US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1175

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 001175 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, CA, DJ, MARR, MOPS, CAPC 
SUBJECT: POST RECOMMENDS PASSPORT REQUIREMENT FOR THOSE 
DEPLOYING TO CJTF-HOA 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: Because some military members deployed to 
the Combined Joint Task Force- Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), 
Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, are redirected to jobs outside of 
Djibouti in countries that require US passports for entry, 
Post asks DOD to consider requiring all soldiers deploying 
to the CJTF-HOA or JSOTF staff to have a tourist and/or 
official passport before leaving the United States. END 
SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) Under the SOFA with Djibouti, only a military ID is 
required for military air entry into the host nation; 
however, Post's consular office processes six to twelve 
passport  applications each month, on average, 
for soldiers at CJTF-HOA who have been temporarily 
assigned to duty in other countries of the Area 
of Responsibility (AOR). Yemen, Eritrea 
and Ethiopia all require U.S. military members to 
present passports for entry. 
 
3. (U) Since September 11, passports cannot/cannot 
be issued from Posts, save emergency one entry passports 
back to the United States. Tourist passport applications 
are sent to the National Passport Center in New Hampshire. 
Official passport applications are sent to the Special 
Issuance Agency in Washington, DC. Processing takes a 
minimum of four weeks. 
 
4. (U) Comment: It has been Post's experience that 
the issuance delay negatively impacts CJTF-HOA's 
mission, as slots are often left empty until a 
passport can be issued. Post asks that DOD consider 
requiring those who may be deployed 
in AOR countries other than Djibouti to obtain a 
passport before leaving the United States. It is Posts' 
opinion that this would greatly aid CJTF-HOA's 
responsiveness and flexibility. 
RAGSDALE