The fight against the Shabab, a group that United States officials fear could someday carry out strikes against the West, has mostly been outsourced to African soldiers and private companies out of reluctance to send American troops back into a country they hastily exited nearly two decades ago.
It is true that regional African governments have a foot in Somalia. But they earn money and effective training and some combat experience for their troops in exchange for their efforts on our behalf. This practice of hiring out your nation's military is part of the trend of privatizing war. (And don't forget, while we didn't wage Desert Storm for money, we probably turned a profit on the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991 since we won it quickly and the countries that provided money instead of fighting didn't get refunds on unneeded cash.)
Western governments don't want to return to Somalia. So our CIA is very active. And we hire private military contractors to embed with the troops we've hired from Uganda and Burundi to teach them to fight effectively.
Our direct military activities are limited to drone strikes, Navy missile strikes, and special forces actions in limited doses.
Private warfare won't replace state military force, but it is becoming a factor (again) in warfare.
