Joint Task Force Guantanamo Joint Task Force Guantanamo ( JTF - GTMO ) is a U . S . military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Guantánamo Bay , Cuba on the southeastern end of the island . JTF - GTMO falls under US Southern Command . Since January 2002 the command has operated the Guantanamo Bay detention camp s Camp X - Ray and its successors Camp Delta , Camp V , and Camp Echo , where detained prisoners are held who have been captured in the war in Afghanistan and elsewhere since the September 11 , 2001 attacks . The unit is currently under the command of Rear Admiral David B . Woods , who replaced Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harbeson in August 2011 . Previous commanders have included Army Major General Geoffrey D . Miller , who took command in November 2002 . History . In 1992 , the United States established Operation Sea Signal to prepare for a mass migration of refugees from Haiti and Cuba . In 1994 , Operation Sea Signal led to the creation of Joint Task Force 160 . JTF 160 was responsible for housing and processing more than 40 , 000 migrants awaiting repatriation or parole to the United States . Camp X - Ray was established to segregate migrants who had committed crimes , such as theft , assault and battery , prostitution and black - market activities , from other migrants and from U . S . civilians and military service members at Guantanamo . In 1996 , Operation Sea Signal came to an end and the military abandoned Camp X - Ray . In December 2001 , after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the United States intervention in Afghanistan , Joint Task Force 160 was reactivated . Camp X - Ray was prepared as a temporary location for the detention of people captured in Afghanistan who were believed to be part of the Taliban or al - Qaeda , neither of which the United States recognized as legal governments . In January 2002 , the first detainees were transferred to Guantanamo Bay and housed in Camp X - Ray . The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) had its first visit to the facility six days later . The ICRC has continued quarterly visits up to 2010 . Status of detainees . The status of these detainees is disputed . The United States government defines them as enemy combatant s , claiming their status was not that of a prisoner of war as recognized under the Geneva Conventions ( due to not being affiliated with any government , being alleged members of Al Qaida or groups affiliated with them ) . In " Rasul v Bush " ( 2004 ) , the Supreme Court held that the detainees had the right to counsel and to challenge their detentions at an impartial tribunal , according to " habeas corpus " . On June 29 , 2006 , the U . S . Supreme Court ruled in " Hamdan v . Rumsfeld " that they had the minimal protection of in that detainees must be housed and treated humanely , and that they had the right to an impartial tribunal to hear charges against them . It said the military tribunals as established by the Dept . of Defense did not have sufficient authority , and Congress needed to authorize any system outside the established US civil and military justice systems . In " Boumediene v . Bush " ( 2008 ) , the Supreme Court held that the detainees ' right to " habeas corpus " could not be taken away by the Military Commission Act of 2006 , which they ruled was unconstitutional . In addition , the Supreme Court held that detainees had the right to access federal courts to hear their " habeas corpus " challenges . Some of the cases are proceeding through the federal court system . Intelligence task forces . In February 2002 , Joint Task Force 170 was created as the intelligence task force to work side by side with Joint Task Force 160 . In April 2002 , construction of the new 410 - bed Camp Delta ( Camps 1 , 2 , 3 ) was completed . The detainees were moved from Camp X - Ray to Camp Delta that month . In November 2002 , Joint Task Force 160 and 170 were merged to create Joint Task Force Guantanamo . The Joint Detention Group is one of the components of the Task Force . It is the organization assigned to guarding the captives , and maintaining camp security . The guards within the Joint Detention Group come from the United States Army , United States Navy , and other United States Armed Services . In 2009 , guards outnumbered prisoners in Guantanamo by more than five to one . The officers commanding the Joint Detention Group have included : Living quarters . Enlisted personnel live in pre - fabicated quarters , similar to shipping containers . Each prefab unit houses four to six personnel . Each prefab unit ships with a toilet and sink , but no internal partitions . Occupants are allowed to erect curtains to make temporary partitions , for privacy . Occupants share communal showers , shared between prefab quarters . Officers and senior non - commissioned officers typically share cottages left over from family residences that were constructed when the base had a larger permanent population . Four occupants share a two - bedroom cottage . According to Commander Daniel Jones , JTF - GTMO ' s Staff Judge Advocate , : " The chow here is probably the best I ’ ve had and a mainstay of each day ’ s activities . A " surf and turf " and special birthday meal are served at least once a month . By the end of your tour in GTMO you ’ ll either weigh 300 pounds or be able to bench press 300 pounds . Nevertheless , you can look forward to a farewell BBQ and presentation of the highly coveted GTMO Bar Association Certificate . " Task Force motto . Joint Task Force Guantánamo ' s motto is " Honor Bound to Defend Freedom . "