The 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade (3rd SFAB) is a
Security force assistance
Security Force Assistance (SFA) is the strategic-level military practice of a donor country creating, equipping, training, advising, and supporting one or more groups of a foreign host country, such as a military, police, paramilitary, coast gua ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...
of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
. It is based in
Fort Hood
Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquar ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Security Force Assistance Brigades
SFABs are brigades whose mission is to train, advise, and assist other states'
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Operationally, an 800-soldier SFAB would free-up a 4,500-soldier
Brigade Combat Team
The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by ...
from a training and advisory mission.
On 23 June 2016 General
Mark Milley
Mark Alexander Milley (born June 20, 1958) is a United States Army general who serves as the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served as the 39th chief of staff of the Army from August 14, 2015 to August 9, 2019, and hel ...
revealed plans for train/advise/assist Brigades, consisting of seasoned officers and NCOs with a full chain of command, but no junior Soldiers. The SFABs were to consist of 800 senior officers and NCOs, which, the Army says, could act as a cadre to reform a full brigade combat team in a matter of months.
In May 2017, the initial SFAB staffing of 529 soldiers was underway, including 360 officers. The officers will have had previous command experience. Commanders and leaders will have previously led BCTs at the same echelon. The remaining personnel, all senior NCOs, are being recruited from across the Army.
[Lolita C. Baldor (4 May 2017) ''Associated Press'' Uncle Sam: We want you... to train others! $5K bonus offered]
accessdate=2017-05-05 Promotable
E-4s who volunteer for the SFAB are automatically promoted to Sergeant upon completion of the Military Advisor Training Academy. In the event of a national emergency SFABs could be augmented with new soldiers entering basic training and advanced individual training.
On 16 October 2017, Brigadier General Brian Mennes of Force Management in the Army's G3/5/7 announced accelerated deployment of the first two SFABs, possibly by Spring 2018 to Afghanistan and Iraq, if required.
This was approved in early July 2017, by the Secretary of Defense and the
Chief of Staff of the Army. These two SFABs would be trained in languages, how to work with interpreters, and equipped with the latest equipment including secure, but unclassified, communications and weapons to support coalition partners,
[AUSA (16 October 2017) AUSA Video clip, Warriors corner #9: All things Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), part of the article, "First security force assistance brigade training for deployment"]
/ref> as well as unmanned aircraft systems (UASs).
Brigade deployment plans
The brigade was established on 4 January 2019. In August 2019 it was announced that 3rd SFAB would relieve 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade
The 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (2nd SFAB) is a security force assistance formation - a Security Force Assistance Brigade - of the United States Army. It is based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, under the Security Force Assistance Com ...
in Afghanistan for the Winter 2019 rotation.U.S. Army Public Affairs (August 16, 2019) Army announces upcoming 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade unit rotation
/ref> On 10 June 2021, the brigade cased its colors in preparation for deploying 20 teams in 10 nations across the United States Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint T ...
area of responsibility
Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and con ...
.[Brandy Cruz, Fort Hood Public Affairs (10 Jun 2021) 3rd SFAB battalion cases colors for unique assignment]
/ref>[Colin Clark (28 Sep 2021) Lessons Learned From Afghanistan: Gen. Mark Milley]
/ref>
References
*{{cite web, last=Milley, first=Mark A. , title=Priorities for Our Nation's Army , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJzyN_yiTZ4 , date=23 June 2016
Brigades of the United States Army
Military advisory groups
Military units and formations established in 2019