Security force assistance

Last updated
American advisers teaching mortar firing techniques to Afghan soldiers during the War in Afghanistan Letting go, Military advisors prepare for next step in Afghanistan 131117-M-ZB219-021.jpg
American advisers teaching mortar firing techniques to Afghan soldiers during the War in Afghanistan

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. [1] This means SFA can provide an alternative to large-scale operations if a war becomes controversial or politically difficult. [1]

Contents

Definitions

Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union military advisers during the Angolan Civil War East Bloc military advisors in Angola, 1980s.JPEG
Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union military advisers during the Angolan Civil War

US Army Field Manual 3-07.1 defines SFA as:

Security force assistance is the unified action to generate, employ, and sustain local, host-nation or regional security forces in support of a legitimate authority.

— Field Manual 3-07.1: Security Force Assistance, 2009 [3]

Allied Joint Publication-3.16 defines SFA as:

Security force assistance (SFA) includes all NATO activities that develop and improve, or directly support, the development of local forces and their associated institutions in crisis zones. Local forces comprise indigenous, non-NATO military security forces...

— Allied Joint Doctrine for Security Force Assistance (AJP-3.16), 2016 [4]

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

Security force assistance is the set of Department of Defense security cooperation activities that contribute to unified action by the United States Government to support the development of the capacity and capabilities of foreign security forces and their supporting institutions, whether of a partner nation or an international organization (e.g., regional security organization), in support of US objectives.

— Joint Publication 3-20, Security Cooperation, 2017 [5]

Theory

SFA is linked to, though distinct from, Foreign Internal Defense (FID). It is a common misconception that the two are the same. [6] 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. [6] 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. [6] 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. [7] [8] 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. [9] In fact, FID has been a core part of the role of modern SOF units since they came into being. [10] [11] [12]

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. [13] [14] [15] [16] 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. [17] [18] [19]

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. [20] [21] 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. [22] [23] [24] [25]

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

Activation ceremony of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade US Army 1st SFAB activation ceremony.jpg
Activation ceremony of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defence Forces of Georgia</span> Combined military forces of Georgia

The Defence Forces of Georgia, or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defence of the nation's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. They consist of the Land Force, Air Force, National Guard, and Special Operations Forces. The Defence Forces are under overall leadership of the Minister of Defence of Georgia and directly headed by the Chief of Defence Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithuanian Armed Forces</span> Armed forces of Lithuania

The Lithuanian Armed Forces are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service becomes part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of North Macedonia</span> Combined military forces of North Macedonia

The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia is the military of North Macedonia. The army is organized, prepared and trained to conduct armed struggle and combat and other actions to achieve its constitutional function of defending the independence and territorial integrity of North Macedonia. The army consists of the ground forces and the air force, which are further divided into branches and services. The army has a permanent composition and reserve forces. Since 2005, it is a fully professional defense force compatible with NATO standards. On 27 March 2020, North Macedonia joined NATO as the 30th member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of the Netherlands

The Netherlands Armed Forces are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The service branches are supplemented by various joint support organisations. In addition, local conscript forces exist on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba (AruMil) and Curaçao (CurMil). These operate under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. The armed forces are organisationally part of the Ministry of Defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albanian Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Albania

The Albanian Armed Forces are the military of Albania and were formed after the declaration of independence in 1912. Today, it consists of the General Staff, the Albanian Land Force, Albanian Air Force and the Albanian Naval Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Central Command</span> Unified combatant command of the U.S. Armed Forces responsible for the Middle East

The United States Central Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special operations</span> Specially designated military operations that are considered unconventional

Special operations or spec ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as special forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military advisor</span> Soldier sent to a foreign nation to aid that nation in various military tasks

Military advisors or combat advisors are military personnel deployed to advise on military matters. The term is often used for soldiers sent to foreign countries to aid such countries' militaries with their military education and training, organization, and other various military tasks. The foreign powers or organizations may send such soldiers to support countries or insurgencies while minimizing the risks of potential casualties and avoiding the political ramifications of overtly mobilizing military forces to aid an ally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States European Command</span> Unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the European region

The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers 21,000,000 square miles (54,000,000 km2) and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, The Caucasus, Russia and Greenland. The Commander of the United States EUCOM simultaneously serves as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) within NATO, a military alliance. During the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch, EUCOM controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Afghanistan order of battle, 2012</span> Coalition forces in Afghanistan (2012)

Below is the disposition and structure of international military forces that were participating in the War in Afghanistan in November 2012, listing deployed units under the command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which controlled both combat and reconstruction operations. During its existence from 2001 to 2014, despite the photos in this article only showing American soldiers, marines and sailors, the ISAF comprised units from many countries, including: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and others. In this article, units are assumed to be from the United States unless otherwise stated. This list is a rough and unofficial listing of units and formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Scaparrotti</span> US Army general

Curtis Michael "Mike" Scaparrotti is a retired United States Army four-star general who last served as the commander of United States European Command. He concurrently served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Scaparrotti previously served as the director of the Joint Staff. Prior to his tour with the Joint Staff, Scaparrotti served as commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and deputy commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, the commanding general of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embedded Training Teams</span>

Embedded Training Teams or ETT is the term used by the US military since 2003 to describe conventional forces used to train and mentor Afghan forces. They were formed in 2003 under Task Force Phoenix. Although ETT refers to the Embedded Training "Team", members of the team itself commonly refer to themselves as "ETTs"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Special Forces Group (United States)</span> Military unit

The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) (1st SFG) (A) is a unit of the U.S. Army Special Forces operating under the United States Pacific Command. It is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Command area of operations: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapon of mass destruction, and security force assistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign internal defense</span> Approach to combating actual or threatened insurgency

Foreign internal defense (FID) is a term used by the military in several countries, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, to describe an integrated, or multi-country approach to combating actual or threatened insurgency in a foreign state. This foreign state is known as the Host Nation (HN) under the US doctrine. The term counter-insurgency is commonly used for FID.

Irregular warfare (IW) is defined in United States joint doctrine as "a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations." In practice, control of institutions and infrastructure is also important. Concepts associated with irregular warfare are older than the term itself.

In US military doctrine, unconventional warfare is one of the core activities of irregular warfare. Unconventional warfare is essentially support provided by the military to a foreign insurgency or resistance. The legal definition of UW is:

Unconventional Warfare consists of activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt or overthrow an occupying power or government by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary or guerrilla force in a denied area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the United States Army Special Forces</span>

The U.S. Army Special Forces traces its roots as the Army's premier proponent of unconventional warfare from purpose-formed special operations units like the Alamo Scouts, Philippine guerrillas, First Special Service Force, and the Operational Groups (OGs) of the Office of Strategic Services. Although the OSS was not an Army organization, many Army personnel were assigned to the OSS and later used their experiences to influence the forming of Special Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade</span> Military unit

The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary) is a unit of the United States Army specializing in the acquisition and analysis of information with potential military value. On 28 October 2014, the unit was reflagged from the "525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade" to an expeditionary military intelligence brigade, the first of its kind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security Force Assistance Brigade</span> Specialized type of United States Army unit

A Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) (pronounced ESS-fab) is a specialized United States Army unit formed to conduct security force assistance (SFA) missions: to train, advise, assist, enable and accompany operations with allied and partner nations. SFABs are intended to reduce the burden of such operations on conventionally-organized Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), allowing BCTs to focus on fighting near-peer threats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security Force Assistance Command</span> Division-level command of the U.S. Army

The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) is a division-level command element for the United States Army's new security force assistance brigades (SFAB). These units' core mission is security force assistance to conduct training, advising, assisting, enabling and accompanying operations with allied and partner nations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Biddle, Stephen; Macdonald, Julia; Baker, Ryan (23 February 2018). "Small footprint, small payoff: The military effectiveness of security force assistance". Journal of Strategic Studies. 41 (1–2): 90. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1307745. ISSN   0140-2390. S2CID   157229640 . Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Matisek, Jahara; Reno, William (January 23, 2019). "Getting American Security Force Assistance Right: Political Context Matters". Joint Force Quarterly (92). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Headquarters, Department of the Army (1 May 2009). "Field Manual 3-07.1: Security Force Assistance" (PDF). usacac.army.mil. Washington, DC. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (May 2016). "Allied Joint Publication (AJP)-3.16, Allied Joint Doctrine for Security Force Assistance" (PDF). gov.uk. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Joint Publication 3-20: Security Cooperation" (PDF). www.jcs.mil. 23 May 2017. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 Aug 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Matelski, Thomas R. (18 November 2008). "Developing Security Force Assistance: Lessons from Foreign Internal Defense" (PDF). pp. 3–12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 Jun 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Balestrieri, Steve (Oct 9, 2018). "SF Working By, With, Through Bolivian Rangers Capture Che Guevara | SOFREP SF Working By, With, Through Bolivian Rangers Capture Che Guevara". SOFREP. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Briscoe, Charles (2008). "Introduction: Special Forces in Bolivia". arsof-history.org. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Shribman, David; Times, Special To the New York (9 December 1981). "KENNEDY GAVE SPECIAL FORCES THEIR EMBLEM". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Jones, Tim (1 October 2001). Post-war Counterinsurgency and the SAS, 1945-1952: A Special Type of Warfare. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203045626. ISBN   9781136339240 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. ↑ Lindsay, Franklin A. (1962). "Unconventional Warfare". Foreign Affairs. 40 (2): 274. doi:10.2307/20029552. JSTOR   20029552 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ↑ Leary, John D. (1995). "Searching for a Role: The Special Air Service (Sas) Regiment in the Malayan Emergency". Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. 73 (296): 251–269. ISSN   0037-9700. JSTOR   44230003 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Deflem, Mathieu; Sutphin, Suzanne (1 November 2006). "Policing Post-War Iraq: Insurgency, Civilian Police, and the Reconstruction of Society". Sociological Focus. 39 (4): 265–283. doi:10.1080/00380237.2006.10571289. ISSN   0038-0237. S2CID   153772055 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Thomas H.; Mason, M. Chris (1 December 2007). "Understanding the Taliban and Insurgency in Afghanistan". Orbis. 51 (1): 71–89. doi:10.1016/j.orbis.2006.10.006. ISSN   0030-4387. S2CID   15432274 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Egnell, Robert (1 September 2010). "Winning 'Hearts and Minds'? A Critical Analysis of Counter-Insurgency Operations in Afghanistan". Civil Wars. 12 (3): 282–303. doi:10.1080/13698249.2010.509562. ISSN   1369-8249. S2CID   143827718 . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Kelly, Terrence K. (2011). Security force assistance in Afghanistan : identifying lessons for future efforts. Santa Monica: RAND Corp. ISBN   978-0-8330-5224-7. JSTOR   10.7249/mg1066a . Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Dempsey, Martin E. (1 May 2009). Security Force Assistance. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY WASHINGTON DC. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Sullivan, Michael D. (11 April 2008). Security Force Assistance: Building Foreign Security Forces and Joint Doctrine for the Future of U.S. Regional Security. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  19. ↑ Escandon, Joseph E. (13 June 2008). Future of Security Force Assistance: Is the Modular Brigade Combat Team the Right Organization (Thesis). ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  20. ↑ Mackenzie, James (17 August 2018). "New U.S. training unit in Afghanistan faces old problems". Reuters. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  21. ↑ "Security Force Assistance Command, 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade activate at Fort Bragg". www.army.mil. December 7, 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  22. ↑ BBC News (22 March 2021). "Defence review: British army to be cut to 72,500 troops by 2025". BBC News. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  23. ↑ Bunkall, Alistair. "Army to shrink to its smallest size since the 1700s while £23bn is invested in technology, under new defence plans". Sky News. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  24. ↑ Sky UK Limited (20 March 2021). "New Army special operations Ranger Regiment to take on 'high threat' missions overseas after Integrated Review". Sky News. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  25. ↑ Warrell, Helen (19 March 2021). "UK looks to new 'Ranger' regiment to tackle emerging conflicts". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.