Mission
Mission
Guantanamo Today
Who we hold & what we have learned
Detainee living conditions
Cultural Sensitivity
International Committee of the Red Cross
Medical care
Mission
JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detainees, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the Global War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and on order responds to Caribbean mass migration operations.
Guantanamo Today
The United States and its coalition partners are engaged in a war against al-Qaida, the Taliban, and their affiliates and supporters. During the course of the Global War on Terror, U.S. and allied forces have captured thousands of individuals fighting as part of the al-Qaida and Taliban effort. The detainees at Guantanamo were captured while fighting for al-Qaida or the Taliban, neither of which abide by the laws of war. 
Detention of enemy combatants in wartime is not an act of punishment. It is a matter of security and military necessity, and has long been recognized as legitimate under international law.
Detaining enemy combatants prevents them from returning to the battlefield and engaging in further armed attacks against innocent civilians and U.S. and allied forces. Further, detainees provide the United States with important intelligence that helps prevent future attacks.
Although entitled by the Geneva Conventions to hold enemy combatants for the duration of hostilities, the United States has no interest in detaining enemy combatants longer than necessary, and continues to work with other nations to repatriate detainees who meet the criteria for release or transfer. More than 500 enemy combatants held at Guantanamo since its opening have been repatriated. Recent reports indicate that more than 60 of those detainees released or transferred from Guantanamo have been confirmed or are suspected of returning to the battlefield.
Who we hold & what we have learned
We currently hold approximately 240 detainees.
Detainees at Guantanamo include:
- Terrorist trainers
- Terrorist financiers
- Bomb makers
- Bin Laden bodyguards
- Recruiters and facilitators
- Would-be suicide bombers
Intelligence gained at Guantanamo has prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives. Information obtained from questioning detainees includes:
- Organizational structure of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups;
- Extent of terrorist presence in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East;
- al-Qaidas pursuit of weapons of mass destruction;
- Methods of recruitment and locations of recruitment centers;
- Terrorist skill sets, including general and specialized operative training; and
- How legitimate financial activities are used to hide terrorist operations.
Guantanamo remains a strategic intelligence resource. The information provided by detainees will continue to be valuable in the future as we work to defeat violent extremist groups like al-Qaida and its supporters. 
Detainee Living Conditions
Since DoD began detention operations in the GWOT, it has continued to enhance detainee living conditions. DoD is committed to ensuring detainees are held in a safe, secure, and humane environment. Camp X-Ray, the original, temporary detention facility, which was used for only four (4) months in 2002, has been completely replaced with improved facilities. Other improvements to detention facilities continue.
Detainees at Guantanamo are provided with:
- Three meals per day that meet cultural dietary requirements, and accommodate special dietary and health requests / requirements;
- Shelter, to include beds, mattresses, sheets, and flushing toilets;
- Clothing, including shoes and uniforms, and hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and shampoo;
- The opportunity to worship uninterrupted five times daily, as well as prayer beads, rugs and copies of the Quran in their native languages;
- The means to send and receive mail; more than 90,000 pieces of mail have been sent to or by detainees at Guantanamo since 2003;
- The detainee library offers more than 12,000 items in 19 languages, including magazines and DVDs; USA Today and two Arabic newspapers are also distributed in the camps. The reading materials are distributed to the detainees on a weekly basis;
- Excellent medical care (see details below).
Camps One-Three
A small percentage of the detainee population resides here. Detainees in these camps are housed in individual cells with a toilet and sink in each cell. There are 10 cellblocks with 48 cells each. Detainees wear tan uniforms and canvas sneakers. The detainees are permitted at least two hours each day in one of two exercise yards at the end of each cellblock. Showers are allowed in outdoor stalls after exercise periods.
Camp Four
Camp Four is the communal living facility for the most compliant detainees. In Camp Four, detainees live in 10-man bays with access to exercise yards and other recreational privileges. Detainees wear white uniforms and share living spaces with other detainees. Detainees are generally allowed to use outdoor exercise yards attached to their living bays up to 20 hours a day. Large exercise yards include group recreational and sports equipment, such as ping-pong, volleyball, basketball, and soccer equipment. 
Camp Five
Camp Five is a state-of-the-art, $16 million facility, completed in May 2004. Its construction was based upon a modern maximum-security design used for U.S. federal penitentiaries. Composed of four wings of 12 to 14 individual cells each, the two-story facility houses non-compliant detainees. The camp is run from a centralized, raised, glass-enclosed control center in the middle of the facility, giving the guards a clear line of sight into both stories of each wing. Detainees also have 10-foot-by-20-foot outdoor exercise yards, to which they have access several hours every day.
Camp Six
Camp Six, also modeled after U.S. prison facilities, is a $37-million facility completed in November 2006. This two-story maximum-security facility can accommodate approximately 160 detainees. Outdoor recreation areas are incorporated into this air-conditioned facility, sheltering detainees from the weather outside. A medical clinic with two medical exam rooms, a dental exam room and five medical cells is located within Camp 6 to provide immediate medical and dental service to the detainees.
Camp Six was envisioned to be a medium-security facility, but during its construction in June 2006, the JTF Guard staff witnessed a minor uprising and three successful suicides. Following these events, Camp 6 was modified with safety in mind for Guards and detainees alike. Some of the changes included single recreation areas, access control fencing, enclosed shower stalls and anti-climb fencing.
Cultural Sensitivity
The Muslim call to prayer is observed in the camps five times a day -- generally at 5:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Once the prayer call sounds, detainees receive 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to practice their faith. The guard force strives to ensure detainees are not interrupted during the 20 minutes following the prayer call, even if detainees are not involved in religious activity. Detainee medical appointments, interrogations and other activities are scheduled mindful of the prayer call schedule. 
Every detainee at Guantanamo has been issued a personal copy of the Quran. Strict measures are also in place throughout the facility to ensure that the Quran is treated properly by detention personnel.
Detention personnel also respect Islamic holy periods, like Ramadan, by modifying meal schedules and camp operations in observance of religious requirements.
DoD personnel deployed to Guantanamo undergo sensitivity training before their assignment to ensure all detention personnel understand Islamic practices.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly visits detainees and have access to all detainees at Guantanamo.
ICRC representatives also process mail to and from the detainees. Annually, more than more than 3,000 pieces of mail are sent to or by detainees at Guantanamo.
ICRC communications with governments worldwide, including the U.S., are based on the principle of confidentiality. For this reason, DoD does not publicly discuss confidential ICRC reports.
Medical Care
The medical care provided to detainees at Guantanamo is on the same level as that which U.S. service members receive.
Detainees are treated at a dedicated medical facility with state-of-the-art equipment and an expert medical staff. Detainees have immediate access to medical care 24 hours a day/seven days a week. There is a 2:1 detainee to medical staff ratio. The medical facility is equipped with 20 inpatient beds (expandable to 30), a physical-therapy area, pharmacy, radiology department, central sterilization area, and a single-bed operating room. More serious medical conditions can be treated at the Naval Base Hospital operating room and intensive-care unit. Specialists are available to provide care at Guantanamo for any medical needs that exceed the capabilities of the Naval Base Hospital.
In addition to the detainee hospital, there is a separate facility for dedicated mental health care. Most routine medical care is administered by Navy corpsmen who visit each cellblock every week and whenever a detainee requests care. In addition to providing routine medical care, the hospital staff has treated detainees for wounds sustained prior to detention and other pre-existing medical conditions (often unknown to the detainees before their medical treatment at Guantanamo). The medical staff conducts approximately 1,800 visits annually.
Detainees at GTMO have received immunizations, which most would not have had available to them in their home countries. Some detainees have been provided life-changing care, such as receiving prosthetic limbs or having a cancerous tumor removed. Psychological care also is available for detainees who need or request it.