US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes

The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics, according to a newly posted federal notice, a move that comes amid the U.S.’s shrinking military footprint in the region.

The solicitation, issued in late May on behalf of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Somalia, or JSOTF-SOM, calls for three cultural and political advisors to communicate with the country’s government and tribes and also to provide translation.

“This effort will allow JSOTF-SOM to successfully conduct its mission with an understanding of local customs, history, cultural routines, tribal dynamics, local government, and the socio-cultural context in which operations are being planned and conducted,” the notices states.

The notice comes as U.S. Africa Command has seen a 75% force draw down over the past 10 years. When paired with other nations’ reductions, the cuts have created what Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the command’s head, described in testimony before Congress as, “an intelligence black hole.”

Anderson said the force cuts hindered intelligence gathering across the region, and he warned that terrorist groups like ISIS still wanted to strike the U.S.

President Donald Trump, in mid-May, said he ordered a strike that killed the second-highest-ranking ISIS member, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki , in Lake Chad Basin, an area that sits in the Sahel region in the upper half of the continent — far from Somalia, but rife with extremism.

Somalia is a hotspot for Islamic militant groups, including ISIS and al Shabab, an insurgent group related to al-Qaeda, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Despite the reductions in the region, the U.S. has continued to pummel Somalia with airstrikes at a pace rivaling the year before. In 2025, the command carried out 124 strikes against the militant organizations, up from just 10 in 2024.

The new contractors would be located primarily in Mogadishu, the country’s capital, and must have a Top Secret clearance, according to the notice. They would also be required to travel to different locations inside Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya, and work in “austere locations,” sometimes at personal risk. The new role would begin in September.

Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

根据一份新发布的联邦公告，美国驻索马里特种作战部队正在寻找承包商，为部队提供有关索马里政治、文化和部落动态方面的建议。此举正值美国在该地区的军事存在不断缩减之际。

这份于 5 月下旬以索马里联合特种作战部队（JSOTF-SOM）名义发布的征求意见书，要求招聘三名文化和政治顾问，与索马里政府和部落进行沟通，并提供翻译服务。

通知中指出：“这项努力将使联合特种作战部队-特种作战团能够了解当地风俗、历史、文化习俗、部落动态、地方政府以及行动计划和开展的社会文化背景，从而成功执行其任务。”

这份通知发布之际，美国非洲司令部在过去十年中已裁减了75%的兵力。加上其他国家的裁军，这些削减造成了司令部司令达格文·安德森将军在国会作证时所描述的“情报黑洞”。

安德森表示，削减兵力阻碍了整个地区的情报收集工作，他还警告说，像“伊斯兰国”这样的恐怖组织仍然想袭击美国。

5月中旬，唐纳德·特朗普总统表示，他下令在乍得湖盆地（位于非洲大陆北部萨赫勒地区，远离索马里，但极端主义盛行）击毙了ISIS二号人物阿布·比拉尔·米努基。

据非洲战略研究中心称，索马里是伊斯兰武装组织的热点地区，其中包括ISIS和与基地组织有关联的叛乱组织青年党。

尽管该地区的军事行动有所减少，但美国对索马里的空袭力度仍与上一年不相上下。2025年，美国空军对武装组织发动了124次空袭，而2024年仅为10次。

根据公告，新聘的承包商将主要驻扎在索马里首都摩加迪沙，且必须持有最高机密安全许可。他们还需前往索马里、吉布提和肯尼亚境内的不同地点，并在“条件艰苦”的环境中工作，有时甚至面临人身风险。这项新工作将于9月开始。

伊芙·桑普森是一名记者，也是一名前陆军军官。她曾报道过世界各地的冲突，为《纽约时报》、《华盛顿邮报》和美联社撰稿。