The US Army is moving towards more decentralised Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) deployments and the opportunity is ripe to use these soldiers to prepare for large-scale exercises like the upcoming Defender Pacific 2021, according to 5th SFAB commander Brigadier General Curtis Taylor.
Several SFAB leaders briefed reporters on 13 October during this year’s virtual Association of the US Army (AUSA) conference about progress standing up six SFABs and lessons learned. To date, six have been established – five within the active-duty force and one inside the National Guard – and assigned to different regions. The 1st SFAB, for example, is aligned with US Southern Command, while the 2nd SFAB works with US Africa Command, the 3rd with US Central Command, the 4th with US European Command, the 5th with US Indo-Pacific Command, and the National Guard SFAB reinforces the other five.
Given the construct and senior leaders’ decision to deploy smaller SFAB teams to various locations inside the area of responsibility, Brig Gen Taylor said these soldiers could be used to help with initial reconnaissance operations before large-scale operations.
“It’s really helping us as we plan our Defender Pacific 21 next year, we really see a role for the SFAB as the advanced guard, as the initial recon for a lot of our larger exercises,” the one-star general explained. He added that sending the SFAB troops forward into countries two to three months in advance could help build capacity with partner nations and improve interoperability between forces.
Staff Sergeant Jordan Blas, 5th SFAB team healthcare sergeant, on an obstacle course at Camp Thanarat, Thailand, in August 2020. (US Army)
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