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Chapter
Chapter
Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare
DOI link for Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare
Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare book
Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare
DOI link for Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare
Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare book
ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the historical context of military assistance missions, which have been a mainstay of international politics, more so over the last 200 years. It shows that security force assistance (SFA) has increasingly become the newly institutionalised way of war for the West. The chapter also discusses the allure and challenges of modern SFA becoming normalised and bureaucratised in the West. Preoccupying most militaries has been the unconventional military mission of providing security assistance to weak and failing states. However, industrialisation alongside the rise of colonialism changed the depth and scale of security assistance missions. The trends are indicative of the normalisation and bureaucratisation of SFA as a modern Western way of warfare. The chapter concludes that SFA is here to stay for the foreseeable future due to its cheapness, low-risk, increasing pressure of great power competition, and the complications associated with state failure.
