- This list covers coalition forces in Afghanistan in 2012. See the article Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom for coalition support for Operation Enduring Freedom from October 2001 to 2003. For coalition forces involved in NATO combat operations in the past, see the articles Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2006, Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2007, and Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2008.
Below is the disposition and structure of international military forces that were participating in the War in Afghanistan in November 2012, listing deployed units under the command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which controlled both combat and reconstruction operations (often led by the Provincial Reconstruction Teams). During its existence from 2001 to 2014, despite the photos in this article only showing American soldiers, marines and sailors, the ISAF comprised units from many countries, including: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and others. In this article, units are assumed to be from the United States unless otherwise stated. This list is a rough and unofficial listing of units and formations.
International Security Assistance Force
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The overall command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in 2012 started from Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe at Casteau, Belgium. The overall command was vested in Joint Force Command Brunssum at Brunssum in the Netherlands, then the Commander ISAF (COMISAF). The COMISAF in 2012 was USMC General John R. Allen, at ISAF Headquarters in Kabul.
There were three subordinate commands under COMISAF: the Intermediate Joint Command, which controls the tactical battle along the lines of the Multi-National Corps Iraq; the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, which trains the Afghan National Army; and Special Operations Forces.
The Intermediate Joint Command in turn controlled the regional commands, roughly analogous to divisions. There were six regional commands: Capital (at Kabul), South, Southwest, North, East, and West. Each regional command had a headquarters to provide command and control and logistics support for its area of responsibility, and comprised both combat units and Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs).
- Commander: Brigadier General Rafet Sevinc Sasmaz (Turkey)
- Headquarters: Kabul
- Area of responsibility: Kabul Province
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Battalion Motorized Task Force (Turkey) | Camp Dogan, Kabul | Responsible for Kabul Province. |
| 2nd Battalion Motorized Task Force (Turkey) | Camp Gazi, Kabul | Responsible for Kabul Province. |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
editRegional Command Capital has no Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
- Commander: Major General Robert Abrams (USA)
- Headquarters: Kandahar Airfield
- Area of responsibility: Kandahar, Orūzgān, and Zabul Provinces.
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76th Brigade Combat Team Combined Team Uruzgan |
Camp Holland, Tarin Kowt | Responsible for Orūzgān Province. | ||
| 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division (Task Force Arrowhead) |
FOB Masum Ghar, Panjwaye | Responsible for Zabul Province and southern and eastern Kandahar Province | ||
| 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division (Task Force Lancer) |
Camp Nathan Smith | Responsible for Kandahar City and Arghandab District. | May 2012 – January 2013 | |
| 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (Task Force Wings) |
Kandahar Airfield | Aviation support for Regional Command South. |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
edit| Designation | Composition | Headquarters | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRT Kandahar | Kandahar | Lead country: U.S. | |
| PRT Uruzgan | Tarin Kowt | Lead country: Australia | |
| PRT Zabul | Qalat | Lead country: U.S. Supporting countries: Romania United Kingdom |
- Commander: Major General Charles M. Gurganus (USMC)
- Headquarters: Camp Leatherneck, Helmand
- Area of Operations: Helmand and Nimruz Provinces
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|
| 12th Mechanized Brigade (United Kingdom) (Task Force Helmand) |
MOB Lashkar Gah | Conducts ground operations in central Helmand Province. |
 Regimental Combat Team 6(Task Force Leatherneck) |
Camp Leatherneck | Responsible for Nimruz Province and northern and southern Helmand Province. |
 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing |
Camp Leatherneck | Aviation support in Helmand and Nimruz Provinces. |
| Joint Aviation Group (United Kingdom) | Camp Bastion | Headquarters for British aviation units. |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
edit- PRT Helmand (Lead nation: United Kingdom)
| Designation | Composition | Headquarters | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRT Helmand | Lashkar Gah | Lead nation: UK |
- Commander: Major General Bill Mayville, USA
- Headquarters: Bagram Airfield
- Area of responsibility: Ghazni, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktia, Panjshir, Parwan and Wardak Provinces and Surobi District of Kabul Province
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|
| 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (Task Force Dragon) |
FOB Sharana | Responsible for Paktika Province. |
| 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division (Task Force Warrior) |
Jalalabad Airfield | Responsible for Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, and Kunar Provinces. |
| 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (Task Force Bayonet) |
FOB Shank, Logar | Responsible for Logar and Wardak Provinces. |
| 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (Task Force Destiny) |
Bagram Airfield | Provides aviation support for eastern and northern Afghanistan. |
| 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (Task Force Spartan) |
FOB Salerno, Khost | Responsible for Khost and Paktia Provinces. |
| 2nd Armored Brigade (France) (Task Force Lafayette) |
FOB Nijrab, Kapisa | Responsible for Kapisa Province. |
| 6th Airborne Brigade (Task Force White Eagle, Poland) | FOB Ghazni | Responsible for Ghazni Province. |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
edit| Designation | Composition | Headquarters | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
 PRT Logar |
200 military personnel 10 civilians |
FOB Shank | Lead nation: Czech Republic[1] |
| PRT Ghazni | Lead nation: Poland Supporting nation: U.S. | ||
| Provincial Reconstruction Team (New Zealand) | Bamiyan, Bamiyan Province | Lead nation: New Zealand | |
| PRT Kapisa | Lead nation: U.S. Supporting nation: France | ||
| PRT Parwan | Lead nation: South Korea | ||
| PRT Wardak | Lead nation: Turkey | ||
| PRT Panjshir | Lead nation: U.S. | ||
| PRT Paktika | Lead nation: U.S. | ||
| PRT Mehtar Lam | Lead nation: U.S. | ||
| PRT Khost | FOB Salerno | Lead nation: U.S. | |
| PRT Nangahar | Jalalabad | Lead nation: U.S. | |
| PRT Patkia | Gardez | Lead nation: U.S. | |
| PRT Kunar | Asadabad | Lead nation: U.S. | |
| PRT Nuristan | Lead nation: U.S. |
Regional Command North
edit- Commander: Major General Erich Pfeffer, Germany
- Headquarters: Mazar-i-Sharif
- Area of responsibility – Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e Pul and Takhar Provinces.
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|
| Task Force Kunduz (Germany) | FOB Kunduz | Operating in eastern Regional Command North. |
| Task Force Mazar-e-Sharif (Germany) | Camp Marmal | Operating in western Regional Command North. |
| Expeditionary Air Wing Mazar-e-Sharif (Germany) | Camp Marmal | Aviation support for northern Afghanistan. |
| 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment (United States) (Task Force Garry Owen) |
FOB Kunduz | Operating in Kunduz province |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
edit| Designation | Composition | Headquarters | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRT Kunduz | Lead nation: Germany Supporting countries: Armenia Belgium U.S. | ||
| PRT Mazar-i-Sharif | Lead nations: Finland and Sweden Supporting countries: U.S. | ||
| PRT Meymaneh | Lead nation: Norway Supporting countries: Latvia Macedonia U.S. | ||
| PRT Pul-e Khumri | Lead nation: Hungary Supporting nations: Albania Croatia Montenegro | ||
| PRT Faizabad | Lead nation: Germany Supporting nations: Mongolia U.S. |
- Commander: Brigadier General Dario Mari Ranieri, Italy
- Headquarters: Camp Arena, Herat
- Area of responsibility: Badghis, Farah, Ghor, and Herat Provinces
- Airfields: Herat International Airport, Shindand Air Base
Combat units
edit| Unit | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|
| Task Force Badghis (Spain) | Qala-e-Naw | Operating in Badghis Province. |
| 3rd Alpine Regiment, Italy (Task Force Center) |
Camp La Marmora, Shindand | Operating in southern Herat Province. |
| 32nd Engineer Regiment, Italy (Task Force Genio) |
Herat | Engineer support for western Afghanistan. |
| 9th Alpine Regiment, Italy (Task Force South) |
Camp El Alamein, Farah | Operating in western Farah Province. |
| 2nd Alpine Regiment, Italy (Task Force Southeast) |
Camp Lavaredo, Bakwa District | Operating in eastern Farah Province. |
| 7th Aviation Regiment, Italy (Task Force Fenice) |
Herat Airfield | Providing aviation support for western Afghanistan. |
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
edit| Unit | Sub-units | Headquarters | Tasking |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRT Herat | Lead nation: Italy | ||
| PRT Farah | Lead nation: U.S. | ||
| PRT Qal'ah-ye Now | Lead nation: Spain | ||
| PRT Chagcharan | Lead nation: Lithuania |
U.S.-led coalition
editIn 2012, the overall command of the U.S.-led coalition effort in Afghanistan—known as Operation Enduring Freedom—Afghanistan—was headquartered at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, which reported to United States Central Command. OEF-Afghanistan's two major commands in 2012 were Combined Joint Task Force 101, and the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A).[3] After the Stage IV transition of authority to ISAF, the status of the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade/Task Force Falcon, which handles all the helicopter combat aviation duties in Afghanistan, was uncertain, along with the exact status of Combined Task Force Sword, the engineer task force, and the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. It was unclear exactly what units are assigned to OEF-Afghanistan, but the operation in 2012 was in charge of counter-terrorist operations, including pursuing al-Qaeda along Afghanistan's inhospitable border region with Pakistan.[4]
- In 2012, this command was responsible for training the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police through its headquarters and Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) Phoenix.[5] CSTC-A was responsible for mentoring the ministries of defense and interior, while CJTF Phoenix was responsible for mentoring Afghan National Army corps and below and Afghan National Police districts and below. CJTF Phoenix was headquartered by the 33rd Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard, which relieved the 27th Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard in late 2008, which relieved the 218th Brigade Combat Team, South Carolina Army National Guard in early 2008. The rest of the task force was made up of National Guard and Reserve personnel from 42 states, U.S. Marine Corps reservists, active duty representatives from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, and soldiers assigned from France, Germany, Romania, Canada, New Zealand, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom.
References
edit- ^ "ISAF – Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar". Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ^ For more on Regional Command West, see "The Italian Job". Jane's Defence Weekly.(5 November 2008) and the Jane's Interview, same issue.
- ^ United States Central Command, CSTC-A Official Website Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Securing Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
- ^ Florida Army National Guard, Task Force Phoenix Archived 1 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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