A Djibouti National Police dog handler puts a canine through her paces during a dedication ceremony for the new obstacle course training facility Oct. 11.

U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jennifer Pearson

Alongside their Djiboutian counterparts, members of the U.S. Army's 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, Company C, and the Army National Guard 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment, attended the ceremony for the facility they helped to construct.

Over the past month, teams leveled the surface of the training area, welded fence gates and corner pole braces, and built and placed all the obstacles on the course. Fencing materials for the obstacles were donated by Caddell Construction Company of Djibouti.

According to members of the U.S. military and the Djiboutian Police, this project has been a rewarding mission, mutually beneficial to all participants involved. Team members developed and honed new skills in project management, communications and negotiations. The project also generated a high level of goodwill between U.S. military forces and the Djiboutian police.

“I love working side by side with them,” said Spc. Michelle McGinnis, team project manager. “This project demonstrates the importance of utilizing the Civil Affairs teams in the project process. This mission helped to strengthen the trust and confidence of the Djiboutian police, and with police officers from several countries within Africa.”

Col. Abdillahi Farah, Chief of the Djibouti National Police, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the efforts by his forces, the U.S. military and the U.S. Embassy, and presented Djibouti Police badges to project members. He singled out project management leaders McGinnis and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Swisher for special recognition.

Mike Lombardo, regional security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti spoke at the ceremony.

“This is my third African posting and the first time I’ve seen this level of cooperation between such a variety of organizations. Everything seemed to click; we had the right people on the ground at the right time to get this beneficial project completed,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo reiterated that cooperation among all participants resulted in the project being completed in such a timely and proficient manner.

The Djiboutian Police Academy owns nine dogs. The new facility will allow the force to conduct agility training and develop deeper relationship with their K-9 partners. After the ceremony, a trainer gave a short demonstration, putting a police dog through its paces on the course.

Representatives from the police agencies for Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Somalia, and members of the African Union also attended the dedication ceremony.

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