Air Force drones ceased flying this month from Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. installation in Djibouti, after local officials expressed alarm about several drone accidents and mishaps in recent years. The base serves as the combat hub for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia, playing a critical role in U.S. operations against al-Shabab, the Somali Islamist militia that has asserted responsibility for the Nairobi shopping mall attack, which killed more than 60 people.
The Pentagon has temporarily moved the unmanned aircraft from the U.S. base in Djibouti’s capital to a makeshift airstrip in a more remote part of the country.
It isn't said whether this is temporary or whether we need to find a new base.
Why not outfit a container ship as a special forces aircraft carrier? This would be a perfect application of the Modularized Auxiliary Cruiser concept I described some years ago and recently brought up again.
With some drones, helicopters, and some special forces types housed aboard, it could sail in Djibouti territorial waters or sail farther afield to expand the scope of action (and gain an element of surprise by coming from new directions).
