Camp Lemonnier held a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 1 in recognition of the anticipated grand opening of the Military Working Dog (MWD) Kennel.

The kennel was originally built at Camp Lemonnier in 2008. Shortly after, it was condemned as being unserviceable for the MWDs. The dog kennel was one of three focused projects underway in the past few months for the base.

Navy Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jennifer Collins said having the MWDs housed in the kennel will provide more efficient supervision and closer proximity to veterinarian services.

"In the event that immediate care and/or treatment is needed, veterinary services is less than a few steps away," Collins said. "The MWDs will now be housed nightly at the kennels instead of sleeping in the Container Living Units (CLUs) with their respective Dog Handlers."

The deployment for the MWDs assigned to Camp Lemonnier will last anywhere from 6-10 months. Although training exercises are done all throughout the base, the MWDs will now be able to train within the compound; keeping up with certification and training requirements.

Camp Lemonnier enables the forward operations and responsiveness of U.S. and allied forces in support of Navy Region, Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia's mission to provide services to the fleet, fighter, and family.

The base provides, operates and sustains superior service in support of combat readiness along with security of ships and aircraft detachments and personnel for regional and combat command requirements, enabling operations for the Horn of Africa while fostering positive U.S.-African nation relations.

For more news from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, visit www.navy.mil/.