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International Security Assistance Force - ISAF

As of October 2009, Regional Command North was still operated by the German ISAF contigent alone. Regional Command East was controlled by forces from the United States. Regional Command South was led by a rotating command between Dutch, Canadian, and British forces, and the Dutch contigent was in control. Command of Regional Command West was controlled by the Italians. The capital region included the composite ISAF HQ, made up of members of all 40 contributing nations, as well as Regional Command Capital, responsible for ISAF operations in and around Kabul, was led by French forces. Forces in Regional Command North and West were primarily tasked with missions such as training the Afghan National Police and Army, and other reconstruction operations. The security situation during Summer and Fall 2009 led to increased insurgent activity in the North of the country. The NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, defended NATO's contributions during September 2009, while continuing to call for additional support for all its members. Germany, Italy, and Spain, the primary nations engaged in the northern and western provinces had strict restrictions on the deployment of their forces on combat missions. Despite this, German forces were involved in an airstrike in Northern Afghanistan in early September that led to a number of innocent civilian deaths.

The bulk of ISAF's forces remained deployed to Regional Command South and Regional Command East, where US, British, Dutch, and Canadian forces engaged in the majority of combat operations in the country, mainly along Afghanistan's southern border with Pakistan. US forces were deployed primarily in Regional Command East, with some forces in Regional Command South, both as part of ISAF and part of the US Operation Enduring Freedom. The US contribution increased dramatically from January to October 2009, with the deployment of close to 10,000 additional soldiers and marines just in support of ISAF. The US increases in direct support of ISAF centered on the deployment of an additional Brigade Combat Team to Kandahar, the expansion of the US Marine Corps contribution to a full Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The US continued to deploy 3 Brigade Combat teams in Regional Command South, along with a Task Force to assist in reconstruction projects.

NOTES

* - Total ISAF and other force numbers potentially include overlapping rotations and other operational fluctuation.

** - The Air Task Force is headquartered at KAIA, but provides aircraft to dispresed locations throughtout the 5 Regional Commands. Aircraft might not be located at KAIA.

*** - The Dutch C-130 Detachment is formally deployed in the United Arab Emirates.

**** - The 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment was detached from the rest of the 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) (Task Force Mountain Warrior) in RC(E) and attached to Combined Task Force Kandahar, led by the Canadians in RC(S).

***** - Mi-8s with Canada's JTF-A Air Wing were chartered with their crews and ground staff from Sky Link Aviation of Toronto.

****** - The Dutch Apache Detachment in Uruzgan was technically part of ISAF's Air Task Force.

******* - It is unclear where the 82nd CAB's 122nd Aviation Support Battalion is headquartered. It is likely that its subordinate units are dispersed with the Brigade's other battalions.

******** - The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division began deploying to Afghanistan in September 2009. The first unit was C Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, but it was unclear where the unit deployed to and to who it was initially attached. The entire Brigade was slated to be deployed, but it was unclear what other units had deployed and to what locations.