Assistance or Partenariat?: Lessons in Security Cooperation and Partnership from the Soviet Experience in Afghanistan and French Operations in the Sahel
Abstract
United States' Strategic documents emphasize the criticality of building and maintaining a network of allies and partners through security cooperation to achieve national objectives. A major way in which the U.S. Army contributes to security cooperation is through Security Force Assistance. However, the nation has a mixed record of success and has not been able to find a reliable methodology that creates repeatable results. This paper looks internationally and historically at two cases in which a more advanced nation attempted to develop a partnered foreign security force. It pulls lessons learned from France's recent operations in the Sahel region of Africa and from the Soviet Union's efforts to train the Army of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War. Developing foreign security forces is a complex undertaking with no guarantee of success, but there are several techniques and approaches that can aid or inhibit those efforts regardless of circumstances. Furthermore, a cultural shift toward language learning will enable security cooperation in the future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1209987
Entities
People
- Daniel K. Dillenback
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College