Regional Command East

Regional Command (East) (RC (E)) is an international military formation, of roughly division size, which is one of the components of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The United States Army has usually provided the force headquarters. As of May 2011, the 1st Cavalry Division is providing the command headquarters.

The Command is responsible for Provincial Reconstruction Team operations and security in and around Asadabad, Bamian, Gardez, Ghazni (Poland and US jointly),[1] Jalalabad, Khowst, Parwan, Mehtar Lam and Sharona. Regional Command East also has responsibility for conducting operations against the Taliban on the Pakistani border. A rotating brigade-sized U.S. Army-led task force was initially assigned to RC East until January 2007, when an additional brigade-sized task force was added.

Combined Joint Task Force – 1: is the operational headquarters for Regional Command - East, and is located at Bagram Air Field. CJTF-1 is commanded by Maj. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn of the 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, TX. Mr. Paul Folmsbee is the Senior Civilian Representative for CJTF-1, serving as the U.S. Government’s lead proponent for sub-national governance, stabilization and civilian-military integration at the regional level.

Mission: Regional Command – East, in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and in close coordination with joint, interagency and multinational partners conducts counterinsurgency operations to defeat Anti-Afghan Forces and to increase the competence, capacity and credibility.

Regional Command-East is made up of 14 provinces covering 43,000 square miles, approximately the size of Ohio and sharing 450 miles of border with Pakistan. Currently, more than 30,150 Coalition forces from 13 nations and 850 civilians are deployed in RC-E.

Bagram Units: • Combined Joint Task Force –1: 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX • Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan • Task Force Thunderbird: 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard • Task Force Muleskinner : 10th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Drum, NY • Task Force Poseidon: 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC • Task Force Paladin: Joint Service Task Force • Task Force Med: 44th Medical Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC • Task Force Sword: 18th Engineer Brigade, Schwetzingen, Germany

The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing: is co-located on Bagram Airfield with Combined Joint Task Force-1 and is staffed by more than 5,000 Airmen - approximately 3,500 are based in Camp Cunningham at Bagram - who are 'Fighting Terror and Building Peace'.

Mission: The wing's primary mission is to provide aerial support for Coalition and International Security Assistance Forces on the ground

Units: The wing consists of five groups - the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group, 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group and the 755th Air Expeditionary Group.

Location: Bagram Airfield is located in the Parwan Province approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) southeast of the city of Charikar and 47 Kilometers (27 miles) north of Kabul. The airfield is served by an 11,820 foot runway completed in 2006 and is capable of serving large cargo and bomber aircraft.

Contents

Organization

Task Force Bayonet, February 2005 to March 2006

From February 2005 to March 2006, Task Force Bayonet was composed primarily of soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, in Italy.

Subordinate units included

Task Force Spartan, March 2006 to May 2007

From March 2006 to May 2007, Task Force Spartan was a US-led task force in the central and Eastern regions of Afghanistan. Task Force Spartan comprised the US 3rd Brigade Combat Team, from the 10th Mountain Division, and the 1st Battalion 3rd Marines. Task Force Spartan operated under the CJTF-76/RC East.

Task Force Fury, January 2007 to April 2008

From January 2007 to April 2008, Task Force Fury was a US-led task force primarily consisting of the 4th BCT of the 82nd Airborne Division with an attached battalion, the first battalion of the US 503rd Infantry Regiment, from the 173rd ABCT.

Task Force Bayonet, June 2007 to September 2008

From June 2007 to September 2008, Task Force Bayonet was composed primarily of soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, in Italy, and Schweinfurt and Bamberg, in Germany.

Task Force Bayonet initially operated under the Combined Joint Task Force 76; in March 2008, the headquarter was redesignated as CJTF-82, [2] and again, in April, to CJTF-101.

Task Force Currahee, April 2008 to April 2009

From April 2008 to April 2009, Task Force Currahee was a US-led task force primarily consisting of the US 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, again with the first battalion of the US 503rd Infantry Regiment attached

French and U.S. forces, 2009 - 2011

From 2009-2010, the 82nd Airborne Division lead RC-East. Among its subordinate formations is the French Army's Brigade La Fayette. In 2010, the 101st_Airborne_Division101st Airborne Division replaced the 82nd. In May 2011, the 1st Cavalry Division took command of RC-East.

Sources and references