Paper short abstract:

British soldiers undertaking SFA in Mali, Nigeria and Kenya often ask: where is the "demand signal" for their activities? They feel that the UK approach currently lacks sufficient resources and political guidance, or commitment, to provide - or even understand - what partner forces want and need.

Paper long abstract:

In 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May championed the UK's security force assistance (SFA) efforts in Africa; highlighting, particularly, the work of UK soldiers in Mali and Kenya in "providing support for African governments that are meeting [the terrorist] challenge head-on." However, when speaking to these same soldiers during field research in Mali and Kenya, many expressed doubts about whether UK SFA is meeting the "demand signal" from partner forces - suggesting their activities were often neither asked for nor effective. Most soldiers we spoke to argued that this was caused, in part, by the UK government's failure to provide the strategic direction or resources necessary to have a positive impact in the countries in which the UK is engaged. As a result, activities were often short-term in approach; for instance, most soldiers focused on short training courses which could be delivered on their deployment cycle with the limited resources they had. However, it was hard to find any soldier who believed these activities addressed the key issues affecting insecurity. Similarly, efforts to improve the UK contribution by building relationships with local partners were often wasted as the contact was lost with the end of the deployment cycle. This study will show that SFA is currently being treated as an afterthought by British decision-makers and will conclude that, to ensure Britain is really supporting its partners, SFA must be given the strategic guidance and resources it requires, drawing more effectively on the lessons learned from those on the ground.