Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert visited service members assigned to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, January 20, 2009.



Greenert made the trip to Camp Lemonnier to get insight and feedback on current operations and campaign plans in the CJTF-HOA area of responsibility with respect to Navy force shaping. Upon landing, he met with junior service members from each military branch and asked about their experiences serving in U.S. Africa Command.



"I'm amazed at the professionalism of the people we have here, the diverse skill set and the positive attitude everybody has," Greenert said.



The admiral also held an all-hands call with all Navy personnel serving at Camp Lemonnier. He reassured them that that day's transition of power to newly-inaugurated President Barack Obama later that day will not result in any immediate changes in the operational environment. He also discussed other issues facing junior sailors and officers alike, including advancement and force shaping but concentrating on the Individual Augmentee (IA) program that had brought them all to Djibouti. He stressed that Navy officials recognize there is always room for improvement in the program and they are striving to do so every day.



"If we're going to ask people to take a part of their career path to do something a little different, to provide their special skill to the joint arena and to a campaign very important to all of us, we have to be able to integrate that into a Navy career and make it a special part of that career that will influence them in the future," Greenert said.



He encouraged the sailors to keep up the great work they were doing in the joint environment, discussing the strategic importance of maintaining a positive presence in Africa.



"The things like piracy, terrorism and counter-insurgency that are going on in this part of the world, most of that roots from an unstable area," Greenert said. "What these folks are doing is adding to a stability in the continent of Africa that will prevent future conflict. That's a foundation of our maritime strategy."



Greenert answered questions from the sailors during the call and rewarded them with his command coin for their participation. He also met with senior leadership, attended a CJTF-HOA mission brief and toured the Emergency Medical Facility and the camp during his visit. Just before departing, Greenert said he was very impressed by the things he saw and the people he talked to.



"They're really focused and they really believe in what they're doing, which is most important," Greenert said. "And the country is very much behind the people who serve here and very understanding of the great service that they do."



As U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) commander, Greenert is responsible for organizing, manning, training, and equipping naval forces for assignment to combatant commanders and to deter, detect, and defend against homeland maritime threats and articulate fleet readiness requirements to the Chief of Naval Operations.