Enabling Others to Win in a Complex World: Maximizing Security Force Assistance Potential in the Regionally Aligned Brigade Combat Team
Abstract
An examination of the U.S. Army's security force assistance efforts during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM reveals significant issues in effectively advising Iraqi Security Forces due to several organizational and personnel shortcomings within the Army's approach to this crucial mission. The merging of the Army's operational and advisory efforts at the core operational formation the brigade combat team occurred with the advent of the Advise and Assist Brigade in 2009 and resolved some of those issues operationally, but did not fix the underlying structural issues in the Army. In 2013, the Army began to examine a new way of conducting business in the area of conflict prevention, looking to engage regionally and respond globally. The tool chosen for this strategy is the regionally aligned forces (RAF) concept, which aligns various units with the geographic combatant commands. One potential mission for regionally aligned forces that has the possibility of yielding substantial dividends is security force assistance. By aligning units regionally, particularly the brigade combat team, the Army could greatly increase its ability to conduct security force assistance through building enduring relationships with partner militaries and in gaining genuine regional expertise in potential areas of conflict.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1000755
Entities
People
- Liam Walsh
Organizations
- United States Army War College