Army announces stationing locations of three SFABs

The Army today announced where it will station the three remaining security force assistance brigades in the active component. 

The third SFAB will be based at Ft. Hood, TX, the fourth at Ft. Carson, CO, and the fifth at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. The SFABs are intended to perform the train, advise and assist mission, freeing up brigade combat teams, and to serve as advisers to foreign allies.

The Army National Guard is still deciding where to station the final SFAB.

The first in the active component, stationed at Ft. Benning, GA, was deployed in February to Afghanistan. The second is standing up now at Ft. Bragg, NC.

Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, deputy chief of staff (G-3/5/7), told the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee April 19 the first brigade would return in November. Then, the second unit would deploy in the winter and the third would deploy next spring.

However, he noted a lack of enablers -- such as medevac; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and logistics -- posed a "challenge" to deploying the first brigade, leaving the Army to question whether it should send both the second and third brigades to Afghanistan.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) last month sent a letter to the Army secretary asking about the feasibility of assigning an SFAB to U.S. Africa Command, noting “AFRICOM does not have any assigned forces.”

To provide training and readiness oversight for the SFABs, the service is establishing an element within U.S. Army Forces Command at Ft. Bragg.