01/24/2014: Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force or the EARF has been positioned at the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, since Dec. 18, 2013 when the initial evacuation of U.S. citizens took place.
The EARF is part of a Defense Department initiative of regionally aligned forces, which provides the commander of the U.S. Africa Command an additional capability to respond to crises and contingencies within East Africa
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Credit: Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Combat Camera
- In the first photo, U.S. Army soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force unload gear and supplies from a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 22, 2014
- In the second and third photos, U.S. Army soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s East Africa Response Force load onto a U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules to redeploy to Djibouti after being relieved by other members of their team in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 22, 2014.Earlier, the force deployed to South Sudan on December 18, 2013.
- In the fourth and fifth photos, Soldiers of the East Africa Response Force load onto a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to support with an ordered departure in Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 18, 2013.
At the request of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Defense Department directed two U.S. C-130 aircraft to move personnel from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to Nairobi, Kenya. DOD also augmented physical security at American diplomatic facilities in Juba with members of the EARF, a Djibouti-based joint team assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.