Why Djibouti? Hundreds of New Mexico National Guardsmen are being deployed halfway around the world

Why are hundreds of New Mexico National Guardsmen heading to Djibouti?

This week saw farewell ceremonies in Las Cruces and Rio Rancho for 400 National Guard troops being deployed to Djibouti. Wait, you may ask, where is Djibouti and what are U.S. interests there?

Djibouti is on the Horn of Africa’s eastern shore. The country itself is fairly poor, with an estimated GDP of just over $7 billion in 2023 — even the poorest U.S. state by GDP, Vermont, had a GDP of $44 billion in 2023 — and not resource rich. But the U.S. has held an expanding presence in Djibouti, now home to the largest U.S. military base in Africa. From Camp Lemonnier and smaller bases across Djibouti, U.S. forces have engaged with Somali pirates — helping clear international shipping routes — flown sorties to Yemen and the Middle East and most importantly been home to the largest U.S. drone operations across the region.

The U.S. began diplomatic relations with the former French colony in 1977, posting our first ambassador there in 1980. Djibouti supported the U.S. in the Gulf War and again in the conflicts post 9/11. This led to Djibouti agreeing to host American forces at a former French Foreign Legion base outside its capitol — Camp Lemonnier shares a commercial runway with Djibouti’s main airport. That occupancy was drastically expanded to encompass more than 500 acres around the area in 2014 under a 20-year deal orchestrated by President Barack Obama, leading to the nearly 2,000 U.S. personnel based there today.

But the U.S. is not alone in its interest in the Muslim country, which sits at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In 2017, China established a military outpost not far from Camp Lemonnier. And China’s sway has been growing as it invests more development money in the tiny country. This, some experts believe, has led to Djibouti being reluctant to allow American operations fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen of late, though they have previously done so. Defeating these rebels is a long-held goal for American ally Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim nation. China, on the other hand, has maintained closer ties with the Shia Muslim majority Iran — Saudi’s historic enemy — and Shia-heavy southern Iraq, where China has invested heavily in oil fields. Some have gone so far as to speculate that China is secretly funding and equipping the Houthi rebels to further distract and harass Saudi, and the U.S.

Given the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had provided nearly $10 million in food aid to Djibouti in 2023 and 2024 — 90% of Djibouti’s food comes from foreign aid programs — the soft power levers with which to curry favor with the Djibouti government have been more limited. Though the deployment could simply be to fight the constant threat of piracy in these waters, there could be another motivation at play. In theory, expanding the U.S. presence in the region to help keep the peace, and the shipping lines open, and helps win more favor and cooperation from the Djiboutians.