Security Force Assistance Command
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) is a division-level command of the United States Army responsible for manning, training, validating, and equipping Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) to support combatant commanders in security cooperation missions worldwide.[1] Headquartered at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and aligned under U.S. Army Forces Command, SFAC institutionalizes the Army's capacity to conduct advise-and-assist operations with partner nation security forces, focusing on building their tactical and operational capabilities without assuming direct combat roles.[2] Established amid post-2017 Army modernization efforts to address persistent global threats through dedicated advisory units, SFAC oversees six SFABs—five active-component and one Army National Guard—each comprising around 500 to 800 specialized personnel trained in assessment, liaison, support, and advising functions.[3] These brigades enable partner forces to enhance their readiness for large-scale combat and stability operations, as demonstrated in deployments to regions like West Africa and joint exercises in South America.[3][4] SFAC's structure emphasizes non-commissioned officer leadership and cultural expertise to foster enduring partner relationships, adapting SFAB roles to include support for multi-domain operations in contested environments.[5]History
Origins in U.S. Advisory Missions
The tradition of U.S. military advisory missions traces back to the American Revolutionary War, when Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben served as an advisor to the Continental Army, authoring a field manual that improved drill, tactics, and interoperability from 1778 onward.[6] Following the Spanish-American War, U.S. officers under William Howard Taft trained the Philippine Constabulary from 1898 to 1936, establishing a paramilitary force that maintained internal stability and influenced regional security until Philippine independence in 1946.[6] In the post-World War II era, the Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG), activated in 1946, advised the Republic of Korea Army on organization, training, and equipping, growing from 90 personnel in 1948 to support over 100,000 South Korean security forces amid emerging threats.[7] Similarly, during the Greek Civil War from 1946 to 1949, General James Van Fleet directed Military Assistance Advisory Groups (MAAGs) that integrated U.S. and British advisors to counter Soviet-backed insurgents, emphasizing technology transfer and unit-building to bolster Greek defenses.[6] The Vietnam War marked a significant expansion of advisory efforts, with the Military Assistance Advisory Group Vietnam evolving into the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) in 1962, which coordinated up to 11,000 U.S. advisors by the mid-1960s to train and integrate the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).[7][6] The Military Assistance Training Advisor (MATA) course, established in 1962 at Fort Bragg, provided six weeks of instruction including counterinsurgency tactics and 120 hours of language training, though it often prioritized generalists over cultural specialists, leading to challenges in execution such as the Strategic Hamlet Program of 1961.[7] MACV's advisory role persisted until deactivation in 1973 following the Paris Peace Accords, highlighting persistent issues like inadequate partner-nation ownership and over-reliance on U.S. direct action, which underscored the need for more tailored, indirect influence strategies.[6] In the Global War on Terror from 2001 to 2016, ad hoc Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) and Embedded Training Teams (ETTs) in Iraq and Afghanistan trained over 350,000 partner forces, peaking with more than 5,000 U.S. advisors focused on intelligence, logistics, and sustainment to enable host-nation independence by 2006.[6][7] These efforts, often using non-volunteer personnel from conventional units with minimal pre-deployment preparation—initially just ad hoc briefs evolving to five-month courses at Fort Riley by 2006—revealed systemic gaps in selection rigor, cultural immersion, and team cohesion, as advisors frequently lacked specialized skills for indirect operations.[7] Such historical patterns of improvised advising, as documented in Army analyses, informed the doctrinal evolution toward dedicated structures, with Security Force Assistance (SFA) recognized as a core historical function spanning engagement to stability operations, ultimately driving the establishment of professionalized units to address capability gaps through assessments, training, and partner enablement.[8]Establishment and Early Development
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) was activated on November 29, 2018, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during a combined ceremony with the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade.[9] Established as a subordinate headquarters under U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), SFAC was created to provide centralized command, control, and support for the Army's Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs), specialized units dedicated to advising, assisting, and enabling allied and partner security forces. Brigadier General Mark H. Landes served as the inaugural commanding general, overseeing the integration of SFABs into operational structures amid the Army's shift toward professionalizing security force assistance roles previously handled ad hoc during counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.[10] In its early phase, SFAC focused on standardizing training, doctrine, and deployment readiness for the SFABs, which had begun forming prior to the command's activation, with the 1st SFAB established in May 2017 and activated on February 8, 2018.[11] By late 2018, SFAC coordinated the buildup of additional SFABs, including the concurrent activation of the 2nd SFAB, which prepared for deployment to Afghanistan in early 2019 to advise Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.[12] This period marked a doctrinal evolution, emphasizing dedicated advisor formations to free conventional brigade combat teams for decisive action while enhancing partner capacity in contested environments.[6] From 2018 to 2020, SFAC supported the establishment of six SFABs—five active component and one National Guard—totaling approximately 800 personnel per brigade, trained specifically in language, cultural awareness, and advisory tactics.[6] Early efforts included refining selection processes for advisors, drawing from experienced non-commissioned officers and officers with prior deployment expertise, to address shortcomings in previous advisory missions where units lacked specialized preparation.[13] These developments laid the groundwork for SFAC's role in aligning security force assistance with broader Army modernization priorities, including preparation for great power competition.Evolution Through Deployments
The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), the inaugural unit under the emerging security force assistance framework, activated on February 8, 2017, at Fort Benning, Georgia, and conducted its first deployment to Afghanistan starting in January 2018, focusing on train, advise, and assist (TAA) missions for Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in support of NATO's Resolute Support Mission.[14] This deployment involved approximately 800 advisors embedded at various echelons, emphasizing non-combat roles but encountering operational challenges such as limited partner force logistics capabilities and the need for enhanced mortar and fire support integration to bolster ANDSF lethality.[15] Early feedback highlighted deficiencies in advisor team sustainment, including insufficient embedded logistics personnel and difficulties in synchronizing joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) with partner operations, prompting doctrinal refinements in ATP 3-96.1 to prioritize relational advising and cultural competence over kinetic engagements.[8] The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) activated on November 8, 2018, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to centralize recruitment, vetting, training, and validation of SFAB personnel, directly addressing prior ad hoc advising models that suffered from inconsistent selection and preparation.[16] Subsequent deployments, such as the 2nd SFAB's rotation to Afghanistan and Iraq in early 2019, incorporated these adjustments by increasing team-level enablers like signals and sustainment specialists, reducing reliance on transient brigade combat teams for support, and emphasizing persistent presence to build long-term partner capacity.[17] Lessons from these CENTCOM operations revealed the limitations of short-duration rotations in fostering doctrinal alignment and institutional trust, leading to a pivot toward multi-year persistent teams; for instance, the 5th SFAB initiated its first persistent deployment in January 2021 to the Indo-Pacific region, aligning with theater-specific requirements under U.S. Army Pacific.[18] By 2021, SFAC had overseen deployments to over 40 countries across multiple combatant commands, evolving from crisis-response TAA in high-threat environments like Afghanistan—where SIGAR assessments noted persistent ANDSF sustainment gaps despite SFAB efforts—to proactive, regionally aligned models emphasizing deterrence in great power competition theaters such as Africa and the Pacific.[19] This shift incorporated validated lessons on advisor resilience, including mandatory cultural immersion training and joint fires certification, which improved partner force interoperability but underscored ongoing challenges in scaling specialized personnel amid retention issues.[20] Evaluations post-2019 deployments stressed the need for a formalized force employment doctrine to ensure continuity, with SFAC updating its smartbooks to integrate ISR-fires fusion and logistics embedding as standard practices, enhancing overall SFA efficacy without expanding combat roles.[3]Mission and Doctrine
Core Security Force Assistance Objectives
The primary objectives of security force assistance (SFA) involve unified actions to generate, employ, and sustain local, host-nation, or regional security forces capable of securing their territories and contributing to regional stability.[21][22] This includes advising partner militaries on operational planning, institutional capacity building, and tactical proficiency to enable self-defense against internal insurgencies or external aggression.[8] SFA efforts prioritize measurable improvements in partner force readiness, such as enhanced interoperability with U.S. systems and adherence to rule-of-law standards in security operations.[23] A key focus is conducting assess, advise, support, and liaison activities through specialized units like Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs), which embed advisors to identify capability gaps and deliver targeted training without assuming combat roles.[2][24] These operations aim to build sustainable partner competence, allowing allies to deter adversaries independently and reduce U.S. direct intervention needs, as evidenced by SFAB deployments since 2017 that have trained over 100,000 foreign personnel across multiple combatant commands.[3] Objectives emphasize long-term doctrinal alignment, equipment sustainment, and leadership development to align partner forces with U.S. strategic priorities, including counterterrorism and border security.[25] SFA doctrine underscores causal linkages between advisor effectiveness and partner outcomes, requiring rigorous selection of experienced non-commissioned officers and officers for roles that demand cultural acumen and technical expertise over kinetic operations.[8] Success metrics include partner-led mission execution rates and reduced U.S. logistical footprints, as SFAC validates SFAB readiness to support these goals through pre-deployment certifications aligned with joint publication standards.[18] While SFA has historically faced challenges in achieving full partner autonomy due to varying host-nation political will, core objectives remain oriented toward empirical capacity gains verifiable through joint assessments.[26]Strategic Role in Great Power Competition
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) plays a pivotal role in the U.S. Army's adaptation to great power competition by enabling the training and advising of partner nation security forces to counter adversarial influence from China and Russia without requiring large-scale U.S. troop commitments. Established in 2019 amid the 2018 National Defense Strategy's emphasis on peer competitors, SFAC reoriented its Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) from counterinsurgency missions in the Middle East to building sustainable partner capabilities for strategic deterrence and crisis response. This shift aligns with Army modernization efforts under Army 2030, positioning SFABs as scalable tools to enhance interoperability and resilience in contested regions.[1][20] In regions of acute rivalry, such as the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Europe, SFAC operations focus on fortifying allies against territorial aggression and hybrid threats. For instance, SFAB deployments support partner forces in developing anti-access/area-denial capabilities and joint maneuver proficiency to deter Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea or Russian incursions along NATO's flanks, thereby extending U.S. strategic depth through indigenous forces. This approach leverages SFA as an indirect instrument of competition, fostering self-reliant partners that can impose costs on adversaries during escalation below armed conflict, as outlined in U.S. doctrine for "competition below armed conflict." Empirical assessments indicate SFABs have advised over 100 partner units across multiple theaters since 2019, contributing to measurable improvements in partner readiness metrics like operational planning and logistics sustainment.[27][28] SFAC's doctrine emphasizes causal linkages between advisor-embedded training and long-term deterrence, prioritizing outcomes like enhanced partner sovereignty over short-term tactical gains. By aligning SFAB regional rotations—such as those in Europe and the Pacific—with theater commands, SFAC multiplies U.S. effects against great power rivals' efforts to reshape international norms through coercion or proxy influence. Challenges persist, including varying partner commitment levels and the need for doctrinal evolution to address hybrid domains like information warfare, yet SFAC's framework supports broader U.S. objectives of alliance cohesion and adversary containment in an era of persistent rivalry.[29][30]Organization and Structure
SFAC Command Elements
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) is a division-equivalent headquarters under U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), located at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, established to oversee the manning, training, and validation of Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) for deployment to geographic combatant commands.[21][6] SFAC develops security force assistance strategy and tactics, exercises authority over associated resources and expenditures, and ensures alignment with theater objectives.[6] Commanded by a major general, SFAC's leadership as of June 4, 2024, includes Major General Kevin Lambert as the commanding general, who previously served in directorates focused on security cooperation and multinational operations.[31] The headquarters maintains a standard Army staff structure, including sections for personnel (G-1), intelligence (G-2), operations (G-3/5/7), logistics (G-4), and communications (G-6), which coordinate training, deployment readiness, and doctrinal development for advisor missions.[32][6] Directly subordinate to SFAC are six SFABs—1st through 5th and the 54th (National Guard)—each aligned to specific combatant commands such as U.S. Southern, Africa, Central, European, and Indo-Pacific Commands, along with the 3-353rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, which delivers tailored advisor training under FORSCOM guidance.[6] This structure enables SFAC to sustain persistent advisory teams across approximately 80 countries, focusing on building partner nation capabilities without diverting conventional brigade resources.[6]Security Force Assistance Brigade Composition
The Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) is organized as a modular, specialized formation comprising approximately 800 personnel, predominantly senior officers and non-commissioned officers with extensive operational experience, selected for their expertise in advising foreign security forces.[8] This rank-heavy structure emphasizes advisory roles over direct combat, with teams tailored to address partner nation capability gaps in warfighting functions such as maneuver, fires, intelligence, and sustainment.[8] Unlike standard Brigade Combat Teams, SFABs lack organic heavy combat systems like tanks and prioritize deployable advisor teams that can operate across multiple echelons.[8][27] The core organizational elements include a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), two maneuver advisor battalions, one cavalry squadron, one field artillery battalion, one engineer battalion, one military intelligence company, one signal company, and one brigade support battalion (BSB).[8] Maneuver battalions vary by SFAB alignment: light infantry variants feature three light infantry companies, while armored variants include two armor and one infantry company, enabling adaptation to regional threats.[8] The cavalry squadron consists of three troops focused on reconnaissance and security, and the field artillery battalion includes two cannon batteries but lacks organic firing systems, relying on host-nation or higher echelon support for fires.[8] Engineer and BSB elements provide specialized sustainment, with the BSB incorporating distribution, maintenance, field feeding, and medical sections for limited Role 1 care.[8]| Subunit | Composition and Role |
|---|---|
| Headquarters and Headquarters Company | Command, control, and coordination; disperses key leaders for embedded advising.[8] |
| Maneuver Advisor Battalions (x2) | 9 advisor teams per battalion; focus on infantry/armor tactics, training, and operations.[8] |
| Cavalry Squadron | 3 troops; reconnaissance, security, and early warning for partner forces.[8] |
| Field Artillery Battalion | 2 cannon batteries; advisory on fires integration without organic artillery assets.[8] |
| Engineer Battalion | 2 companies; expertise in construction, mobility, and countermobility advising.[8] |
| Military Intelligence Company | Intelligence support, human intelligence, and counterintelligence advising.[8] |
| Signal Company | Communications and network enablement for partner command posts.[8] |
| Brigade Support Battalion | Logistics, maintenance, and medical sustainment; includes forward repair and field feeding capabilities.[8] |