WASHINGTON — An austere Pentagon outpost in the hardscrabble desert on the Horn of Africa proved serendipitously ideal as a launching pad for Tuesday’s commando raid that freed two aid workers held in Somalia. The use of the base, Camp Lemonnier in neighboring Djibouti, is also a signpost to the future, as the military focuses on “economy of force” missions that can preserve an American military presence and protect national security interests at relatively low cost.

A rescue mission from any other American base in the region would have added hours to the raiding party’s mission to infiltrate Somalia and neutralize the nine kidnappers — all were killed — without injury to the Navy Seal team or the hostages. Basing the complex airborne assault on a warship would have been far more complicated.

The “economy of force” concept involves using small numbers from the American military to set up installations in far-flung regions of interest, where they can be joined by personnel from other arms of the United States government, including the State, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce Departments; Customs and Border Protection; and the Agency for International Development.

While a hostage-rescue mission generates news, the day-to-day work at Camp Lemonnier focuses on quiet efforts at improving the abilities of local militaries and law-enforcement personnel to protect and police their own territory, while assisting in building schools, digging wells, laying roads and vaccinating livestock.