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1 1 (March 23, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekzw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con gressionl Research Service Informfing Ih legislitive debate sinc'e 1914 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 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. Establishrent of SFABs As originally designed, 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 intended 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 Updated March 23, 2023 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 arose, into 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. The newly manned and equipped BCTs would then be trained up to conduct their respective combat missions. Based on CRS discussions with the SFAC, the Army is placing less emphasis on the SFAB's secondary mission- to serve as a cadre to create new BCTs-and instead intends for SFABs to actively participate 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 is composed of approximately 816 soldiers. SFABs are broken down into 60 multifunctional teams consisting of four to eight soldiers each, with teams categorized as either * 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 SFAB service.

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