Is the SFAB capable of changing the way our regional partners fight?

2018-01-09T02:12:08-05:00

The concept of the SFAB (Security Force Assistance Brigade) is long overdue, given the United States Military's dedication to advise and assist missions around the globe. It's worth looking at the ability of these Brigades to make actual change however. That is a large portion of what they will be tasked with accomplishing with our regional partners. Advising at the tactical level can make tactical change, but as we have seen recently, the change is not long-lasting. Remove the advising unit and often, the force returns to its previous state of readiness and training. Can these SFABs make a difference on a strategic level? Can they make changes that are lasting when the strategic and institutional enterprise of our regional partners are not making DOTMLPF-P focused changes? Without a strategic or institutional level advise and assist capability in place to synchronize those tactical efforts, are we wasting our time, money and blood?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2018 5:36 AM

2018-01-09T05:36:39-05:00

DOTMLPF-P? Really? Lesson number one about "Advise and Assist" operations,you cannot impose Western standards onto a non-Western culture or military. Show me an officer who claims that one of our foreign partners that may receive SFAB assistance will some day stand up a certified "Center of Excellence" and I will show you a liar.

Response by LTC Stephen Franke made Mar 23 at 2019 9:40 PM

2019-03-23T21:40:22-04:00

Greetings to all in this thread.

Appreciate the insightful comments here about the importance of avoiding the tendency to "mirror-image" foreign military counterparts with their U.S. military organizations.

On a PTOC basis, have been providing, on PTOC basis, advice and assistance as a US Army FAO (Middle East/CENTCOM-concentration) LREC SME to a USMC organization which is somewhat equivalent of MATA, based in the Tidewater Virginia area.

Side observation FWIW = No one at MATA, MCOE, or at SFA Command at Fort Bragg has answered my queries and offers of some relevant open-source materials on similar mirror-imaging by "other-than-US" [i.e. Russian, British and PRC Chinese, among others] military advisory & training groups which are directly applicable to the MATA's baseline POI for its CATC or to the 2d SFABs' pre-deployment training program (PTP) before that SFAB goes "wheels up" to missions in Afghanistan.

(Ironic situation, in that -- briefly -- while the Marines can't get enough of such "read ahead and get smart early" materials, there is no apparent interest in receiving and benefitting from them by Army counterparts, CENTCOM / SOCCENT, or ARCENT.)

Many thanks in advance for any attention and assistance. Today is Saturday, 23 March 2019.

Regards,
Stephen H. Franke
LTC, FAO / MI / SOF /
Attaché / SFA / HUMINT,
US Army Retired
San Pedro, California