboutian military.
It could be anywhere from “six weeks to six months” down the road, but Malik said mission planners hope to ultimately conduct a thorough selections program to vet the very best the RAR has to offer. The idea is to conduct a six to eight week crucible testing the mental, physical and leadership capacities of RAR candidates, he said.
Master Sgt. Jeff Milburn, a career reconnaissance Marine and assistant team leader on the mission, knows first-hand the importance of a grueling selection process when forging an elite unit.
“It ensures that the force meets a certain standard and that the leadership knows the minimum capabilities of every one of their soldiers,” he said.
SPMAGTF-12 completes its rotation in April before a new group of Marines based around the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company takes its place.