SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE NEEDS THE STILWELL COMBINATION
By Edward Ballanco May 24, 2019
The Army needs officers with experience working in foreign countries where the situation is complex and ambiguous
Training foreign armies to do the work we would otherwise have to do ourselves seems like a great idea. Known in the U.S. Army as security force assistance (SFA), it is less politically and financially costly than using American troops. The theory of SFA is that the United States can create a friendly Army to help pursue mutual security goals with a small number of advisors and enough aid. In practice, the U.S. military has failed to realize the promise of SFA in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many wonder whether SFA works. From personal experience, which includes training Iraqi soldiers, I have encountered deep skepticism amongst Army officers as to whether we can get foreign partners to do the job well. The prevailing attitude seems to be some version of, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.†Yet before the U.S. military writes off SFA, we should ask ourselves whether perhaps we are part of the problem. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of military history knows that many militaries, including America’s, have effectively trained and led foreign forces. One of the sources of past successes was the leadership of officers with the right skills and experience.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/security-force-assistance-stilwell-combination/
