Washington, DC — Q: Thank you. I wanted to ask about Somalia, which isn't talked about very much. But we have done 101 strikes in Somalia in 2025, and there was another — there was a raid carried out in some caves. And I'm quoting former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who I didn't realize would be here today, but — he asked why we're sending "hundreds of US troops into fortified caves in Somalia to kill, like, five guys." And I think it's a good question as to why the US military is still in Somalia.

KINGSLEY WILSON: Thank you for the question. So, I can — I can assure you, right, this is an America first Department of War and president, so we aren't conducting forever wars in Somalia. We're not seeking regime change, or, you know, we're not nation building.

But I will say that this department's narrowly scoped, intelligence driven counterterrorism operations in places like Somalia alongside our partners allow us to protect the American homeland from terrorist threats and to protect our interests. So, we will continue to make sure that the American people are kept safe. That's our utmost priority.

But, you know, we're not isolationists. We're also not neocons. We're realists. We understand that threats face the American people every single day. We take that incredibly seriously. But at the same time, we're always going to make sure that we're putting America first.

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