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.
The ISAF seal.
The ISAF flag.

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

A U.S. 25th Infantry Division soldier with the ISAF patrolling the Paktya Province in January 2012.
A U.S. 4th Infantry Division soldier with the ISAF soldier during a joint operation with Afghan police in Kandahar in February 2012.
A U.S. Marine with the ISAF walking alongside Afghan children in Afghanistan's Helmand Province in April 2012.
U.S. soldiers with the ISAF, with Afghan policemen in April 2012.
U.S. soldiers with the ISAF in Farah Province in April 2012.
A U.S. soldier with the ISAF in May 2012.
A U.S. sailor with the ISAF in June 2012.
A U.S. sailor with the ISAF in June 2012.
U.S. soldiers with the ISAF in July 2012.
A U.S. soldier with the ISAF in August 2012 engaged in battle.
U.S. soldiers with the ISAF in August 2012.
An Afghan soldier in November 2012.
An Afghan policeman in December 2012.

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).

Overall ISAF structure as of 2009.

Regional Command Capital

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
1st Battalion Motorized Task Force (Turkey)Camp Dogan, KabulResponsible for Kabul Province.
2nd Battalion Motorized Task Force (Turkey)Camp Gazi, KabulResponsible for Kabul Province.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

Regional Command Capital has no Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

Regional Command South

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
76th Brigade Combat Team
Combined Team Uruzgan
Camp Holland, Tarin KowtResponsible for Orūzgān Province.
3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
(Task Force Arrowhead)
FOB Masum Ghar, PanjwayeResponsible for Zabul Province and southern and eastern Kandahar Province
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
(Task Force Lancer)
Camp Nathan SmithResponsible for Kandahar City and Arghandab District.May 2012 – January 2013
25th Combat Aviation Brigade
(Task Force Wings)
Kandahar AirfieldAviation support for Regional Command South.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

DesignationCompositionHeadquartersSponsors
PRT KandaharKandaharLead country: U.S.
PRT UruzganTarin KowtLead country: Australia
PRT ZabulQalatLead country: U.S.
Supporting countries: Romania
United Kingdom

Regional Command Southwest

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
12th Mechanized Brigade (United Kingdom)
(Task Force Helmand)
MOB Lashkar GahConducts ground operations in central Helmand Province.
Regimental Combat Team 6
(Task Force Leatherneck)
Camp LeatherneckResponsible for Nimruz Province and northern and southern Helmand Province.
3rd Marine Aircraft WingCamp LeatherneckAviation support in Helmand and Nimruz Provinces.
Joint Aviation Group (United Kingdom)Camp BastionHeadquarters for British aviation units.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

DesignationCompositionHeadquartersSponsors
PRT HelmandLashkar GahLead nation: UK

Regional Command East

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
(Task Force Dragon)
FOB SharanaResponsible for Paktika Province.
4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
(Task Force Warrior)
Jalalabad AirfieldResponsible for Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, and Kunar Provinces.
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
(Task Force Bayonet)
FOB Shank, LogarResponsible for Logar and Wardak Provinces.
101st Combat Aviation Brigade
(Task Force Destiny)
Bagram AirfieldProvides aviation support for eastern and northern Afghanistan.
4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division
(Task Force Spartan)
FOB Salerno, KhostResponsible for Khost and Paktia Provinces.
2nd Armored Brigade (France)
(Task Force Lafayette)
FOB Nijrab, KapisaResponsible for Kapisa Province.
6th Airborne Brigade (Task Force White Eagle, Poland)FOB GhazniResponsible for Ghazni Province.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

DesignationCompositionHeadquartersSponsors
PRT Logar200 military personnel
10 civilians
FOB ShankLead nation: Czech Republic[1]
PRT GhazniLead nation: Poland
Supporting nation: U.S.
Provincial Reconstruction Team (New Zealand)Bamiyan, Bamiyan ProvinceLead nation: New Zealand
PRT KapisaLead nation: U.S.
Supporting nation: France
PRT ParwanLead nation: South Korea
PRT WardakLead nation: Turkey
PRT PanjshirLead nation: U.S.
PRT PaktikaLead nation: U.S.
PRT Mehtar LamLead nation: U.S.
PRT KhostFOB SalernoLead nation: U.S.
PRT NangaharJalalabadLead nation: U.S.
PRT PatkiaGardezLead nation: U.S.
PRT KunarAsadabadLead nation: U.S.
PRT NuristanLead nation: U.S.

Regional Command North

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
Task Force Kunduz (Germany)FOB KunduzOperating in eastern Regional Command North.
Task Force Mazar-e-Sharif (Germany)Camp MarmalOperating in western Regional Command North.
Expeditionary Air Wing Mazar-e-Sharif (Germany)Camp MarmalAviation support for northern Afghanistan.
3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
(Task Force Garry Owen)
FOB KunduzOperating in Kunduz province

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

DesignationCompositionHeadquartersSponsors
PRT KunduzLead nation: Germany
Supporting countries: Armenia
Belgium
U.S.
PRT Mazar-i-SharifLead nations: Finland and Sweden
Supporting countries: U.S.
PRT MeymanehLead nation: Norway
Supporting countries: Latvia
Macedonia
U.S.
PRT Pul-e KhumriLead nation: Hungary
Supporting nations: Albania
Croatia
Montenegro
PRT FaizabadLead nation: Germany
Supporting nations: Mongolia
U.S.

Regional Command West[2]

Combat units

UnitHeadquartersTasking
Task Force Badghis (Spain)Qala-e-NawOperating in Badghis Province.
3rd Alpine Regiment, Italy
(Task Force Center)
Camp La Marmora, ShindandOperating in southern Herat Province.
32nd Engineer Regiment, Italy
(Task Force Genio)
HeratEngineer support for western Afghanistan.
9th Alpine Regiment, Italy
(Task Force South)
Camp El Alamein, FarahOperating in western Farah Province.
2nd Alpine Regiment, Italy
(Task Force Southeast)
Camp Lavaredo, Bakwa DistrictOperating in eastern Farah Province.
7th Aviation Regiment, Italy
(Task Force Fenice)
Herat AirfieldProviding aviation support for western Afghanistan.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

UnitSub-unitsHeadquartersTasking
PRT HeratLead nation: Italy
PRT FarahLead nation: U.S.
PRT Qal'ah-ye NowLead nation: Spain
PRT ChagcharanLead nation: Lithuania

U.S.-led coalition

In 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]

Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A)
  • 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

  1. "ISAF – Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar". Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  2. For more on Regional Command West, see "The Italian Job". Jane's Defence Weekly.(5 November 2008) and the Jane's Interview, same issue.
  3. United States Central Command, CSTC-A Official Website Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Securing Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  5. Florida Army National Guard, Task Force Phoenix Archived 1 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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