Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa stands up East Africa’s first blood storage and distribution center

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s (CJTF-HOA) medical logistics Soldiers processed blood for the first time with the command’s brand-new, and only, blood storage and distribution center.

By Senior Airman Gage Daniel , Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Djibouti Mar 18, 2020

View Gallery

Gallery contains 5 images

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s (CJTF-HOA) medical logistics Soldiers processed blood for the first time with the command’s brand-new, and only, blood storage and distribution center.

“For the past few years we’ve been receiving new equipment as a part of the frozen blood program that will allow for longer storage of red blood cells, significantly increasing the shelf life of the blood CJTF-HOA receives to support local units,” said U.S. Army Maj. Jennifer Wright, Surgeon Cell medical logistics officer, CJTF-HOA.

A significant amount of specialized medical equipment and supplies are required to have the storage and distribution center running at full functionality, Wright said. One of the primary pieces of equipment used is the Automated Cell Processor (ACP) 215, which safely freezes, thaws, and washes red blood cells.

“The ACP 215 takes red blood cells through a process called deglycerolization. When blood is initially frozen, a substance called glycerol is added to keep the red blood cells alive while they’re frozen,” said U.S. Army Master Sgt. Malika Sharif, Surgeon Cell senior enlisted leader, CJTF-HOA. “Glycerol is a non-toxic liquid, but if it’s not removed during the unfreezing process, it can cause the blood cells to rupture, rendering the supply unsuitable for transfusion. The ACP 215 takes red blood cells through the deglycerolization process to prevent that.”

Frozen blood, which is kept below -65 degrees Celsius, can be stored for up to 10 years, but once it’s gone through the deglycerolization process, it must be used within 14 days, Wright said.

“Prior to this equipment arriving, we were not able to repair frozen blood; fresh blood was the only option available,” Wright said. “The storage and distribution center doesn't replace the need for chilled blood entirely, but it offers the ability to store hundreds of units locally.”

Camp Lemonnier’s Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) has its own deglycerolization capabilities that primarily focus on locally assigned personnel, but which also support personnel located throughout East Africa. The addition of the new distribution center allows CJTF-HOA to improve response times, not just locally, but throughout all of CJTF-HOA’s AOR, Wright explained.

“Now, we are able to provide a more reliable blood source for emergencies, efficiently reducing the waste of blood products and alleviating the logistical challenges that exist in shipping liquid blood products,” Wright said. “This new capability will allow us to meet unit demand and serve as a ready-to-go source for emergency situations.”

She added, “Quite a few initiatives had to be accomplished, as well as several modifications to the blood storage and distribution center in order to successfully execute this capability. It’s been a long, tedious process, and it took the entire team to make this happen, but together we got it up and running.”

AFRICOM and Norwegian Military Leaders Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation in Africa

AFRICOM Commander Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Algerian Ministry of National Defense

Exercise Phoenix Express 2024 Concludes in Tunisia

Military Leaders from the US and Morocco Strengthen Partnerships at the Marrakech Airshow 2024

United States and Zambia Strengthen Efforts to Combat Gender-Based Violence

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa stands up East Africa’s first blood storage and distribution center

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa’s (CJTF-HOA) medical logistics Soldiers processed blood for the first time with the command’s brand-new, and only, blood storage and distribution center.

Blood Storage and Distribution Center-Captions

Blood Storage and Distribution Center-Captions

Blood Storage and Distribution Center-Captions

Blood Storage and Distribution Center

Blood Storage and Distribution Center