Small Wars Journal

Overview: Security Force Assistance Brigades

Tue, 03/27/2018 - 10:24am

Overview: Security Force Assistance Brigades

U.S. Army Forces Command / STAND-TO!

What is it?

Security Force Assistance Brigades are opportunities for highly skilled Soldiers to join professional, highly trained formations whose core mission is to train, assist, accompany and enable operations with allied and partner nations in order to develop their security force capabilities.

Security Force Assistance Brigades do not replace or assist Special Forces in their foreign internal defense role, but offer a capability to combatant commanders to help build partner conventional forces.

What is the Army doing/has done?

The Army is developing a new significant and enduring capability organized into a formal brigade level structure of more than 800 officers and non-commissioned officers, able to conduct robust train, advise, assist, accompany and enable operations for host nation and partnered forces.

The Army will ensure that the Security Force Assistance Brigade Soldiers are rewarded for volunteering and being selected, this includes promotion rates and boards, selection boards and special pay. Several Security Force Assistance Brigade Soldiers have been promoted to sergeant.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

The Army plans to field six Security Force Assistance Brigades across the Total Army: five in the Regular Army and one in the Army National Guard. The Army has built the first Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia, and is standing up the second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Why is this important to the Army?

The strategic environment requires the Army to continue developing capability while generating ready forces to conduct decisive action across all domains.

Security Force Assistance Brigades are designed to enhance Army readiness by reducing the demand for conventional Brigade Combat Teams for combat Advising over time. This will reduce the demand for Brigade Combat Teams to conduct security force assistance operations, while allowing Brigade Combat Teams to focus on readiness for full-spectrum contingency operations.

Resources

Related STAND-TO!

Related Videos