Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan [OEF-A]
US Forces Order of Battle
October 2009

These orders of battle represent a "best available" order-of-battle of forces deployed in CENTCOM's part of Central Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The amount of publicly available information concerning aircraft types and specific units makes it difficult to provide a high fidelity profile of deployments "current" to the stated timeframe of the order of battle. There are likely significant gaps in unit identifications, as well as non-trivial uncertainties as to numbers of specific types of aircraft. The presence of significant numbers of civilian contractor personnel at various facilities in the region further complicates accounting for total personnel numbers.

Recent Developments

On 22 December 2009, the Department of Defense announced the deployment of approximately 6,000 additional forces to Afghanistan, part of the 30,000 troops authorized by President Barack Obama on 30 November 2009. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, would deploy approximately 3,400 soldiers during early summer 2010.

The deployment of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division would increase the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also approved the deployment of approximately 2,600 support forces, which would deploy at various times through spring 2010.

On 20 October 2009, the Department of Defense announced additional planned Afghanistan Deployments. The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; and 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa National Guard would begin deployment to Afghanistan starting in Spring 2010.

The spring/summer rotation of the 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (3,700 personnel) and the 2nd SCR (4,000 personnel) continued the U.S. commitment to maintain the existing level of forces assigned to the NATO-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The 2nd BCT, 34th Infantry Division would begin deploying in the fall of 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to continue ongoing operations and training of the Afghan National Security Forces. They were receiving alert orders as of 20 October 2009 in order to provide them the maximum time to complete their preparations.

Additionally on 20 October 2009, it was annoucned that the Secretary of Defense approved a request by the commander of US Forces-Afghanistan to deploy a squadron of MV-22 Ospreys from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron-261, Jacksonville, North Carolina, to support the needs of forces on the ground in Regional Command-South. This deployment would involve approximately 200 Marines, who would begin deploying in November 2009.

On 7 October 2009, the Department of Defense announced planned unit rotations for Afghanistan for Spring and Summer 2010. The spring 2010 rotation of approximately 2,800 soldiers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky would continue the US commitment to maintain the level of forces necessary to provide sufficient military capability for the NATO-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to further improve security and stability operations.

The summer 2010 rotation of approximately 3,300 soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Carson, Colorado, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, would continue the ongoing training and mentoring mission of Afghan National Security Forces in Afghanistan.

On 3 September 2009, the Department of the Army announced the extension of a division headquarters and a combat aviation brigade in Afghanistan, as well as the future deployment of a division headquarters with recent Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) experience.

These moves were part of an initiative to place units on a habitual rotation to take advantage of their knowledge of the complex environment to which they were returning and to increase deployment stability. We will seek to better align the rotation of units and their headquarters for force cohesion.

The units being extended were the 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Stewart, Georgia. The 82nd Airborne Division would extend its current deployment by approximately 50 days, and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade would extend for 14 days. These extensions were necessary to allow follow-on units to accrue one year of time at home station before redeploying (dwell time). The process would be managed to avoid any stop-loss for personnel.

The follow-on forces were to deploy in the late spring of 2010. They were the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Campbell, Kentucky., which would subsequently deploy 6 months sooner than previously planned, and the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Drum, New York, scheduled to arrive in Fall 2010.

In August 2009, elements of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Afghanistan to take up positions in Regional Commands West and South.

In July 2009, the Department of Defense announced that the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Kentuck, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy, had been alerted to replace forces deployed in Afghanistan, in order to maintain the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, would deploy with approximately 3,800 troops to Afghanistan in late fall 2009. The 173rd Brigade Combat Team, with approximately 3,700 troops, would deploy to Afghanistan in the winter of 2009-2010.

In May 2008, Department of Defense announced that the 86th Brigade Combat Team, Vermont Army National Guard, had been alerted to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to continue training of the Afghan National Security Forces. The majority of the approximately 3,100 service members alerted would deploy in the spring of 2010.