Djibouti Armed Forces The Djibouti Armed Forces ( DJAF ) ( ) are the military forces of Djibouti . They consist of the Djibouti National Army and its sub - branches the Djibouti Air Force and Djiboutian Navy . As of 2013 , the Djibouti Armed Forces consists of 3 , 500 ground troops , which are divided into several regiment s and battalion s garrisoned in various areas throughout the country . History . Historically , Somali society accorded prestige to the warrior ( " waranle " ) and rewarded military prowess . Except for a man of religion ( " wadaad " ) , and they were few in number , all Somali males were considered potential warriors . Djibouti ' s many Sultan ates each maintained regular troops . In the early Middle Ages , the conquest of Shewa by the Ifat Sultanate ignited a rivalry for supremacy with the Solomonic Dynasty . Many similar battles were fought between the succeeding Sultanate of Adal and the Solomonids , with both sides achieving victory and suffering defeat . During the protracted Ethiopian - Adal War ( 1529 – 1559 ) , Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al - Ghazi defeated several Ethiopian Emperors and embarked on a conquest referred to as the " Futuh Al - Habash " ( " Conquest of Abyssinia " ) , which brought three - quarters of Christian Abyssinia under the power of the Muslim Adal Sultanate . Al - Ghazi ' s forces and their Ottoman allies came close to extinguishing the ancient Ethiopian kingdom , but the Abyssinians managed to secure the assistance of Cristóvão da Gama ' s Portuguese troops and maintain their domain ' s autonomy . However , both polities in the process exhausted their resources and manpower , which resulted in the contraction of both powers and changed regional dynamics for centuries to come . The Ogaden War ( 13 July 1977 – 15 March 1978 ) was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Somali government . The Djibouti government supported Somalia with military intelligence . In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances , the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia , which had previously been backed by the United States . This in turn prompted the U . S . to later start supporting Somalia . The war ended when Somali forces retreated back across the border and a truce was declared . The first war which involved the Djiboutian armed forces , was the Djiboutian Civil War between the Djiboutian government , supported by France , and the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy ( " FRUD " ) . The war lasted from 1991 to 2001 , although most of the hostilities ended when the moderate factions of FRUD signed a peace treaty with the government after suffering an extensive military setback when the government forces captured most of the rebel - held territory . A radical group continued to fight the government , but signed its own peace treaty in 2001 . The war ended in a government victory , and FRUD became a political party . Djibouti has fought in clashes against Eritrea over the Ras Doumeira peninsula , which both countries claim to be under their sovereignty . The first clash occurred in 1996 after a nearly two - months stand - off . In 1999 , a political crisis occurred when both sides accused each other for supporting its enemies . In 2008 , the countries clashed again when Djibouti refused to return Eritrean deserters and Eritrea responded by firing at the Djiboutian forces . In the following battles , some 44 Djiboutian troops and some estimated 100 Eritreans were killed . In 2011 , Djibouti troops also joined the African Union Mission to Somalia . As of 2013 , the Djibouti Armed Forces ( DJAF ) are composed of three branches : the Djibouti National Army , which consists of the Coastal Navy , the Djiboutian Air Force ( Force Aerienne Djiboutienne , FAD ) , and the National Gendarmerie ( GN ) . The Army is by far the largest , followed by the Air Force and Navy . The Commander - in - Chief of the DJAF is the President of Djibouti and the Minister of Defence oversees the DJAF on a day - to - day basis . Army . As of 2013 , the Djibouti Armed Forces consists of 3 , 500 ground troops . The latter are divided into several regiment s and battalion s garrisoned in various areas throughout the country . The Army has four military districts ( the Tadjourah , Dikhil , Ali - Sabieh and Obock districts ) . Its maneuver units are : Foreign military within Djibouti . France . France ' s 5e RIAOM are currently stationed in Djibouti . United States of America . There is also Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa , a U . S . force of more than 3 , 500 , currently deployed in the country at Camp Lemonnier . Japan . Currently , approximately 170 soldiers of the JGSDF and the JMSDF are currently stationed in Djibouti , with their base and naval port recently opening in July 2011 . The base cost a total of $ 40 million and is a major part of Japan ' s role in monitoring piracy in the Indian Ocean . JSDF soldiers are based in the " Japanese Facility for Counter - Piracy Mission in Djibouti . " and are planned to be based in Djibouti for 10 years as a relay station for any JSDF deployment in East Africa .