Security force assistance

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Security Force Assistance (SFA) a term originating in the United States Armed Forces for military adviser assistance with "training, equipping and advising allied or 'partner' militaries to enable them to defend themselves without 100,000 Americans on the ground to do it for them."^[1] SFA is used when improving the security of the host country aligns with the national interests of the donor country.^[2] It may be used alongside or instead of larger commitments of the donor country's military personnel and matériel.^[1] This means SFA can provide an alternative to large-scale operations if a war becomes controversial or politically difficult.^[1] Given the ending of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with US-led multinational missions to train and equip the militaries of weak states for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism purposes, the US (and many other Western militaries) have increasingly shifted towards SFA programs that make host-nation security force more capable of conducting Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO).^[3]