Task Force Phoenix, or more properly known as Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix (CJTF Phoenix), was an international military formation. It was organized by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in 2003-2004 to train and mentor the newly created Afghan National Army/Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to establish and maintain law and order throughout Afghanistan using Embedded Training Teams or ETTs.
Immediately following the collapse of the Taliban regime, Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division began the initial development of the Afghan National Army (ANA) as Task Force Phoenix.
One of the early mission statements for the formation appears to have been: "Coalition Joint Task Force PHOENIX executes a broad-based training, mentoring, and assistance program in order to enable the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) to field a mission-ready Central Corps NLT [No Later Than] June 2004." [1]
The first units involved with TF Phoenix were from the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York. Once the 10th Mountain Division rotated home the mission was assumed by units of the Army National Guard and other members of the coalition. Phoenix II built up the first Afghan Corps – the Central Corps, now 201st Corps (Afghanistan) - in Kabul, Afghanistan. Phoenix II was provided by the 45th Infantry Brigade-Oklahoma Army National Guard. Task Force Phoenix II's base support battalion served as the logistics command for the Afghan National Army, providing all logistics support for an army conducting country-wide combat operations. During this rotation, the brigade grew the size of the Afghan National Army to over 14,000 as well as fielding a corps-sized force ahead of schedule. [2] In August 2004, the brigade was replaced in this mission by the 76th Infantry Brigade-Indiana Army National Guard, and subsequently returned home to the United States. [2] Phoenix III took on the daunting task of splitting that Corps into five separate Corps and locating them throughout the country at five strategic centers. Phoenix IV (53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) Florida Army National Guard) worked to build up those Corps to full strength. TF Phoenix IV's Training Assistance Group (209th Regiment-Nebraska Army National Guard and 211th Regiment-Florida Army National Guard) stationed at Camp Alamo (inside the Kabul Military Training Center) implemented major improvements to both Basic and Advanced Individual Training programs. Task Force Phoenix V ( 41st Infantry Brigade-Oregon Army National Guard) was the fifth ANA training rotation. [3] The mission continued to expand with TF Phoenix V taking on additional responsibilities associated with training and supporting the Afghan National Police (ANP), as well as continuing to train and mentor the growing ANA. TF Phoenix V was composed primarily of soldiers from the U.S. Army National Guard, with members representing 49 of the 50 states. In addition, they had elements from the regular and reserve components personnel from the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps attached. Later, the responsibility for the Phoenix missions were assigned to the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York Army National Guard took command of Task Force Phoenix on 19 April 2008 from the 218th BCT, South Carolina Army National Guard. They were relieved on 19 December 2008 by the 33rd Brigade Combat Team Illinois Army National Guard. In 2009, the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Georgia National Guard assumed command of Task Force Phoenix IX.
The Task Force Phoenix mission consisted of training, coaching and mentoring ANSF. In addition to the ANA and ANP, the ANSF consists of the Afghan National Army Air Corps, the Afghan National Border Patrol (ANBP), and the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP). Task Force Phoenix consisted of five regional commands which matched the five ANA Corps regions. Initially, these sub-commands were named Regional Corps Advisory Commands (RCAC) and Regional Police Advisory Commands (RPAC): RCAC/RPAC-S, RCAC/RPAC-W, RCAC/RPAC-E, RCAC/RPAC-C, and RCAC/RPAC-N). In 2007, these sub-commands were placed under newly created Afghanistan Regional Security Integration Commands (ARSIC). The ARSIC included expanded staffs for logistics and administration to better support the RCAC and RPAC. In addition to the five existing regions, a sixth was added for the capital area of Kabul: ARSIC-West (ARSIC-W), ARSIC-Southwest (ARSIC-SW), ARSIC-South (ARSIC-S), ARSIC-Capital (ARSIC-C), ARSIC-North (ARSIC-N), and ARSIC-East (ARSIC-E). ARSIC-S, for example, was stationed at Kandahar Air Field. [4] One example – The ARSIC fell under the command of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix based out of Camp Phoenix, Kabul, and Combined Strategic Transition Command- Afghanistan (CSTC-A) based out of Camp Eggers, Kabul. With the addition of coalition forces personnel from nations such as Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and France, ARSIC were considered multinational coalition commands. RCAC and RPAC however, tended to be maintain national integrity and most were composed of members of the Army National Guard. ARSIC were not under ISAF.
TF Phoenix was eventually disbanded. [5] With the establishment of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) and Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) the need for TF Phoenix lessened. The task forces' mission changed from one of training to support of the many coalition bases in the Kabul area. Its name was changed to the Kabul Base Cluster Installation Command [6] or KBC.
| CJTF | Period | Manned by |
|---|---|---|
| CJTF Phoenix | 2003 | 10th Mountain Division |
| CJTF Phoenix II | 2003-2004 | 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Oklahoma Army National Guard |
| CJTF Phoenix III | 2004-2005 | 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Indiana Army National Guard |
| CJTF Phoenix IV | 2005-2006 | 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) Florida Army National Guard
|
| CJTF Phoenix V | 2006-2007 | 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) Oregon Army National Guard
|
| CJTF Phoenix VI | 2007-2008 | 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade South Carolina Army National Guard |
| CJTF Phoenix VII | 2008 | 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team New York Army National Guard |
| CJTF Phoenix VIII | 2008-2009 | 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) Illinois Army National Guard |
| CJTF Phoenix IX | 2009-2010 | 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Georgia National Guard |
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 pursuant to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined the establishment of a permanent Afghan government following the U.S. invasion in October 2001. ISAF's primary goal was to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions; it gradually took part in the broader war in Afghanistan against the Taliban insurgency.
The 36th Infantry Division ("Arrowhead"), also known as the "Panther Division", "Lone Star Division", "The Texas Army", or the "T-patchers", is an infantry division of the United States Army and part of the Texas Army National Guard. It was organized during World War I from units of the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard. As an all-Texas unit, it was called for service for World War II 25 November 1940, was sent to the European Theater of Operations in April 1943, and returned to the Texas Army National Guard in December 1945.
The Islamic National Army, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when the Hotak dynasty was established in Kandahar followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power. It was reorganized in 1880 during Emir Abdur Rahman Khan's reign. Afghanistan remained neutral during the First and Second World Wars. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan Army was equipped by the Soviet Union.
The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the regiment has two active battalions: the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
The 38th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the United States Army and part of the Indiana National Guard. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and contains Army National Guard units from across the Midwest.
The 9th Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army that deploys to designated contingency areas and conducts combat and/or stability operations in support of a brigade combat team. It is a divisional mechanized combat engineer unit, composed of three line companies and a headquarters company. Its mission is to provide assured mobility, counter-mobility, general engineering, and survivability support, with well trained sappers ready to deploy anywhere at any time. The unit's history spans service in 1917 in the US southwest, World War II in France and Germany, multiple deployments to the Balkans, and multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is most famous for the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge across the Rhine River. As of 18 May 2015, the battalion exists as the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion in Fort Stewart, GA under 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
The 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Thunderbird") is a modular infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army headquartered in Norman, Oklahoma. It is a part of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Below is an estimated list of the major units deployed within the Multi-National Force – Iraq and other United States military units that were operating in Iraq under the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in 2009, during the Iraq War.
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. 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.
The 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division ("Raiders") is an inactive Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) of the United States Army. The brigade was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington on 1 June 2006 by reflagging the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. The 4th Stryker Brigade had the distinction of being the last U.S. Army combat brigade to serve in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade deployed three times in support of the War on Terror, to Iraq from 2007–2008 and from 2009–2010, and to Afghanistan from 2012–2013 before inactivating in March 2014.
Combined Joint Task Force – 76 (CJTF-76) was a US led subordinate formation of Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan (CFC-A) headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was active from the time CFC-A stood up to the time the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took full command of the coalition military operations in Afghanistan in October 2006. CFC-A reported in its turn to United States Central Command. While CFC-Afghanistan was supposed to have inactivated sometime after November 30, 2006, CJTF-76 remained as a headquarters for ISAF's Regional Command East. CJTF-76 was replaced by Combined Joint Task Force 82, led by the 82nd Airborne Division, in the middle of 2007.
Embedded Training Teams or ETT is the term used by the US military since 2003 to describe conventional forces used to train and mentor Afghan forces. They were formed in 2003 under Task Force Phoenix. Although ETT refers to the Embedded Training "Team", members of the team itself commonly refer to themselves as "ETTs"
The National Military Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA) was one of three academic institutions of the Marshal Fahim National Defense University. It was a four-year military development institution dedicated to commissioning officers for the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan Air Force (AAF). The mission of the NMAA was to produce officers for the Afghan Armed Forces that also have a four-year college level bachelor's degree. The academy was based upon the United States Military Academy and United States Air Force Academy. After the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on August 15th 2021 to the Taliban, and the simultaneous collapse of the Afghan National Army and Afghan Air Force the same day, the Academy was officially shut down.
The 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry battalion. Originally formed during World War II, the battalion took part in the Aleutian and Italian campaigns before being deactivated after the war. Later, however, it was reactivated and in recent times has served in the Sinai Peninsula and in Afghanistan.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an inactive infantry brigade combat team. Based at Fort Polk, Louisiana, the brigade was active from 2005 to 2015. It was a subordinate formation of the 10th Mountain Division.
The 205th 'Atul' (Hero) Corps was a corps-level formation of the Afghan National Army. Its headquarter were located in Kandahar and it was responsible for the south of the country, partnered with the ISAF's Regional Command South.
Train Advise Assist Command – East was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan. Until 2014 it was designated Regional Command East, part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The United States Army provided the force headquarters. The command headquarters was located in Laghman Province.
The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) was a multinational military organisation, activated in November 2009, tasked with providing a higher-level training for the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan Air Force (AAF), including defense colleges and academies, as well as being responsible for doctrine development, and training and advising Afghan National Police (ANP). The commanding officer was dual-hatted and commanded both NTM-A and Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and reported to the Commander of ISAF.
Combined Joint Task Force 180 was a provisional multinational land formation, primarily made up of units from the United States Army, that fought in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), especially in the initial invasion phase of 2001-2002. It was active from May 2002 to 2003/05. It was the senior headquarters in country reporting to United States Central Command.
The 201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Laghman. The current Chief of Staff is Abdul Rahman Mansoori.
