REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.— The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, or USASAC, has established a rarely used pathway to help close critical training personnel gaps, strengthening the Security Assistance Training Management Organization's, or SATMO’s ability to deliver timely, non-institutional training to U.S. allies and partners around the world.

The approach allows SATMO to source instructors through the National Guard augmentation program for Foreign Military Sales, or FMS, and Foreign Military Financing, or FMF-funded training missions when active-duty personnel are unavailable. Previously, only active-duty soldiers could fill the FMF training requirements, and sourcing qualified personnel for security assistance training teams often took as long as two years from the initial request.

Arin Wilson, security assistance training program coordinator at USASAC, recognized the challenge while working a Q-53 radar training requirement for Romania. Faced with a shortage of available active-duty personnel possessing the required expertise, Wilson developed a memorandum and execution order that was staffed through Department of the Army channels. The approved policy now allows National Guard soldiers to support eligible FMS and FMF-funded training missions, significantly expanding SATMO's pool of qualified instructors.

"This is extremely valuable. Having this option will reduce or eliminate any delays or gaps in training for partner nations," Wilson said. "Having the ability to reach into the National Guard Bureau when there are not active-duty soldiers available for these training teams is a game changer, a real home run," Wilson said.

The new sourcing option has also proven valuable in Bulgaria. The Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, or PEO GCS, faced a similar personnel shortfall while supporting the Bulgarian Armed Forces' fielding of excess defense articles, or EDA, Stryker combat vehicles. PEO GCS and the country program manager reached out to Wilson for help with the funding piece. Through the State Partnership Program and National Guard augmentation program, four soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard — whose state maintains extensive experience operating Stryker formations — deployed to Bulgaria as part of a mobile training team, or MTT. The soldiers spent four months on the ground providing familiarization training and sharing operational knowledge with their Bulgarian counterparts, ensuring the training mission proceeded without interruption despite active-duty manning constraints.

Wilson said the National Guard's unique state-level expertise provides an additional advantage, as many states maintain specialized capabilities that directly align with partner nation requirements.

The Colorado Army National Guard became one of the first organizations to support the new process by providing soldiers with Q-53 radar expertise for Romania. Their participation helped fill a capability gap that otherwise could have delayed a critical training mission supporting a front-line NATO ally.

SATMO recently partnered with soldiers from Colorado's 169th Field Artillery Brigade during a pre-deployment site survey in Romania in preparation for the upcoming Q-53 MTT mission.

"I extend my sincere appreciation to the 169th Field Artillery Brigade. Their expertise, dedication and on-ground support were instrumental to the success of the Q-53 radar site survey. Because of their efforts, we now have a solid foundation and a clear operational picture for the upcoming mission in Romania," said Col. Thomas Melton, SATMO commander.

Melton said SATMO lacked the soldiers with Q-53 radar expertise needed for the mission, making the partnership with the Colorado National Guard essential. The Q-53 training mission later this fall will complement SATMO's recently completed multi-year High Mobility Artillery Rocket System training effort with the Romanian Armed Forces.

As USASAC's organization responsible for providing non-institutional training to allied and partner militaries worldwide, SATMO, which is located at Fort Bragg, plays a key role in building partner capacity and strengthening interoperability with U.S. forces. Headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, USASAC manages Army security assistance programs that enable allies and partners to develop sustainable military capabilities in support of regional stability and U.S. national security objectives.