Operation Enduring Freedom - Deployments
By early December 2001 about 1,300 Marines from the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units were deployed at Camp Rhino near Kandahar, along with an undisclosed number Army Special Operations troops, US Navy SEALs, Navy Seabee construction teams, and Australian special operations soldiers. By mid-January 2002 these forces had re-deployed to Kandahar Airport. The last 100 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit left Kandahar airfield on 05 February 2002. The military presence at the airfield at Task Force Rakkasan numbered 3,600, which includes 1,600 soldiers from the 101st Airborne and 200 Canadian troops who began arriving 04 February 2002.
About 250 US troops deployed to the Philippines betewen October 2001 and January 2002 as part of the effort against the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. By February 2002 the number of troops deployed there was planned to increase to 650, including 150 special forces troops, for a six-month training exercise. The remaining US troops will provide logistical support, partly from the former Clark Air Base north of Manila.
As of late March 2002 United States and United Kingdom were about to begin three months of military exercises with Yemen. The maneuvers will take place in the remote Hadramaut region of southeastern Yemen, near areas where al-Qaeda combatants may have taken refuge. The United States had a 20-member team in the country to coordinate US military assistance and training as of mid-March, with another 30 American military instructors slated to arrive at the end of March.
Navy and Marine Corps
The Naval assets deployed to the region are significant and included as many as three Carrier Battle Groups with their strike aircraft.
By 16 September 2001, two carriers were in the Southwest and South Asia region, the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) which was exiting the Arabian Sea and the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) which had relieved the Enterprise.
The Enterprise Battle Group was comprised of eight ships and submarines. The USS Enterpise was joined by the USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), the USS McFaul (DDG 74), the USS Nicholson (DD 982), the USS John Ericsson (T-AO 194), and the USS Arctic (AOE-8). The Enterprise Battle Group was also accompanied by two submarines; the USS Jacksonville (SSN 699) and the USS Providence (SSN 719). Five other vessels that had previously been with the Enterprise Battle Group had returned to their home ports prior to the initiation of the strikes against Afghanistan. Those vessels were the USS Gettysburg (CG 64), the USS Stout (DDG 55), the USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), the USS Thorn (DD 988), and the USS Nicholas (FFG 47). The Enterprise departed the North Arabian Sea in early November and has returned to port.
The Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) attached to the Enterprise Battle Group returned to port in mid-October after having been replaced by the Carl Vinson ARG. The ARG was comprised of 3 ships the USS Kearsage (LHD 3), the USS Ponce (LPD 15), and the USS Tortuga (LSD 46). The Marine component of the ARG is the 24th MEU.
The Carl Vinson Battle Group is accompanied by nine other ships and submarines including the USS Antietam (CG 54), the USS Princeton (CG 59), the USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), the USS O'Kane (DDG 77), the USS O'Brien (DD 975), the USS Sacremento (AOE 1), the USS Niagra Falls (T-AFS 3), and two submraines the USS Key West (SSN 722) and the USS Olympia (SSN 717). The USS Ingraham (FFG 61) is also reported to be with the Vinson Battle Group but this has not been confirmed by the Navy. Vinson will be relieved in early December 2001 by the San Diego-based John C. Stennis, which left port in early November 2001.
The ARG attached to the Vinson Battle Group was initially located in the Arabaian Sea. The ships in this ARG are the USS Peleliu (LHA 5), the USS Dubuque (LPD 8), and the USS Comstock (LSD 45). The 15th MEU is a part of this Group; it is currently operating in Pakistan, providing security at airfields that US forces are operating from.
The Navy deployed the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group to the Mediterranean, and "to points East" on 13 September 2001, which includes a flotilla that comprises the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the USS Vella Gulf (CG 72),the USS Ramage (DDG 61), the USS Ross (DDG 71), the USS Peterson (DD 969), the USS Hayler (DD 997), the USS Elrod (FFG 55), the USS Carr (FFG 52), the USS Detroit (AOE 4), and two submarines the USS Springfield (SSN 761) and the USS Hartford (SSN 768). The Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group transited the Suez Canal on Oct. 13th and arrived in the Arabian Sea on Oct. 15th.
The USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group participated in Enduring Freedom, though it did not have its full Carrier Air Wing and carried an unspecified number of helicopters that are being used for Special Operations. Reportedly the Kitty Hawk carried a total of eight F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18C/D strike aircraft, which eventually flew about 100 strike missions. Over 1,000 Special Operations Forces personnel were on the carrier, including the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Navy SEALS, and Air Force Special Operations forces. Aircraft included a dozen special operations MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, a half-dozen MH-47 Chinook medium-lift helicopters and several MH-53 Pave Low helicopters. The Kitty Hawk reportedly departed the north Arabian Sea for its home port in Japan on or about 08 December 2001. Other reports suggest the Kitty Hawk departed on or about 16 December 2001. In early April 2002 it was reported that the USS Kitty Hawk was expected to return to the same area for a five-month deployment during the spring of 2002.
The Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group was joined during the weekend of 17 November 2001 by an amphibious ready group that deployed 20 September 2001. This consisted of the USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS Shreveport (LPD 12), and the USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41). The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is assigned to this group. In all, there are more than 15-thousand sailors and Marines on the ships. The 26th MEU did not initially arrive in the Arabian Sea with the Roosevelt and had instead been participating in the Bright Star war games with Egypt.
In early November 2001 it was reported that the 2,200 Marines and sailors who spent October 2001 in Egypt would return home. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit had been participating in Bright Star, an exercise with nine other nations that included a total of 70,000 troops. Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and Twentynine Palms Marine base took part in the month-long drill with 21,000 other U.S. military members. However, the bulk of these Marines had remained in Egypt for potential deployment under Operation Enduring Freedom.
The USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) left Yokosuka on Sept. 30th. It departed with only a portion of its Carrier Air Wing (CVW 5) and instead deployed to support helicopters used to support Army special operations units. The ships in the Kitty Hawk Battle Group include the USS Vincennes (CG 49), the USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), the USS Cushing (DD 985), the USS Gary (FFG 51), and the USS Rappahanock (T-AO 204) and the submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698).
The ARG attached to the Kitty Hawk Battle Group consists of the USS Essex (LHD 2), the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), and the USS Juneau (LPD 10). The 31st MEU is the Marine component of this ARG. The ARG visited East Timor on October 30th and was scheduled to leave port on October 31st.
In early November the Navy announced that the USS John Stennis (CVN 74) and it's carrier battle group, comprised of seven other vessels, would deploy early on Novermber 12th, heading for the Indian Ocean. The Stennis groups was originally to deploy in January. The battle group had been scheduled to head for the Persian Gulf area in January, but its departure was moved up because of the military action in Afghanistan. The Battle Group made a visit to Hong Kong in the first week of December. The Stennis battle group includes six warships, two submarines and one supply vessel. The Stennis is accompanied by the USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), the USS Port Royal (CG 73), the USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Elliot (DD 967), the USS Jarrett (FFG 33), and the USS Bridge (AOE 10). The Battle Group also has two attack submarines; the USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716) and the USS Jefferson City (SSN 759). They were being joined by a Canadian frigate, the HMCS Vancouver, with a crew of 224. The Stennis, arrived in the Arabian Sea on 15 December 2001. To maintain a continuous 24-hour presence over Afghanistan, the Theodore Roosevelt and the Stennis divided air operations into day and night shifts, respectively.
On 28 November 2001 the Navy announced that about 2,000 Marines and sailors of the 13th MEU from Camp Pendleton, CA, would deploy on 01 December, a month earlier than scheduled. Supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, the Marines are embarked on the three ships of the USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group. The Marines were expected to relieve the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which had deployed at the forward operating base near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.
In mid-January 2001 it was reported that repairs to the USS John F. Kennedy may have delayed the carrier's deployment date past the projected mid-January timeframe.
On 06 March 2002 commanders ordered 16 more AH-64 Apache and 5 AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopters to the fighting in the Gardez area from bases in the United States and aboard carriers in the Arabian Sea. The Marines sent five Cobra attack helicopters into battle. The helicopters had been based on the USS Bonhomme Richard, now in the North Arabian Sea.
Air Force
Roughly 150 aircraft were intially deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom, including some two dozen bombers and support aircraft. Lt. Gen Charles F. Wald, Commander of air forces assigned to the Middle East and South West Asia, left for Prince Sultan AB near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in late September 2001. Prior to Enduring Freedom there were 175 aircraft already in the region.
Other deployments include B-52s from the 5th Bomb Wing based at Minot AFB and the 917th Wing from Barksdale, which will be deployed to Diego Garcia. The exact number of B-52s being deployed was not disclosed, but 9 left Barksdale on 21 September 2001. B-1B bombers from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth and the 34th Bomb Squadron at Mountain Home are also deployed.
As of the end of November 2001 eight B-1s and ten B-52s were deployed to Diego Garcia. The commanding officer at Ellsworth Air Force Base, Col. Edward Rice, deployed to Diego Garcia where he commands the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing. This unit consists of B-1 Lancer bombers from Ellsworth and B-52 Stratofortress bombers from other bases.
F-15s from Langley Air Force Base and Okinawa have also reportedly received deployment orders, and additional orders were initially anticipated for other F-15s, F-16s, and F-117s. As of 26 October it was reported that the Air Force had flown two F-15E attack planes nearly every day because it was the only aircraft that could carry 5,000- pound bunker-busting bombs or the AGM-130 long-range television-guided missile.
Refueling aircraft from Fairchild and Beale Air Force Bases have also been deployed as have E-3 AWACS from undisclosed locations.
U-2 spy planes and RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft were included in Secretary Rumsfeld's second deployment order.
C-130 cargo planes are reported to have landed in Uzbekistan at a former Soviet air field located near Tashkent. The planes were carrying equipment and roughly 100 US personnel.
Combat Search and Rescue Units were prepared for deployment, reportedly to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
France agreed to let US forces operate out of its base at Djibouti.
In late November 2001 it was reported that three additional AC-130 gunships were deploying to Uzbekistan, in addition to the six AC-130s that had flown missions from Oman. On 21 November the Pentagon asked Uzbekistan to accept three AC-130 Special Forces gunships.
On 28 November 2001 CENTCOM Commander Gen. Tommy R. Franks stated that additional attack aircraft from the United States and France [and possibly other states] would be sent to Central Asia in early December. Kyrgyzstan was reportedly the most likely base for most of the aircraft. The movement of aircraft would include F-15E fighter-bombers and A-10 attack jets, deployed for the first time in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The squadron of 24 fighter aircraft in Kyrgyzstan would consist of six F-15E's, six F-18's, and six other jets -- either A-10's or F-16's -- and six French fighters. France reportedly requested permission to base six Mirage-2000 multi-purpose fighter bombers, two C-130 tanker aircraft and 200 technicians in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
As a result of the intense level of effort required to support operations NOBLE EAGLE and ENDURING FREEDOM, by late October 2001 the Air Force had impacted established Air Expeditionary Force deployment plans. A large portion of people assigned to support AEFs 7 and 8 were currently deployed. Additionally, some assets aligned against AEFs 9 and 10 had been tasked to deploy and in a very limited number of cases the Air Force had deployed people aligned against AEFs 1, 2 and beyond. As the Air Force weighed its options for future action, there could be a delay in rotating deployed forces as scheduled under the established AEF rotation plan. The mission, theater commander requirements, and airlift constraints are all contributing factors to possibly extending those currently deployed.
In early March 2002 reinforcements included Air Force A-10's, which left their base in Kuwait to conduct attacks from a base in Pakistan. It was the first time that the A-10 ground attack planes had been used in the war.
Army
The Army forces involved in Enduring Freedom include an unspecified number of Rangers and other special forces, including possibly DELTA.
At least one thousand troops from the 10th Mountain Division, and possibly as many as twice this number, were deployed to Uzbekistan though it is unclear what type of troops were deployed. Futhermore, attack helicopters used in joint NATO-Uzbek military excercises that took place in early September 2001 were reported to still be in Uzbekistan. It was unclear exactly how many particpated in the excercises or how many were still in Uzbekistan.
Bright Star is a multi-national exercise involving more than 74,000 troops from 44 countries, which took place in Egypt from 08 October to 02 November 2001. Scheduled every two years, the exercises, which are co-organized by Egypt and the US, aim to enhance regional stability and mil-to-mil cooperation among the US, key allies, and regional partners. It prepares US Central Command to rapidly deploy and employ the armed forces to deter aggressors and, if necessary, fight and win side-by-side with its allies and regional partners.
By the end of November 2001 several hundred soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne Division had deployed for base security at the three air bases in Pakistan used by US forces. The Marines that had been providing base security had been recalled to their ships in the Arabian Sea and then redeployed to southern Afghanistan.
In early December 2001 the Army transferred command of its ground forces in Afghanistan to Kuwait. Lieutenant General Paul Mikolashek, commander of Third Army, transferred to Kuwait from Atlanta to direct the ground operations.
On 06 March 2002 commanders ordered 16 more AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the fighting in the Gardez area from from Fort Campbell, KY.
As of mid-March 2002 two 10th Mountain Division battalions, the 1-87th Infantry and 4-31st Infantry, were slated to return to Fort Drum, New York, by mid-April. They would be replaced by more troops from the army's 101st Airborne Division.
By the end of March 2002 The Army's 5th Special Forces Group, which did the bulk of ground combat in Afghanistan, had turned over in-theater duties to the 3rd Special Forces Group, with most of the 5th Group troops having returned to Fort Campbell, KY.
Coalition Forces
In early November 2001 a US-led team including representatives from the UK, Turkey, Canada and the Netherlands, was inspecting former Soviet bases in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan as possible US bases.
Japan, Germany, Italy and New Zealand have pledged to deploy ships and troops if needed. Turkey and Australia have announced that special operations forces would be deployed. Italy announed in early November that ships and aircraft, and up to 3,000 military personnel, would be deployed. The 3,900 Germans planned on deployement would include some 100 special operations troops.
Operation Veritas is the UK's contribution to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, which began on 7 October. UK Forces have participated in the military operation against Usama Bin Laden's Al Qaida terrorist organisation and against the Taliban regime harbouring them in Afghanistan since its start.
Three Royal Navy nuclear-powered Fleet Submarines of the Swiftsure and Trafalgar classes were deployed for the start of operations - HMS Superb, HMS Trafalgar and HMS Triumph. The latter pair are equipped with the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile system,. Royal Navy TLAMs were fired on the first night of operations against Al Qaida and the Taliban on 7/8 October 2001, and again on 13 October. A submarine presence will be maintained in the area whilst operations continue. A Royal Navy task group has been retained in the area. The task group has a number of helicopters embarked.
As of early November 2001, marines from the 3 Commando Brigade, the army's mountain and winter warfare specialists were assigned. This included 200 marines in the Gulf area aboard the HMS Fearless, and 400 marines are on high alert ready to deploy from Britain. A total of 4,200 British troops including support staff, along with ships, submarines and warplanes, remained in the Gulf, despite earlier plans to send them home after the conclusion of military exercises in Oman. In addition, Royal Marines from 40 Commando have been assigned to the operation. The Commando will be retained in the UK at high readiness to deploy, with lead elements embarked in the naval task group to offer immediate support if required.
RAF Tristar and VC-10 tanker aircraft from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire have also been deployed to support the operation. Other RAF aircraft supporting the operation include: sophisticated E-3D Sentry AEW1 surveillance and control aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire; Nimrod R1 surveillance aircraft, also from Waddington; Nimrod MR2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft from RAF Kinloss; and Canberra PR9 reconnaissance aircraft from RAF Marham, Norfolk.
The Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon MP, confirmed in the House of Commons on 19 December that the UK had formally offered to lead an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to assist the new Afghan Interim Authority with the provision of security and stability in Kabul.
As of mid-March 2002 a contingent of up to 1,700 British soldiers was deploying to Afghanistan to join US forrces fighting against Al Qaeda. The first elements of this force began arriving at Bagram Air Base in late March.
As of mid-November 20001 Australia had committed 1,500 troops, maritime surveillance aircraft, a guided missile frigate and F/A-18 fighter-bombers. Forces arriving in theater by mid-November 2001 included are four Hornet F/A-18 strike aircraft, two P-3C long range aircraft and two Boeing 707 mid-air refueling aircraft.
Canada has deployed the frigate HMCS Halifax in the Gulf. And Canada promised to contribute six ships, six aircraft -- including surveillance and transport planes -- and some 2,000 soldiers.
France had 2,000 military personnel in the region as of early November 2001. As of 07 November 2001 a total of 1,200 navy troops, 200 air force staff, 100 logistics staff and 500 military intelligence officers were engaged -- including personnel operating out of France. Aircraft included Mirage IVP reconnaissance jets and a Transall Gabriel plane equipped with electronic surveillance equipment. The French aircraft carrier, the Charles-de-Gaulle, deployed from Toulon for the north of the Indian Ocean, on December 1, 2001. It crossed the Suez Canal on December 11, 2001. Articulated around the aircraft carrier, the air and sea group also includes the anti-aircraft frigate Jean Bart, the anti-submarine frigates Jean de Vienne and the La Motte-Piquet, the supply tanker Meuse and the nuclear attack submarine Rubis. The Charles-de-Gaulle embarked 16 Super-Etendard (reconaissance and assault), two Rafale (air superiority), and two Hawkeye (air surveillance). The air and sea group, in addition to the support for the ground actions in Afghanistan, will take part in the maritime patrol of the zone, in order to avoid the exfiltration of terrorist leaders by sea.
A French task force composed of soldiers from the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment deployed on November 17, 2001, to survey the the modalities of operations aimed at repairing the airfield at Mazar-e Sharif. Deployement of additional French personnel tasked with securing the outside perimeter of the airfield began on 01 December 2001.
On 28 November 2001 CENTCOM Commander Gen. Tommy R. Franks stated that additional attack aircraft from the United States and France [and possibly other states] would be sent to Central Asia in early December. Kyrgyzstan was reportedly the most likely base for most of the aircraft. France reportedly requested permission to base six Mirage-2000 multi-purpose fighter bombers, two C-130 tanker aircraft and 200 technicians in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
France deployed its only aircraft carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, to the Indian Ocean in early December 2001. The Carrier Tars Force centered around the De Gaulle, has been designated as CTF 473 by the French Navy. A total of up to 5,000 French servicemen may be sent to the region to participate in the military operation in Afghanistan. An electronic surveillance vessel -- the 4,870-ton converted supply ship Bougainville -- is in the region collecting intelligence. As of early March 2002, CTF 473 was composed of the De Gaulle, the "Jean Bart", "De Grasse", and "La Motte-Picquet" frigates, the Tanker "Somme" and the Nuclear Attack Submarine "Rubis".
Six French Mirage 2000 multirole combat fighter aircraft arrived on February 27, 2002, at Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan, to fly fighter and reconnaissance missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On 07 November 2001 Italy's parliament approved the deployment of 2,700 soldiers, including combat troops, to the operation in Afghanistan. Available troops, not yet deployed, included an armored regiment with 390 men, 122 members of the Engineers Corps, demining units, a company of 116 soldiers specialized in chemical defense, a logistics unit and a company from the elite paratrooper's regiment Tuscania. A total of 10 airplanes are to be deployed -- including six to 10 Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, one Boeing 707 refuelling plane, and a C-130 transport plane. Italy would make available four Mangouste A129 reconnaisance helicopters. On 18 November 2001, the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551) deployed with eight Harriers, four Sea King helicopters and 1,400 troops embarked. The carrier was accompanied by the frigates Zeffiro (F-577) and Aviere (F-583) and the supply ship Etna (A-5326).
Three Japanese MSDF vessels -- the 5,200-ton destroyer Kurama, the 4,550-ton destroyer Kirisame and the 8,100 -ton supply ship Hamana -- were initially involved in information-gathering, leaving Japan on 09 November 2001 under provisions of the Defense Agency Establishment Law. This was Japan's first military contingent since World War II to be deployed in support of forces in combat. In late November 2001 the supply ship Towada, the minesweeper Uraga and the destroyer Sawagiri left Japan to join three other warships sent earlier in November to monitor shipping lanes. The Japanese force is stationed at the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Initially the SDF had planned to send the 7,250-ton Kongo, an Aegis-equipped ship with more powerful air-defense capabilities as the flotilla's flagship. Japan decided not to deploy an Aegis destroyer after some lawmakers argued that to do so would violate the constitution. The four month mission, returning at the end of March 2002, was shorter than the six-month deployment envisioned in the initial plan. The initial plan provided for the deployment of of three destroyers, two supply ships, six transport planes and two multipurpose planes for up to six months.
The German government approved the deployment of up to 3,900 soldiers, and additional naval forces, contingent on the approval of the German parliament. This represented the first deployment of German forces outside Europe since World War II. On 27 November 2001 Germany began participating in operations. Three Transall transport aircraft departed from the US base at Ramstein, Germany to Incilik, Turkey, in order to assist the US Air Force in its operations in Afghanistan. About 500 air-crew personnel were deployed for aerial shipments of troopsand material aboard C-160 Transall transport planes. A few days later reconnaissance commandos flew to Bahrain to prepare for naval deployment. Up to 100 troops from the Special Commando Forces (KSK), a unit specialized in covert operations, might make short-term missions in Afghanistan. Future co-operation with the German navy, included the allocation of areas of deployment of the US, French and German navies to patrol waters between the Arabian Peninsula and the east African coast. Naval forces of up to 1,800 soldiers have been requested. Breguet 1150 Atlantic reconnaissance planes for sea surveillance and searchand rescue operations are also to be used.
On January 7, 2002 the Canadian National Defense Ministry announced the deployment of 750 troops from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) Battle Group that will deploy to Kandahar as part of a U.S. Army task force by mid-February. 3 PPCLI Battle Group is a light, fully mobile force designed to respond quickly to overseas missions, making it well suited for evolving operations. It is composed of two rifle companies from 3 PPCLI along with the appropriate support elements, and is joined by a reconnaissance squadron from the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) using Coyote light armoured reconnaissance vehicles, which include high tech surveillance and long-range detection systems. Both units are based in Edmonton. Their mission will include a number of tasks ranging from security operations to allow for humanitarian supplies delivery to the Afghan population, to the conduct of combat operations.
A detachment of six French Air Force Mirage 2000D fighters returned to France on 4 October after participating with French carrier-based aircraft in support of the US-led Operation 'Enduring Freedom'. French fighters conducted more than 10% of sorties over Afghanistan. The six Mirage 2000Ds had been stationed at Ganci Air Base, Manas, Kyrgyzstan, along with two C-135FR tanker aircraft.
On 1 October a tri-national detachment of 18 Danish, Netherlands and Norwegian F-16AM fighters and one Netherlands KDC-10 tanker, took the place of the Mirages. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) leads the 440-strong unit known as the European Participating Air Forces (EPAF) detachment. It is tasked to provide day and night air support to US and coalition forces inside Afghanistan as part of Operation 'Enduring Freedom'. Furthermore, it can be called on to provide air support to International Security Assistance Force troops in and around Kabul. The unit is integrated within the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Air Force.
