1st Security Force Assistance Brigade

The SFAB's shoulder sleeve insignia

Founded| 2017; 8 years ago (2017)[1]
Country|  United States of America
Branch|  United States Army
Type| Military education and training
Role| Train and advise foreign militaries
Security force assistance
Garrison/HQ| Fort Benning, Georgia, U.S.
Color of Beret|   Brown
Commanders
Current
commander| Col. Brian Ducote
Command Sgt. Maj.| Pedro Chavez
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia|
Beret flash|

Military unit

The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (1st SFAB) is a security force assistance brigade of the United States Army. It is based at Kelley Hill in Fort Benning, Georgia and is under the command of Colonel Brian Ducote and Command Sergeant Major Pedro Chavez. On February 8, 2018, the 1st SFAB held its official activation ceremony at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.[2]

## Organization

[edit]

SFAB’s mission is to support, assist, advise and liaise with conventional armed forces of partner nations. Operationally, an 800-Soldier SFAB would free up a 4500-Soldier brigade combat team from a train, advise, assist mission.

On 23 June 2016, General Mark A. Milley revealed plans for train/advise/assist brigades, consisting of seasoned Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers and Non-commissioned Officers with a full chain of command, but no junior soldiers.[3] The SFABs were to consist of 800 senior officers and NCOs, as a cadre to reform a full brigade combat team in a matter of months. [4] In May 2017, initial SFAB staffing was underway. The volunteer Officers, Warrant Officers and non-commissioned officers have previous experience in the same positions.[5]: 21:20  Commanders and leaders have previously led at the same echelon.[6] The remaining personnel, all NCOs, are being recruited from across the Army.[7][8][9] Promotable E-4s (Specialists and Corporals) who volunteer for the SFAB are automatically promoted to Sergeant upon completion of the Combat Advisor Training Course at the Military Advisor Training Academy on Kelley Hill.[10] In the event of a national emergency, SFABs could be augmented with new Soldiers from basic training and advanced individual training to form a full brigade combat team.[5]

On 16 October 2017, BG Brian Mennes of Force Management in the Army's G3/5/7 announced accelerated deployment of the first two SFABs.[11] 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,[12][13][11] as well as unmanned aircraft systems (UASs).[14] An SFAB could provide up to 61 teams (possibly with additional soldiers for force protection).[11]

A team of twelve advisors includes combat arms experts, a medic, and personnel specializing in military intelligence, logistics, maintenance, communications, and air support.[15]

## History

[edit]

1st SFAB activation ceremony

By October 2017, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade was established at Fort Benning.[16][17][5]: minute 50:00

On January 11, 2018, it was announced that the 1st SFAB would deploy to Afghanistan in Spring 2018.[18]

On 8 February 2018, 1st SFAB held an activation ceremony at Fort Benning, revealing its colors and heraldry for the first time, and then cased its colors for the deployment to Afghanistan.[19] It is made up of the first graduates of the Military Advisor Training Academy (MATA), also located at Fort Benning.

1st SFAB deployed to Afghanistan in February 2018 and returned to Fort Benning in November of the same year.[20]

On 7 July 2018, Corporal Joseph Maciel, Task Force 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, attached to 2nd Battalion 1st SFAB, was killed in an apparent insider attack in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.[21] On 3 September 2018, 3rd Squadron, 1st SFAB Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Bolyard was killed in an apparent insider attack while visiting the Afghan army's 4th Brigade, 203rd Corps.[22][23]

The 1st SFAB conducted hundreds of persistent advising missions, and facilitated operations with thirty plus Afghan National Army Kandaks (Afghan battalions), 15+ Brigades, Regional Training Centers, and Afghan divisional and corps headquarters.

Six engineering advisor teams from the brigade provided hands-on experience and testing of secure communications between NATO allies and partners during Exercise "Allied Spirit X", led by the German 1st Panzer Division, in April 2019.[24][25][26]

In Summer 2019 Combat Advisor Teams 1221 and 1222 became the first SFAB elements to participate in the United States Military Academy's Cadet Field Training, a four-week-long program which includes a six day field training exercise.[27]

## See also

[edit]

* Military Assistance Advisory Group

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Security force assistance brigades to free brigade combat teams from advise, assist mission, army.mil, by C. Todd Lopez, dated 18 May 2017, last accessed 14 July 2018
2. ^ "1st SFAB hosts activation ceremony; Heraldry announced", Army.mil, dated 2018-02-08, last accessed 2018-03-02
3. ^ Priorities for Our Nation's Army with General Mark A. Milley (23 June 2016): Minute 18:40/1:00:45
4. ^ "CSA explains how skeletal advisory brigades could regenerate force". Retrieved 19 October 2016.
5. ^ a b c Priorities for Our Nation's Army with General Mark A. Milley (23 June 2016)
6. ^ (16 October 2017) First security force assistance brigade training for deployment
7. ^ Lolita C. Baldor (4 May 2017) Associated Press Uncle Sam: We want you... to train others! $5K bonus offered Archived 5 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine accessdate=2017-05-05
8. ^ Security force assistance brigades to free Brigade combat teams from advise, assist mission
9. ^ Army Moves Closer to Establishing First Security Force Assistance Brigade
10. ^ 1st SFAB promotes first Soldiers to sergeant under new policy
11. ^ a b c 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"
12. ^ Capt. John May (November 27, 2017) Military Advisor Training Academy prepares 1st SFAB as combat advisors
13. ^ (December 21, 2017) Equipping SFABs: A 'Rubik's Cube' of logistics over 5,000 pieces of equipment
14. ^ (6 December 2017) Eyes in the Sky with 1st SFAB
15. ^ Jaffe and Ryan (21 January 2018), Washington Post Up to 1,000 more U.S. troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring
16. ^ "1st Security Force Assistance Brigade: Who we are and why You should volunteer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
17. ^ "Army creates Security Force Assistance Brigade and Military Advisor Training Academy at Fort Benning". U.S. Army. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
18. ^ "Department of the Army announces upcoming deployment of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade". U.S. Army Public Affairs. January 11, 2018.
19. ^ (9 February 2018) 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade holds activation ceremony
20. ^ "First troops among new front-line adviser brigade arrive in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
21. ^ Browne, Ryan. "Soldier killed in Afghanistan attack identified". CNN. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
22. ^ Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (October 4, 2018) By living on Afghan base, Army advisors aim to better enable partners
23. ^ Sean Kimmons (September 26, 2018) After tragic loss, SFAB unit keeps sergeant major in hearts, focus of mission
24. ^ Capt. Jay Beeman, 5th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (April 30, 2019) Combat advisor teams sharpen skills in multinational exercise
25. ^ [A RIC-U might be used by a coalition partner to encrypt their individual networks, when interoperating with a US Army voice network.]
26. ^ Sgt. Sean Harding (25 February 2020) 3rd SFAB and Kurdish Peshmerga work side by side to defeat threats; Peshmerga refers to the Iraqi Kurdish Army.
27. ^ Capt. Jannelle Allong-Diakabana (07.17.2019) CATs 1221, 1222, 1st SFAB enhance capabilities at CST