The 2008 border clashes at least temporarily swelled the ranks of the Djiboutian army, with retired personnel being recalled, but the military's size and capabilities are much reduced since the 1990s.

As a result of tensions with neighbors during the 1980s and early 2002, the Djiboutian Army refined existing strategic concepts and eventually formulated a plan to restructure its forces.

Though wars were avoided, the threats from the 1980s and 2008 encouraged the army to address more effectively its major defense disadvantage: lack of strategic depth.

Thus in the early 2000s it looked outward for a model of army organization that would best advance defensive capabilities by restructuring forces into smaller, more mobile units instead of traditional divisions.

Over the years, Djiboutian Army has benefited from material and financial support of various countries such as France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the United States.