Press Release: Audit of the DoD’s Management of Air Quality Issues at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (Report No. DODIG 2025 041)

Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released the "Audit of the DoD's Management of Air Quality Issues at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti." This audit was performed in response to a DoD Hotline complaint that alleged Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (CLDJ) command staff ignored ongoing, hazardous air quality conditions on the installation.

"This report underscores the critical need for the DoD to prioritize the healthcare of the men and women in uniform and its civilian personnel," said IG Storch. "Without executing occupational and environmental assessments, the DoD's greatest resources-its people-are at risk for exposure to harmful conditions. Such exposure can adversely impact the health of those on the ground and decrease readiness causing the DoD to incur costs for veteran care that could be avoided with proper notification and mitigation procedures."

The DoD OIG found that U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) officials failed to develop an occupational and environmental (OEH) health risk management plan as DoD policy requires. NAVAF officials reported they were unclear about their responsibility for creating a plan that should include identifying environmental issues impacting CLDJ and communicating information to installation commanders, health care providers, and military personnel. The DoD OIG also found that NAVAF and U.S. Africa Command had neither requested any air quality studies for CLDJ since 2018, nor requested or funded a comprehensive air quality study for CLDJ. They failed to act despite Navy public health experts and the CLDJ Commander recommending such a comprehensive study at least three times since 2011. As a result, officials do not know if U.S. military and civilian personnel deployed to CLDJ were exposed to toxins. This lack of data increases the risk that toxic exposures were not properly captured in the permanent health records of those deployed to CLDJ, which is essential for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

The DoD OIG made six recommendations, including that the NAVAF Commander develop standard operating procedures to detail staff roles and responsibilities regarding OEH health risk management requirements. The DoD OIG also recommended that the Navy complete a comprehensive air quality assessment at CLDJ.

The DoD OIG will continue to monitor progress by the Navy and U.S. Africa Command toward implementing the recommendations.