{"id":48908,"date":"2026-06-01T16:36:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:17:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:17:25","slug":"us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.\u2019s shrinking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/05\/18\/isis-leader-killed-in-africa-as-us-commander-raises-force-reduction-concerns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/05\/18\/isis-leader-killed-in-africa-as-us-commander-raises-force-reduction-concerns\/\">military<\/a> footprint in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/04\/02\/us-carried-out-nearly-50-strikes-in-somalia-so-far-this-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/04\/02\/us-carried-out-nearly-50-strikes-in-somalia-so-far-this-year\/\">communicate<\/a> with the country\u2019s government and tribes and also to provide translation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis 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,\u201d the notices states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019 reductions, the cuts have created what Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the command\u2019s head, described in testimony before Congress as, \u201can intelligence black hole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump, in mid-May, said he ordered a strike that killed the second-highest-ranking ISIS member, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/13\/pentagon-to-deploy-roughly-200-troops-to-nigeria\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/02\/13\/pentagon-to-deploy-roughly-200-troops-to-nigeria\/\">Abu-Bilal al-Minuki<\/a>, in Lake Chad Basin, an area that sits in the Sahel region in the upper half of the continent \u2014 far from Somalia, but rife with extremism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Somalia is a hotspot for Islamic militant groups, including ISIS and al Shabab, an insurgent group related to al-Qaeda, <a href=\"https:\/\/africacenter.org\/spotlight\/2026a-mig-widening-militant-islamist-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/africacenter.org\/spotlight\/2026a-mig-widening-militant-islamist-threat\/\">according<\/a> to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new contractors would be located primarily in Mogadishu, the country\u2019s 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 \u201caustere locations,\u201d sometimes at personal risk. The new role would begin in September. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":47,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,47,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3506],"class_list":["post-48908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UXXKPWT7A5HAREOUZXDT5YRXMM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Eve Sampson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eve Sampson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 365,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/9096413.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Mideast Africa\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/9096413.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/9096413.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/9096413.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/01\\\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Mideast Africa\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"mideast-africa\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes - Defense News","description":"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes","og_description":"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00","author":"Eve Sampson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Eve Sampson","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes","datePublished":"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/"},"wordCount":365,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9096413.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Global","Mideast Africa","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/","name":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9096413.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-01T16:36:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:17:25+00:00","description":"The U.S. special operations task force in Somalia is looking for contractors to advise troops on Somali politics, culture and tribal dynamics.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9096413.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9096413.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/06\/01\/us-military-seeks-cultural-advisors-in-somalia-amid-regional-strikes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mideast Africa","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/","ad_zone":"mideast-africa"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"US military seeks cultural advisors in Somalia amid regional strikes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9096413.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48911,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48908\/revisions\/48911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48908"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=48908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}