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1 [1] (December 1, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesvn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: a Congressia: Informing the legi 4 Research Service ~tive debate since 1914 Updated December 1, 2025 Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) Wat Is Securkty 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, Chapter 16, of the U.S. Code, Security Cooperation, governs the U.S. military'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 was with leadership stripped out of the BCTs for SFAB mission, the remaining soldiers were limited to training at individual and squad level only, resulting in a lower level of unit readiness. stab shment of SFA s 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. 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 Specialties (MOSs). The Army also planned to establish a Military Advisor Training Academy (MATA) at Fort Benning, GA, to conduct a six-week course on relevant topics and skills. The Army also established a two-star level 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. According to FY2026 Army Budget documents, the Army intends to consolidate FORSCOM, U.S. Army South, and U.S. Army North into one command known as the Western Hemisphere Command during FY2026. SFAB Organizaton 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 a 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, or * Logistics Advising Teams. The SFAC noted 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. Eq uppingSFA s Soldiers in SFABs are issued standard personal equipment (weapons, protective masks, etc.) and a variety of tactical wheeled vehicles armed with crew-served weapons (.50 caliber and 7.62 mm machine guns) for force protection. In addition, SFABs are to have command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities. The SFAC noted that the SFAC and the SFABs are incorporated into the Army's Modernization program and are modernized in the same manner as BCTs and other Army combat formations. SFAB Station ng According to the Army, SFABs are based at * 1t SFAB-Fort Benning, GA; * 2nd SFAB-Fort Bragg, NC (inactivated November 26, 2025);