An airman assigned to the 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron receives treatment at the new Joint Medical Aid Station at Chabelley Airfield in Djibouti on Oct. 23, 2025. The upgraded clinic places medical services under one roof, streamlining both emergency response and routine care. (U.S. Air Force)
The recent opening of a medical care facility at Chabelley Airfield in Djibouti is the latest sign the U.S. military is putting down permanent roots at the remote site, which plays a role in projecting American airpower across east Africa.
The new Joint Medical Aid Station will ensure that airmen can maintain the health and readiness required to support the base’s mission, the 406th Air Expeditionary Wing said in a statement Tuesday.
Although the services offered are not specified, the facility doubles the trauma treatment capacity at the airfield and also adds mental health treatment rooms, the wing said.
Establishment of the facility indicates a long-term commitment to the region and solidifies the airfield’s status as an enduring forward operating location in Africa, according to the statement.
The aim is to eventually be able to care not only for airmen at Chabelley, but also for the 25,000 Americans who deploy to the region each year, the wing said.
“As operations expand and regional threats increase, the need for on-site medical readiness has become critical,” the statement said.
A patient room in the Joint Medical Aid Station at Chabelley Airfield in Djibouti, as seen Oct. 23, 2025. The new medical facility doubles trauma treatment capacity, adds dedicated mental health treatment rooms and provides a single location for medical functions previously split between separate structures. (U.S. Air Force)
Over the years, Chabelley Airfield has evolved from a small commuter outpost into a more permanent base of operations supporting 1,000 personnel, according to the wing.
The airfield was taken over by the Air Force in 2013 and was deemed to have “fully operational capability” by U.S. Africa Command in 2024.
It has been used for drone operations and other Air Force missions over the years and is positioned several miles away from Camp Lemonnier, AFRICOM’s main base in Djibouti.
