War in Afghanistan order of battle, 2012

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. See also article International Security Assistance Force.

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, ISAF comprised units from many countries. 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

An ISAF soldier from the U.S. 25th Infantry Division patrolling the Paktya Province in January 2012.

An ISAF soldier from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division during a joint operation with Afghan police in Kandahar in February 2012.

An ISAF Marine walking alongside Afghan children in Afghanistan's Helmand Province in April 2012.

ISAF soldiers with Afghan policemen in April 2012.

ISAF soldiers in Farah Province in April 2012.

An ISAF soldier in May 2012.

An ISAF sailor in June 2012.

An ISAF sailor in June 2012.

ISAF soldiers in July 2012.

An ISAF soldier in August 2012 engaged in battle.

ISAF soldiers 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 Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., 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).

Regional Command Southwest

• Commander: Major General Charles M. Gurganus (USMC)
• Headquarters: Camp Leatherneck, Helmand
• Area of Operations: Helmand and Nimruz Provinces

Combat units

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

• PRT Helmand (Lead nation: United Kingdom)

Designation	Composition	Headquarters	Sponsors
PRT Helmand		Lashkar Gah	Lead nation: UK

Regional Command East

• 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

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

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.
New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team		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.

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to War in Afghanistan in 2012.

• War in Afghanistan Order of Battle – Institute for the Study of War
• Troop Levels in Afghanistan Since 2001 – interactive map by The New York Times
• Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan/Task Force Leatherneck