Security force assistance explained

Security Force Assistance (SFA) a term originating in the United States Armed Forces for military adviser assistance with "training, equipping and advising allied or 'partner' militaries to enable them to defend themselves without 100,000 Americans on the ground to do it for them."[1] SFA is used when improving the security of the host country aligns with the national interests of the donor country.[2] It may be used alongside or instead of larger commitments of the donor country's military personnel and matériel. This means SFA can provide an alternative to large-scale operations if a war becomes controversial or politically difficult. Given the ending of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with US-led multinational missions to train and equip the militaries of weak states for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism purposes, the US (and many other Western militaries) have increasingly shifted towards SFA programs that make host-nation security force more capable of conducting Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO).[3]

Definitions

US Army Field Manual 3-07.1 defines SFA as:

Allied Joint Publication-3.16 defines SFA as:

Joint Publication 3-20, Security Cooperation, defines SFA as:

Theory

SFA is linked to, though distinct from, Foreign Internal Defense (FID). It is a common misconception that the two are the same.[4] One difference between the two is that FID is chiefly smaller-scale and the domain of Special Operations Forces (SOF), and SFA is chiefly larger-scale and the domain of conventional forces, but neither exclusively so. Differences may also be found in that FID is a tactical mission of irregular warfare (IW), giving focus on the local population facing internal threats, whereas SFA is an operational or strategic mission that falls under conventional warfare and focuses on state-level forces that may be both internal and external. Where FID was carried out for decades by special operations forces during the Cold War, the United States developed SFA beginning in about 2006. Given the relative youth of the concept of SFA, and that the experiences of SOF with FID would inform the practice of SFA during its infancy, one can understand there would likely be difficulty in distinguishing the two until SFA has matured in and of itself.

History

Although SFA is relatively new as a concept within western military doctrine, it has been practiced as long as states have had the technology and power to carry it out. Historical examples of SFA are the role of France in the American Revolutionary War and the Cuban intervention in Angola. The modern concept of SFA, however, is intrinsically linked to the International Security Assistance Force in the War in Afghanistan and the NATO Training Mission of the Iraq War. These conflicts gave rise to the current understanding of SFA, and the strategies employed within them also led to the need to define SFA and how to approach it within US military doctrine.

FID, which can be seen as the tactical-level equivalent to the strategic-level SFA, also has a long history. It was employed often during the Cold War by units such as United States Army Special Forces. This can be seen in Project 404 and the role of the 8th Special Forces Group in assisting Bolivia to fight the Ñancahuazú Guerrilla.[5] [6] The US Army Special Forces were enlarged and directed to focus on FID by President John F. Kennedy to counter the global influence of the Soviet Union and to prevent Communist insurgencies gaining power abroad, motivated by thinking based upon domino theory.[7] In fact, FID has been a core part of the role of modern SOF units since they came into being.[8] [9] [10]

Following their initial invasions, both the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War developed into guerrilla wars, with the US-led allies in both conflicts primarily carrying out counterinsurgency and nation-building thereafter.[11] [12] [13] [14] The importance of SFA in the subsequent strategy of the Western forces can be seen in the respective formation of the International Security Assistance Force and NATO Training Mission – Iraq. The key role of SFA in US strategy in the War on Terror and lack of existing SFA doctrine meant that it had to be developed; this began in approximately 2007 to 2008.[15] [16] [17]

The importance of SFA within NATO's approach to the War on Terror has led to NATO countries prioritizing the development of their SFA capabilities with dedicated units. For example, the United States Army began to create its Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) within Security Force Assistance Command in 2018.[18] [19] Similarly, the United Kingdom established both the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade and British Army Ranger Regiment in 2021, both of which specialize in SFA and FID.[20] [21] [22] [23] Finally, the institutionalization of SFA can be best seen with the establishment of the NATO SFA Center of Excellence (Rome, Italy) in 2017, to collect lessons learned and advance conceptual development of SFA best practices, doctrine, education, training, etc.[24]

British and U.S. units and formations

Below is an incomplete list of units that today specialize in SFA or FID as one part of a wider SFA strategy.

United Kingdom

United States of America

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Biddle . Stephen . Macdonald . Julia . Baker . Ryan . Small footprint, small payoff: The military effectiveness of security force assistance . Journal of Strategic Studies . 23 February 2018 . 41 . 1–2 . 90 . 10.1080/01402390.2017.1307745 . 157229640 . 0140-2390 . 2 November 2021.
  2. Matisek . Jahara . Reno . William . Getting American Security Force Assistance Right: Political Context Matters . Joint Force Quarterly . January 23, 2019 . 92 . 3 November 2021.
  3. Matisek, Jahara & . Commons, Austin . March–April 2021 . Thinking outside of the Sandbox: Succeeding at Security Force Assistance beyond the Middle East . Military Review . 34–42.
  4. Web site: Matelski . Thomas R. . Developing Security Force Assistance: Lessons from Foreign Internal Defense . 1 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220626232241/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA495486.pdf . 26 Jun 2022 . 3–12 . 18 November 2008 . live . en.
  5. News: Balestrieri . Steve . SF Working By, With, Through Bolivian Rangers Capture Che Guevara SOFREP SF Working By, With, Through Bolivian Rangers Capture Che Guevara . 3 November 2021 . SOFREP . Oct 9, 2018 . en.
  6. Web site: Briscoe . Charles . Introduction: Special Forces in Bolivia . arsof-history.org . 3 November 2021 . 2008.
  7. News: Shribman . David . Times . Special To the New York . KENNEDY GAVE SPECIAL FORCES THEIR EMBLEM . 3 November 2021 . The New York Times . 9 December 1981.
  8. Book: Jones . Tim . Post-war Counterinsurgency and the SAS, 1945-1952: A Special Type of Warfare . 1 October 2001 . 10.4324/9780203045626 . 3 November 2021 . Routledge. 9781136339240 .
  9. Lindsay . Franklin A. . Unconventional Warfare . Foreign Affairs . 1962 . 40 . 2 . 274 . 10.2307/20029552 . 20029552 . 3 November 2021.
  10. Leary . John D. . Searching for a Role: The Special Air Service (Sas) Regiment in the Malayan Emergency . Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research . 1995 . 73 . 296 . 251–269 . 44230003 . 3 November 2021 . 0037-9700.
  11. Deflem . Mathieu . Sutphin . Suzanne . Policing Post-War Iraq: Insurgency, Civilian Police, and the Reconstruction of Society . Sociological Focus . 1 November 2006 . 39 . 4 . 265–283 . 10.1080/00380237.2006.10571289 . 153772055 . 3 November 2021 . 0038-0237.
  12. Johnson . Thomas H. . Mason . M. Chris . Understanding the Taliban and Insurgency in Afghanistan . Orbis . 1 December 2007 . 51 . 1 . 71–89 . 10.1016/j.orbis.2006.10.006 . 15432274 . 3 November 2021 . en . 0030-4387. 10945/30471 . free .
  13. Egnell . Robert . Winning 'Hearts and Minds'? A Critical Analysis of Counter-Insurgency Operations in Afghanistan . Civil Wars . 1 September 2010 . 12 . 3 . 282–303 . 10.1080/13698249.2010.509562 . 143827718 . 3 November 2021 . 1369-8249.
  14. Book: Kelly . Terrence K. . Security force assistance in Afghanistan : identifying lessons for future efforts . 2011 . RAND Corp . Santa Monica . 10.7249/mg1066a . 978-0-8330-5224-7 . 3 November 2021.
  15. Book: Dempsey . Martin E. . Security Force Assistance . 1 May 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601074628/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA498517 . live . June 1, 2022 . 3 November 2021 . DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY WASHINGTON DC . en.
  16. Book: Sullivan . Michael D. . Security Force Assistance: Building Foreign Security Forces and Joint Doctrine for the Future of U.S. Regional Security . 11 April 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601074842/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA485510 . live . June 1, 2022 . 3 November 2021 . ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES . en.
  17. Escandon . Joseph E. . Future of Security Force Assistance: Is the Modular Brigade Combat Team the Right Organization . 13 June 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601075252/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA482993 . live . June 1, 2022 . 3 November 2021 . ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS . en.
  18. News: Mackenzie . James . New U.S. training unit in Afghanistan faces old problems . 3 November 2021 . Reuters . 17 August 2018 . en.
  19. News: Security Force Assistance Command, 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade activate at Fort Bragg . 3 November 2021 . www.army.mil . December 7, 2018 . en.
  20. News: BBC News . Defence review: British army to be cut to 72,500 troops by 2025 . 3 November 2021 . BBC News . 22 March 2021.
  21. News: Bunkall . Alistair . Army to shrink to its smallest size since the 1700s while £23bn is invested in technology, under new defence plans . 3 November 2021 . Sky News . en.
  22. News: Sky UK Limited . New Army special operations Ranger Regiment to take on 'high threat' missions overseas after Integrated Review . 3 November 2021 . Sky News . 20 March 2021 . en.
  23. News: Warrell . Helen . UK looks to new 'Ranger' regiment to tackle emerging conflicts . 3 November 2021 . Financial Times . 19 March 2021.
  24. Web site: NATO SFA COE .