The United States and Somalia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of up to five military bases for the Somalia National Army (SNA) Danab Brigade, worth over $100 million. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee presided over the MoU signing ceremony on 15 February. The Danab (Lightning) Brigade is a US-sponsored Special Ops Force that was established in 2014. Funding for Danab initially came from the US State Department, which contracted the private security firm Bancroft Global to train and advise the unit. The publication Responsible Tradecraft reported that the MoU “is about much more than the US government’s proclaimed commitment to help Somalia defeat al-Shabaab.