International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
ISAF, in support of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIROA), conducts operations in Afghanistan to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency, support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development, in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population.
Security
In accordance with all the relevant Security Council Resolutions, ISAF’s main role is to assist the Afghan government in the establishment of a secure and stable environment. To this end, ISAF forces are conducting security and stability operations throughout the country together with the Afghan National Security Forces and are directly involved in the development of the Afghan National Army through mentoring, training and equipping.
Reconstruction and Development
Through its Provincial Reconstruction Teams, ISAF is supporting reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, securing areas in which reconstruction work is conducted by other national and international actors.Where appropriate, and in close cooperation and coordination with GIROA and UNAMA representatives on the ground, ISAF is also providing practical support for efforts, as well as support for humanitarian assistance efforts conducted by Afghan government organizations, international organizations, and NGOs.
Governance
ISAF, through its Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), is helping the Afghan Authorities strengthen the institutions required to fully establish good governance and rule of law and to promote human rights. PRTs’ principal mission in this respect consists of building capacity, supporting the growth of governance structures and promoting an environment within which governance can improve.
NATO Response Force (NRF)
In November 2002 at the Prague Summit, NATO decided to build up a robust, high readiness, fully trained and certified force that is prepared to tackle the full spectrum of missions, including force. The force should be ready to deploy in five days and should be able to sustain itself for 30 days. The NRF will be tailored to a specific operation as required. It might be based on a brigade size land element, including special operations forces as well as a joint naval task force and an air element. The forces will be drawn from NATO’s force structure.
The Initial Operational Capability of the NATO Response Force was scheduled for October 2004. When Final Operating Capability was reached by the fall of 2006, its troop size was set at 21,000. The NRF operates on a rotational basis. The cycle is based on a period of unit and interoperability training, followed by a six-months 'on-call' period. HQ 1 GNC is one of the six High Readiness Force (Land) Headquarters designated by NATO to prepare for operations as a NRF. It was successfully 'on-call' for NRF-4 from January 2005 – June 2005 and for NRF-10 from January 2008 - June 2008.
