Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance

About
The Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance (JCISFA) is a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Controlled Activity which serves as the DoD’s recognized expert on security force assistance (SFA). JCISFA serves as the Joint Force integrator for the development, dissemination, and institutionalization of SFA doctrine, standards, tactics, techniques and procedures that enable the Joint Force to efficiently and effectively develop partner nation capability and capacity in support of U.S. national security objectives.

Our responsibility is to capture, analyze, and document Joint SFA observations, insights, and lessons learned from all SFA activities across multiple geographic regions. However, JCISFA is more than a lessons learned organization. We provide rapid response to advise and assist any organization with SFA activities, planning, training, education and doctrine. This includes a robust reach-back capability where we can field specific requests and provide recommendations on how to address SFA knowledge gaps. Working for the Joint Staff J7, JCISFA has an increased role in preserving and advancing SFA capabilities and institutional knowledge across the Joint Force.

What is SFA?
SFA is the set of DoD activities that support the development of the capacity and capability of foreign security forces and their supporting institutions. Foreign Security Forces include not only military forces, but also police, border forces, and other paramilitary organizations at all levels.

Supporting the Mission and the Warfighter
JCISFA can provide deployable or virtual staff assistance to support SFA and security cooperation planning, execution, and assessment activities of DoD, Joint Staff, and Joint/Service requirements (e.g. Global Combatant Commands/Functional Combatant Commands, Joint Task Forces and Coalitions). JCISFA's Staff Assistant Visit teams operate at the operational and strategic levels. They research, codify, and integrate SFA gaps, lessons, trends, and emerging issues to support current and future force development requirements. They also document and archive concepts, lessons, and operating perspectives in support of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational stakeholders and collection priorities.

JCISFA provides support to the warfighter through operational level Security Force Assistance analysis, support, and product development to OSD, joint, interagency, and multinational organizations. JCISFA also conducts SFA task analysis, and provides training and education design, development, and implementation support to the Services' respective SFA training organizations and operating force units. Finally, JCISFA provides web-based content to SFA stakeholders, and provides focused analytical support to generate a common understanding of SFA issues.