This article was written by Eren Ersozoglu and originally published on Grey Dynamics

The purpose of this Grey Dynamics Africa Intelligence Report is to analyze the benefit of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti for America’s strategic and geopolitical purposes. Foreign presence will be assessed, and analysis will provide the implications of competing and supporting strategies on the U.S. presence. The time frame for this report will be between 2020-2030.

Key Judgments

KJ-1. The United States Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) presence in Djibouti, Camp Lemonnier, provides the U.S. with strategic and geopolitical benefits while offsetting Chinese and Russian spheres of influence in the region.

KJ-2. The U.S. presence presents an opportunity to promote closer cooperation with Djibouti in the form of military training but can also be “packaged” to promote infrastructure development and trade. This is also the case for neighboring East African countries such as Ethiopia and Somalia.