Security Force Assistance in Afghanistan: Identifying Lessons for Future Efforts

Security force assistance (SFA) is a central pillar of the counterinsurgency campaign being waged by U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. The outcome of the campaign hinges, in large measure, on the effectiveness of the assistance provided to the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kelly, Terrence K, Bensahel, Nora, Oliker, Olga
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY
AFGHAN NATIONAL POLICE
AFGHAN NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES
AFGHAN-SOVIET WAR
AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT
ARMY
ARMY DOCTRINE
CLANS
COUNTERINSURGENCY
EVOLUTION(GENERAL)
GOVERNMENT(FOREIGN)
ISAF(INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE)
LESSONS LEARNED
MILITARY ADVISORS
MILITARY ASSISTANCE
Military Forces and Organizations
MILITARY FORCES(FOREIGN)
MILITARY HISTORY
MILITARY TRAINING
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONS
NATO FORCES
NATO TRAINING MISSION
POLICE
SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE
SECURITY PERSONNEL
SOVIET APPROACHES
TRIBES
Unconventional Warfare
USSR
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Summary:Security force assistance (SFA) is a central pillar of the counterinsurgency campaign being waged by U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. The outcome of the campaign hinges, in large measure, on the effectiveness of the assistance provided to the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and other security forces, and the extent to which the armed elements of tribes, sub-tribes, and clans can be brought under government control. Yet senior U.S. military and civilian officials have posed many questions about the effectiveness of SFA in Afghanistan, and few empirically rigorous assessments exist to help answer these questions. This monograph analyzes SFA efforts in Afghanistan over time. It documents the U.S. and international approaches to building the Afghan National Security Forces from 2001 to 2009, focusing primarily on the lessons and themes that emerged from extensive fieldwork in Afghanistan in 2009 and their implications for the U.S. Army. As part of our research, we also examined Soviet approaches to SFA in Afghanistan from the 1920s until 1989. That research will be published separately in a forthcoming companion document by Olga Oliker entitled Building Afghanistan's Security Forces in Wartime: The Soviet Experience, MG-1078-A.