Resolute Support Mission or Operation Resolute Support is a NATO-led train, advise and assist mission consisting of over 16,000 troops in Afghanistan, which began on January 1, 2015. It is a follow-on mission to the International Security Assistance Force which was completed on December 28, 2014. Its current commander is U.S. Army General Austin S. Miller.
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. 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. The spokes are formed by Train Advise Assist Commands, 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. The 203rd Corps located in the south-eastern part of the country sees advisers from time to time from TAAC East. 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. The residual force of 9,800 troops were withdrawn on December 31, 2016, leaving behind 8,400 troops stationed at four garrisons. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction 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, " 14.5% of the country’s total districts under insurgent control or influence contested"
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. A new type of U.S. unit, the Security Force Assistance Brigades, began deploying to Afghanistan in February 2018 to support the mission. 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. The following nations had personnel stationed in Afghanistan as part of the mission in June 2020:
