Security force assistance advisory team – inputs and outcomes

The article discusses the importance of security sector reform. The aim of the article is to present the potential of the concept of security sector reform as a NATO tool for prevention and resolution of internal conflicts on the real example of the deployed military advisory team of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic to the ISAF operation in Afghanistan. The authors focus on the orientation in the topic and correlation and causal anchoring of the topic in the introduction and the first part of the article. The second part presents the initial situation of the deployment of the Slovak advisory team in the ISAF operation. The third part and the discussion summarize lessons identified from the deployment of the advisory teams of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic. It also illustrates the conceptual framework, conditions and axioms for optimal and effective security force assistance within the efforts of the security sector reform as an important part of the stabilization and reconstruction concept.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Injuries in a Security Force Assistance Brigade Before, During, and After Deployment

ABSTRACT Introduction The Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) are specialized units designed to strengthen allied and partnered nations through advising, supporting, liaising, and assessing in support of U.S. national security interests and combatant commanders’ war fighting objectives. As the 1st SFAB was the pioneer unit, descriptive analysis of the musculoskeletal injures and body regions occurring before, during, and after deployment was previously unavailable, limiting the ability of embedded holistic health and fitness teams to proactively address the unit’s musculoskeletal needs and medical readiness. Materials and Methods Physical therapists collected and retrospectively analyzed data from 4597 encounters over 19 months: 4 months before, 9 months during, and 4 months after deployment using descriptive statistics. Results Physical therapy encounters averaged 124 per month during pre-deployment preparation, 363 per month during deployment, and 206 per month post-deployment. The most common musculoskeletal injuries identified during pre-deployment were to the lumbar spine (31.8%), knee (18.1%), and shoulder (9.1%). The most common areas of injury during deployment were to the lumbar spine (28.4%), thoracic spine (18.3%), and shoulder (14.0%). The most common post-deployment injuries consulted were to the lumbar spine (21.3), shoulder (19.6%), and knee (17.8%). Conclusion Musculoskeletal injuries are a concern that may limit medical readiness in the SFABs in the time of before, during, and after deployment. Low back pain is the primary musculoskeletal injury of the 1st SFAB throughout the entire deployment cycle. Based on these findings, recommendations include embedding injury prevention programs to address low back pain to improve medical readiness. More research is required to assess the effectiveness of these programs in reducing incidents of musculoskeletal injuries before, during, and after deployment cycles.