U.S. Army unit helps broker peace between Thailand and Cambodia
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The 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) helped mediate a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia in Malaysia.
The peace deal followed months of fighting over a century-old border dispute. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Malaysian Land Forces led the talks and requested advice from the U.S. unit, which had a long history of training both Thai and Malaysian troops.
Colonel Daniel Hodermarsky said the unit provided real-time reporting and expert advice to help the partner nations take the lead in negotiations. While the unit did not have personnel at the front lines, a team on the ground in Thailand provided the U.S. Army Pacific with granular information on the situation. This allowed the military to leverage experts from higher headquarters to provide faster support to the mediating countries.
The 5th SFAB is the only remaining train-advise-assist unit in the U.S. Army after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the dissolution of most other brigades. These specialized units consist of experienced troops who volunteer for missions to train and advise partner militaries. The Army originally created the SFAB concept in 2017 to move away from rotating conventional units for advisory roles.
The unit currently works to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific theater by shaping the militaries of countries like Mongolia and the Philippines. By embedding in professional military academies and advising senior leadership, the brigade helps partner forces transition from counterinsurgency roles to national defense. These relationships also facilitate major military exercises, such as Balikatan and Cobra Gold, by coordinating training objectives between partner nations and U.S. divisions.
