Resolute Support Mission

Resolute Support Mission or Operation Resolute Support is a NATO-led train, advise and assist mission consisting of over 16,000 troops[1] in Afghanistan, which began on January 1, 2015.[3][4] It is a follow-on mission to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which was completed on December 28, 2014.[4][5] Its current commander is U.S. Army General Austin S. Miller.[6]

Resolute Support Mission
Official logo of RSM
FoundedDecember 28, 2014 (2014-12-28)
CountryContributing States: See Below
Allegiance NATO
Size15,937 troops as of June 2020[1]
Part ofAllied Joint Force Command Brunssum American contingent responsible to:
United States Central Command
MacDill AFB, Florida, U.S.
HeadquartersKabul, Afghanistan
Motto(s)تعلیمات، کمک، مشورت
EngagementsWar in Afghanistan
Commanders
CommanderGEN Austin S. Miller, USA
Deputy CommanderLt Gen Giles Hill, British Army[2]
Senior Enlisted LeaderCSM Timothy L. Metheny, USA
Insignia
Flag
Change of Mission Ceremony from ISAF to Resolute Support, Dec. 28, 2014, in Kabul

The operation plan for the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) was approved by foreign ministers of the NATO members in late June 2014 and the corresponding status of forces agreement was signed by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Maurits Jochems in Kabul on 30 September 2014.[4] The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 2189 in support of the new international mission in Afghanistan.[5]

Objectives and deployment

The objective of the mission is to provide training, advice and assistance for Afghan security forces and institutions in their conflict with extremist groups such as the Taliban, the Haqqani network, and ISIS-K.[7][8][9]

The Resolute Support Mission consists of approximately 17,000 personnel from NATO and partner nations in Afghanistan with the central hub at Kabul and Bagram Airfield supporting four spokes.[4] The spokes are formed by Train Advise Assist Commands (TAACs), which directly support four of the six Afghan National Army Corps. Train Advise Assist Command - Capital replaces the former Regional Command Capital. TAAC East assists the 201st Corps from FOB Gamberi in Laghman, TAAC South assists the 205th Corps from Kandahar International Airport, TAAC West assists the 207th Corps in Herat and TAAC North covers the 209th Corps from Mazar-i-Sharif.[10]

The 203rd Corps located in the south-eastern part of the country sees advisers from time to time from TAAC East (one source describes this as "fly to advise").[11] The 215th Corps in the south-west is supported by TAAC South.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in an update given from the White House on Wednesday, July 6, 2016, stated that, following General John W. Nicholson's, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford's, and U.S. Defense Department Secretary Ashton Carter's mutual recommendations, the U.S. would have about 8,400 troops remaining in Afghanistan through the end of his administration in December 2016.[7]

The residual force of 9,800 troops were withdrawn on December 31, 2016, leaving behind 8,400 troops stationed at four garrisons (Kabul, Kandahar, Bagram, and Jalalabad).

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is Congressionally appointed to oversee the $117.26 billion that Congress has provided to implement reconstruction programs in Afghanistan. The SIGAR's "April 30, 2018 Quarterly Report to Congress" says, "[As of January 31, 2018,] 14.5% of the country’s total districts [were] under insurgent control or influence [& an additional 29.2% were] contested[.]"[12]

Contributing nations

As of 2019, among the forces contributing to the mission are 8,475 Americans training and helping Afghan forces, approximately 5,500 Americans engaged in counter-terrorism missions, 8,673 allied soldiers and 27,000 military contractors.[13]

A new type of U.S. unit, the Security Force Assistance Brigades, began deploying to Afghanistan in February 2018 to support the mission.[14]

The United Kingdom announced in July 2018 that it was to send 440 more British personnel to Afghanistan. Around half of the additional personnel deployed in August 2018 and the other half followed by February 2019. This increased the total number of British personnel in the country from 650 to 1,090 by early 2019.[15]

The following nations had personnel stationed in Afghanistan as part of the mission in June 2020:[1]

Country Number of personnel
 United States2,500
 Germany1,300
 United Kingdom1,100
 Italy895
 Iraq871
 Georgia860
 Romania738
 Turkey600
 Poland360
 Mongolia233
 Australia200
 Portugal188
 Bulgaria160
 Netherlands160
 Armenia121
 Azerbaijan120
 Denmark108
 Albania99
 Belgium92
 Czech Republic91
 Hungary89
 Croatia76
 Bosnia-Herzegovina66
 Finland65
 Norway61
 Estonia45
 North Macedonia42
 Latvia40
 Spain36
 Montenegro32
 Lithuania25
 Slovakia20
 Sweden13
 Ukraine13
 Austria11
 Greece11
 New Zealand9
 Slovenia6
 Luxembourg2
Total15,937

List of commanders

See also

References

  1. "Resolute Support Mission: Key Facts and Figures" (PDF). NATO. June 2020.
  2. "No. 62803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 2019. p. 18914.
  3. "NATO chief, Afghan president welcome "new phase" as combat role ends". DPA. DPA. 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  4. "NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan". NATO. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  5. "Afghanistan: Security Council backs agreement on new non-combat NATO mission". United Nations News Centre. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  6. "Change of Command at NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan" (Press release). NATO. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. "An Update On Our Mission in Afghanistan". whitehouse.gov. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  8. Rosenberg, Matthew (October 15, 2015). "In Reversal, Obama Says U.S. Soldiers Will Stay in Afghanistan to 2017". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  9. Velloso, Sophie (2020-06-07). "US launches airstrikes against Taliban in Afghanistan". International Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  10. Operation Resolute Support, TAAC North Archived 2015-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Resolute Support". Afghan War News. Afghan War News. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  12. "April 30, 2018 Quarterly Report to Congress" (PDF).
  13. "Operation Freedom's Sentinel: Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress, April 1, 2019–June 30, 2019" (PDF). Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. 20 August 2019. p. 47–48. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  14. "First troops among new front-line adviser brigade arrive in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  15. "Afghanistan: UK to send 440 more non-combat troops".
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