Fundamentals for Understanding SFA

Given some of the recent discussion on SFA here on SWJ, I wanted to provide an abstract of a document JCISFA is working on. The document will be about 45-50 pages and seeks to provide an practitioners guide for units and leaders conducting SFA in a handbook format. Given the number of units now being tasked to support the development of capability and capacity in FSFs (Foreign Security Forces), it may be useful to introduce a fundamental way of conceptualizing SFA now rather then wait the additional time required to ensure we get the rest of the HB right.

In the first chapter the fundamental framework for SFA is addressed. We've taken some of the concepts we introduced in the SFA Planner's Guide and the CDR's HB for SFA and considered how they were related to one another. This abstract (attached) identifies SFA as a developmental activity and puts it in a Task/Purpose format. It also describes the assessment methodology used to identify a FSF level of development in the context of its environment so the practitioner can align resources and efforts to the partner.

The second and third follow on chapters will build on this fundamental framework to discuss preparing and implementing these developmental activities. They will also contain more wrt sub tasks and assessment tools needed to make it more than just a concept framework

There is no place like SWJ to get the practitioner involved, and leverage some of the experience that is out there. I'm putting another thread up in the TTP area on a document I've been sending to some of the Ops types asking how to plan, train and organize for SFA. I apologize if the graphics are a little grainy, I had to work to get them down to a size acceptable on the discussion board - I wanted to put it up on the board because more work gets done here.

Best, Rob