Publication Date
10-2-2024
Abstract
This paper examines the effectiveness of United States Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) in training and advising partner militaries while preserving conventional force readiness. A shortage of volunteers, the manpower demands of embedded security, and lack of a Congressional funding authority have made SFABs and the conventional force less ready for operations. These challenges will be analyzed through the lens of institutional theory to identify systemic threats to the viability of SFABs. This paper posits that an advisor career field should be created in response to an institutional aversion to non-combat roles. Further, the Army should eliminate or shrink the embedded forces providing security for SFABs, reducing their impact on conventional force readiness. Finally, a clear SFAB funding authority should be created to allow faster and more flexible spending. SFABs could be the Army’s long-sought tool to develop partner militaries, but only with intentional policy change.
Recommended Citation
Bittner, William
(2024)
"Building a Better Security Force Assistance Brigade,"
Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 6, Article 5.
Available at:
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal/vol6/iss1/5
