The mission of the SFAB is to carry out training, advise, and assist (TAA) missions overseas with foreign nation military partners. SFABs are the United States Army's latest solution to providing dedicated and trained personnel to relieve the Brigade Combat Teams from performing combat advisory missions. Combat advisory is not seen as a primary combat mission. Before the creation of SFABs, the combat advisory role was filled by
non-commissioned officers and
commissioned officers detailed from the Brigade Combat Teams to train host nation military forces, leaving critical leadership billets unfilled. Operating in units with roughly 800 personnel, SFABs are designed to be versatile and deployable worldwide and are made up exclusively of NCOs and officers, however
E-4s with promotable status are accepted and receive promotion to
sergeant (E-5) upon graduation of MATA. SFABs are conventional units composed of volunteers recruited from units across the Regular Army. Volunteers undergo a five-day assessment at
Fort Benning which evaluates a candidate's physical fitness, decision-making, problem solving, and communications skills as well as their ethics and morals. All SFAB volunteers then attend MATA training. Trainees may receive additional language training, culture training, foreign weapons training and medical training, among other topics. The SFABs are equipped with secure, but unclassified communications gear, utilizing
T2C2 (Transportable Tactical Command Communications) systems, a novel type of backpack satellite voice and data terminals.
United States Army Communications-Electronics Command is augmenting this equipment with vehicle-mounted and hand-carried radios. In March 2020, Logistics Advisor Team 1610, 6th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade delivered a Vehicle Maintenance and Recovery Course to the Senegalese Army in Dakar, Senegal. This was 1st SFAB's first mission in USARAF's area of responsibility. The creation of SFABs is part of a broader trend by the Defense Department to free line troops from the perceived distraction of military aid and assistance to weak,
fragile states. The aim is to try to stand up capable security institutions within weaker states. However, it is unlikely that the SFABs will be able to overcome the "three SFA traps" of trying to create an effective military in a state that cannot afford one; political leadership that views their army as a threat; or political leadership that uses that army against rivals in an unconstitutional fashion.
SFAB Structure File:US Army Infantry SFAB structure.png|Infantry security force assistance brigade structure File:US Army Armored SFAB structure.png|Armored security force assistance brigade structure According to Drew Brooks from
The Fayetteville Observer, members of the brigade are picked on voluntary basis among the best soldiers of other units across the Army. While not all personnel in the Brigade are meant to be advisors, all personnel are meant to be able to deploy. According to
SOF News, the brigade requires over seventy different military occupational specialties, including infantry, medics, intelligence analysts, and logistics personnel. of the SFABs (1st SFAB flash and DUI depicted) The
1st Security Force Assistance Brigade was the first SFAB raised in the
United States Army. Based in
Fort Benning,
Georgia the 1st SFAB is made up of the first graduates of MATA and are under the command of Colonel Christopher Landers and
Command Sergeant Major Christopher Goodart. On February 8, 2018, the 1st SFAB held its official activation ceremony at the
National Infantry Museum on Fort Benning, Georgia. The Army plans to raise a total of six SFABs, five of which will be in the
active duty Army, and one in the
Army National Guard. The Indiana Army National Guard is providing the headquarters for the newly designated 54th SFAB. 1st Battalion is being organized by the Georgia Army National Guard. According to Meghann Myers, the U.S. Army prioritized installations that are also home to divisions, with a two-star general on site to provide guidance and facilitate training, as homes for the Security Force Assistance Brigades. On May 18, 2018, the Army announced that the
Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) will be established at
Fort Bragg. This division-level Command, for SFAB training and oversight. BG Mark Landes and BG Donn Hill are the Commanding Generals of SFAC and 2nd SFAB, respectively. According to a US military journal, "such specialized security force assistance units is a stopgap measure that frees up more resources for conventional warfare, allowing the rest of the US military to focus on combined-arms training and equipping for conflict and competition with China and Russia." Army officials told the press in May 2025 that the 4th and
54th Security Force Assistance Brigades will be deactivated, with no timeline announced, freeing up seasoned soldiers for duty in traditional line units, leaving the Army with four operational SFABs. The Army announced that as of November 2025, the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade has been deactivated at a ceremony on Fort Bragg, North Carolina on the 26th of November 2025 ==SFAB recruiting==