New USO brings pickleball and pancakes to troops fighting al-Shabab in Somalia

A USO center recently opened at Cooperative Security Location Kismayo, a remote outpost, providing recreation, stress relief and support during deployment. Ericka Rodriguez and Ali Thompson pose for a photo during the opening of a new USO space at Cooperative Security Location Kismayo, Somalia, Aug. 22, 2026. U.S. service members gathered for the opening of a new United Service Organizations space at Cooperative Security Location Kismayo, Somalia, giving deployed personnel a place for recreation and off-duty activities. (Abigail Duell/U.S. Air Force) Bingo, protein pancakes and video games have arrived at a U.S. military outpost in Somalia, offering troops a bit of normalcy at a remote installation where they are also training for the possibility of coming under attack.

A new USO center recently opened at Cooperative Security Location Kismayo, a remote outpost where U.S. troops operate as part of an American counterterrorism mission against al-Shabab in southern Somalia. “Being away from home can be stressful, so the USO gives us somewhere to take our minds off work for a little while, hang out, play games and build a stronger sense of community,” Army Sgt. Elizabeth Thompson, a vehicle mechanic deployed to Kismayo, said in a statement Thursday. Just a few days before the USO’s grand opening, troops from the East African Response Force flew into Kismayo for an exercise built