Leveraging Observations of Security Force Assistance in Afghanistan for Global Operations

The protracted military campaign in Afghanistan nears the end of its trajectory. Efforts have shifted from combat-centric operations, in which Coalition Forces (CF) played a visible and prominent role, to Advise and Assist operations meant to empower and professionalize the host nation s security forces. Security Force Assistance (SFA) is currently the main effort in Afghanistan and will likely play a significant role in U.S. defense policy beyond the Afghan theater. Retaining, collating, and analyzing current SFA efforts will help future Advise and Assist operations reduce the risk of repeating mistakes and improving the chance of success of future efforts across the globe. To this end, the U.S. Army s Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) requested that RAND study and assess the Afghanistan SFA experience in ways that will support and enhance future SFA processes and methods. AWG s commitment to remain informed about the status and progression of SFA efforts complements its broader mandate of assisting in the development of Army capabilities across the domains of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, and facilities. AWG works across multiple disciplines in support of ongoing operations and in anticipation of future operations; knowing which challenges to SFA continue to present a problem to the Army can help prioritize future mitigation efforts implemented at the structural and institutional levels. Many challenges, such as low morale among SFA personnel, have been well documented in the past decade. Yet the enduring nature of most of these challenges suggests that solutions still remain beyond our grasp.