“Thank you, Mahad and the SPA team, for producing a highly informative podcast episode on the current developments in Security Sector Reform (SSR), with a particular focus on AUSSOM. It is both an important and timely discussion, particularly in light of the current global funding gaps, shifting geopolitics in the Horn of Africa and the broader Eastern Africa region, as well as Somalia’s ongoing democratic transition and state-building prospects. At the global level, priorities are gradually shifting, with multilateralism slowly diminishing and a noticeable move toward more unilateral approaches in international engagement. In this context, a sustainable political settlement among the various actors within the country could significantly reduce Somalia’s dependency on external aid and enable it to steadily exert greater control over the process of SSR. Such a shift would also create opportunities to redirect focus toward other critical sectors of the economy that are essential for long-term stability, resilience, and development.”