https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated June 1, 2022
Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs)
What Is Security Force Assistance (SFA)?
Security Force Assistance (SFA) is defined as “unified
action to generate, employ, and sustain local, host nation or
regional security forces in support of a legitimate
authority.” By definition “security forces include not only
military forces, but also police, border forces, and other
paramilitary organizations, as well as other local and
regional forces.” SFA involves organizing, training,
equipping, rebuilding, and advising foreign security forces
(FSF).
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 16, governs the Department of
Defense’s (DOD’s) SFA activities. Each year, the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) modifies, eliminates,
or creates new SFA authorities and authorizes funding for
Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs) to conduct SFA
activities.
Background
In the past, Special Forces units handled the majority of
SFA missions, but the growing requirement for SFA over
time resulted in conventional forces assuming a more active
role in conducting SFA missions. Conventional forces SFA
missions were normally assigned to a Brigade Combat
Team (BCT), the Army’s principal warfighting
organization. Because of the nature of SFA missions, BCT
leadership—officers and senior and mid-grade
noncommissioned officers (NCOs)—were typically
deployed to conduct SFA missions, while most junior
NCOs and soldiers remained at their home station. This
situation, while practical from a resource perspective,
created a number of readiness concerns for the nondeployed
BCT soldiers remaining at home station, as well as the
other home station units who were responsible for these
junior soldiers while their leadership was deployed on SFA
missions. One such concern is with leadership stripped out
of the BCTs for the SFAB mission, the remaining soldiers
were limited to training at individual and squad level only,
resulting in a lower level of unit readiness. In addition,
nondeploying units who were temporarily assigned the
nondeployed soldiers were required to make
accommodations for these soldiers, which had residual
readiness impacts on hosting units.
The Army’s Plan to Establish SFABs
As envisioned, SFABs are to be capable of conducting SFA
from the strategic (such as Ministry of Defense) to tactical
(brigade and below) level. In May 2018, the Army
announced it would establish six SFABs—five in the
Active Component and one in the Army National Guard
(ARNG). SFABs were originally planned to consist of
about 500 soldiers (BCTs consist of between 4,400 to 4,700
soldiers depending on type), primarily in senior grades and
encompassing a range of Military Operational Specialties
(MOSs). The Army also planned to establish a Military
Advisor Training Academy at Fort Benning, GA, to
conduct a six-week course on relevant topics and skills.
The Army has also established a command element—the
Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC)—within U.S.
Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) at Fort Bragg, NC, to
conduct training and readiness oversight of the SFABs. The
SFAC is commanded by a Major General.
Originally, the Army planned for SFABs to be expanded, if
the need arises, into fully operational BCTs capable of
conducting major combat operations. In this case, SFAB
personnel would serve as cadres who would accept the
expansion of personnel and equipment required to
transform the SFAB into a BCT. These newly manned and
equipped BCTs would then be trained up to conduct their
respective combat missions.
Based on CRS discussions with the SFAC, this may no
longer be the case. According to the SFAC, the Army is
placing less emphasis on the SFAB’s secondary mission—
to serve as a cadre to create new BCTs—to actively
participating in SFA operations during conflict, thereby
potentially making SFABs unavailable to serve as cadre for
newly created BCTs. If this is the case, it could prove
impractical to use SFABs as a means to create new BCTs,
which calls into question the Army’s ability to rapidly
expand in the event of crisis.
SFAB Organization
According to the SFAC Information Book, Volume Seven,
2021, provided to CRS by the SFAC, SFAC Headquarters
consists of 82 soldiers and Department of the Army
Civilians. Each SFAB is commanded by either a Colonel or
Brigadier General (some Colonels are promoted to
Brigadier Generals while serving as SFAB Commanders
and remain in command) and comprises 816 soldiers.
SFABs are broken down into 60 multifunctional teams
consisting of four to eight soldiers, which are categorized as
Maneuver Advising Teams;
Field Artillery Advising Teams;
Engineer Advising Teams; and
Logistics Advising Teams.
The SFAC notes that all SFAB soldiers are volunteers
recruited from other Army units, much in the manner Army
Special Forces recruits personnel. Individuals designated
for key SFAB leadership and staff positions must have
previously successfully commanded or served at the level
they are being recruited for. Those recruited for SFAB
leadership positions are also subject to a Selection and
Assessment evaluation to determine if they are suitable for
service in the SFAB.
