FORT BENNING, Ga. (Sept. 20, 2017) - Gen. Robert Abrams, commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command, visited the newly established 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade stationed on post, Sept. 15.
"Right now in terms of force development in the Army, in terms of how we organize and train the Army, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade is the number one effort for the Army," Abrams said during a round-table discussion with a group of Soldiers from the 1st SFAB.
The 1st SFAB was officially stood up last month and was designed to rapidly deploy into a theater of operations in support of a combatant commander. Once in theater, the unit will work with, train, advise, and assist partner nation security forces in logistics, communications, maneuver strategies, and any other additional areas that require assistance.
"There will be a consistent requirement for the United States Army to provide a training, assisting, accompany and enabling capability to host nation security forces - whether that be a partner, an ally, a friend - anywhere in the world with their conventional force," Abrams said.
Currently, approximately 70 percent of the unit's Soldiers will receive extensive training and will be designated as advisers. The remaining 30 percent will serve as support personnel to help operate the brigade. Regardless of their position, Abrams encouraged the Soldiers to continue to organize, staff, and train and become equipped with the tools they need to support this mission.
"This is an enduring mission," Abrams said. "You guys are making history and breaking ground for the Army. You're setting a standard for an organization that is going to be enduring. You're at the beginning of seeing a unique, conventional force culture, and we are committed not only to the success of the program but to your success as well."
"We've demonstrated incredible resilience and readiness over the last 16 years of fighting wars overseas, and in the last three years, preparing forces for potential conflicts against near, peer threats," continued Abrams. "But we're still transitioning to this idea of instead of being ready for just one mission at a specific designated time, we're building a culture across the Army to be ready now, to be ready next week, to be ready whenever the call comes for Soldiers and their units to be called into action."
The SFAB is comprised of Soldiers who volunteered to join the unit instead of being mandatorily assigned by the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Abrams highlighted that there are still plenty of opportunities for additional Soldiers who want to be a part of the 1st SFAB as well as the brigades that will be established in the future.
"We have plenty of opportunities still left to serve in SFAB 1 and the follow-on Security Force Assistance Brigades," Abrams said. "We're looking for highly motivated, self-starting, tough, disciplined, exceptionally tactically and technically competent Soldiers from a variety of MOSs [military occupational specialties] on our Security Force Assistance Brigades. The window is wide open, but you have to meet a high standard, and we look forward to those who are interested."
Soldiers interested in assignment with the SFAB should contact their branch manager.
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