The Navy wants to beef up its networks at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, headquarters for the Combined Joint Task Force -- Horn of Africa. So the service invited interested vendors to attend a two-day briefing there next month.
Based on the medical requirements to attend the event, I think only vendors truly desperate will attend.
To make the gabfest, vendors will need to have been administered a yellow fever shot, malaria pills, a TB test and have undergone a full examination by their primary care physician, the Navy said. It added a warning: Camp Lemonnier has limited medical facilities.
The camp -- and I empathize with the troops pulling a year tour there -- is an old French Foreign Legion post, located between the runways of the Djibouti airport and a French ammo storage facility.
The weather also may serve as a disincentive for attracting large crowds of widgeteers. The temperature on Tuesday was a crispy 104 degrees. I can't begin to imagine the temperature in July.
I don't think the vendor who whined about driving from Washington to Eatontown, N.J., for a Veterans Affairs Department industry day has any plans to make the Djibouti gig.
I'm just guessing.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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