NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NATO and Afghanistan

NATO’s primary objective in Afghanistan is to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Since August 2003, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been conducting security operations, while also training and developing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Launched in 2011, the transition to Afghan full security responsibility is due to be completed at the end of 2014, when ISAF’s mission will end. NATO will then lead a follow-on mission to continue to support the development of ANSF capacity. Wider cooperation between NATO and Afghanistan will also continue under the Enduring Partnership agreement, signed in 2010 at the Lisbon Summit. NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative carries forward the Alliance's political-military objectives in Afghanistan, liaising with the Afghan government, civil society, representatives of the international community and neighbouring countries.

• ISAF’s mission

  Deployed in 2001 – initially under the lead of individual NATO Allies on a six-month rotational basis – the UN-mandated ISAF was tasked to assist the Afghan government in maintaining security, originally in and around Kabul exclusively. NATO agreed to take command of the force in August 2003 and the UN Security Council subsequently gradually mandated the expansion of ISAF’s operations to cover the whole country by October 2006. ISAF is in Afghanistan at the express wish of the democratically elected government of Afghanistan.

  As of July 2012, fifty nations are contributing troops to the mission. They include 22 non-NATO partner nations from around the globe, working alongside the 28 NATO Allies. (For more information on contributing nations and troop numbers, see ISAF "placemat" in margin)

  As part of the international community’s overall effort, ISAF is working to create the conditions whereby the Afghan government is able to exercise its authority throughout the country. To achieve this goal, ISAF conducts security operations to protect the Afghan people, neutralise insurgents networks and deny sanctuary in Afghanistan to extremists. ISAF also trains, advises and assists the Afghan national security forces, so that they can take over these security responsibilities. (More on ISAF’s mandate and mission tasks)

• The transition to Afghan lead for security and beyond

  By the end of 2014, Afghan National Security Forces are expected to assume full security responsibility for their people and country, and ISAF’s mission will end. The process of transition to full Afghan security responsibility – known as “Inteqal” in Dari and Pashtu – was launched in 2011 and is well underway.  With the announcement of the third set of areas to enter the transition process in May 2012, 75 percent of the population will soon live in areas under Afghan security lead.
  Increasing ANSF capacity and leadership allows the ISAF mission to evolve, shifting progressively from a combat-centric role to a more enabling role focusing on training, advising and assisting the Afghan national security forces to ensure that they are able to assume their full security responsibilities by the end of transition. In full coordination with the Afghan authorities, ISAF will gradually and responsibly draw down its forces as progress on transition is made, until the scheduled completion of transition at the end of 2014. (More on Transition)

  NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan stands firm and will remain beyond transition. At NATO’s summit in Chicago in May 2012, Allies agreed to a follow-on NATO-led mission to continue to support the development of the Afghan security forces post-2014. This mission will not be a combat mission.

  Allies also discussed how best to continue to support the Afghan security forces after 2014. The responsibility to contribute to the financing of this effort is one for the international community as a whole. NATO will participate in that process, under terms which are yet to be finalised.

  The issue was also high on the agenda of the July 2012 Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan (Tokyo declaration), which aimed to pave the way for the sustainable development of Afghanistan, taking into account the situation after 2014. The Tokyo Conference also noted the areas in which the Afghan government must continue to make progress. At the conference, the Afghan government undertook to pursue the commitments and values set out in the country’s constitution, concerning democracy, the rule of law and good governance, including fighting corruption and promoting human rights (Tokyo Annex on mutual accountability).

  Wider cooperation between NATO and Afghanistan will also continue beyond 2014 under the Enduring Partnership – an agreement signed at NATO’s Lisbon Summit in 2010 (see below).

• Building the capacity of Afghan National Security Forces

  Developing professional, capable and self-sustaining Afghan National Security Forces is at the centre of ISAF’s efforts and the core mission of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A). This enables implementation of the transition process until end 2014 and will also guide NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan over the long term.

  Since its creation in 2002, the Afghan National Army (ANA) has been moving from an infantry-centric force to a fully-fledged army to comprise both fighting elements and enabling capabilities - such as military police, intelligence, route clearance, combat support, medical, aviation, and logistics.

  The role of the Afghan National Police (ANP) is shifting from countering the insurgency to a more civilian policing role, by further developing capabilities from criminal investigations to traffic control.

  NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan

  Established on 21 November 2009, the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) brings together NATO and national training efforts under one umbrella. It works in close partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, as well as in collaboration with the European Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) and the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF). Currently, 38 nations contribute to NTM-A.

  NTM-A’s key tasks include the provision of training and mentoring to the Afghan national security forces, support the ANA’s institutional training base, and the ANP reform at the district level and below. It also aims at addressing the ANA enabling capability shortfalls (including close air support, medical evacuation, intelligence) through ‘train the trainer’ programmes.

  The launch of NTM-A was made hand in hand with the establishment of the ISAF’s Joint Command (IJC), which is focused on operations. While NTM-A focuses on training the initial recruits and building the institutional training capability of the Afghan national security forces, development of the Afghan army and police continues in the field. The IJC is responsible for developing fielded ANSF units through advising and assisting, with ISAF forces gradually taking on more of an enabling ‘Security Force Assistance’ role.

• NATO’s Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan

  At the NATO Lisbon Summit in November 2010, NATO and Afghanistan reaffirmed their long-term ties with the signing of a Declaration on Enduring Partnership. The document, which marks NATO’s continued commitment to Afghanistan, provides a political framework for future enhanced cooperation, particularly in the field of Afghan National Security Forces capacity-building and security sector reform. The initial set of Enduring Partnership activities, agreed by foreign ministers in April 2011, brings together a number of previously separate initiatives. Over time, the Enduring Partnership will evolve to reflect the changing nature of NATO’s mission and its relationship with Afghanistan.

  Cooperation within the framework of the Enduring Partnership currently includes:

  • capacity building efforts, such as professional military education programmes;
  • courses to promote the fight against corruption and good governance initiatives, including under the Building Integrity programme;
  • assisting the Afghan civil aviation sector in meeting international standards;
  • an ‘Afghan First’ policy to identify Afghan companies eligible for ISAF contracts;
  • the SILK-Afghanistan project which provides affordable, high-speed Internet access via satellite and fiber optics to Afghan universities and governmental institutions in Kabul;
  • training in civil emergency planning and disaster preparedness;
  • and public diplomacy efforts to promote a better understanding of NATO and its role in Afghanistan.
    

• Working with partners

  Addressing the Afghanistan’s challenges requires a comprehensive approach, involving civilian and military actors, aimed not only at providing security but also at promoting good governance, the rule of law and long-term development. The Alliance acts in a supporting role to the Afghan government and works in close coordination with other international partners, including the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan, the World Bank, the European Union and the development community.

  The Alliance also works closely with many non-member countries to help secure Afghanistan’s future. Currently, ISAF troop contributors include 22 partners from as far afield as Australia and Latin America. Altogether, they represent almost a quarter of all the member countries of the United Nations, underlining the broad international support for ISAF’s mission.  For many years, Australia has been the top non-NATO troop-contributing nation. Georgia – currently the second largest partner troop contributor – is likely to become the largest, following planned deployments in autumn 2012.

  Beyond troop contributors, many partners are supporting ISAF’s mission and the international community’s objectives in Afghanistan in other ways, such as through overflight and transit rights, or through financial support for building the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces and for development projects. Examples of this important support are given below.

  Cooperation with countries in the region

  Countries in the region, particularly Pakistan, have important roles in ensuring enduring peace, stability and security in Afghanistan. They share a common interest in reducing the threat of extremism, promoting regional security, and addressing the problem of drug trafficking. NATO shares the same interests and concerns. One of the main NATO supply routes into and out of Afghanistan passes south through Pakistan. And NATO’s Central Asian partners – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – have all provided some form of support to ISAF, including over-flight rights and the leasing of military bases to individual Allies. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan (along with Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine) have provided rail networks through which non-lethal supplies can be transported to and from Afghanistan along a northern route.

  NATO-Russia cooperation

  NATO and Russia have a common interest in stabilizing Afghanistan and the broader region. Several initiatives are underway to help stabilize the country. One NRC project is assisting the Afghan Armed Forces to operate and maintain their helicopter fleet, as transition to Afghan security lead takes hold. Training of Afghan army helicopter maintenance staff on Russian territory began in April 2012. Under another successful NRC project, some 2000 Afghan, Central Asian and Pakistani counter-narcotics personnel have been trained to date, helping to develop regional capacity against the threat of drug trafficking.

  Since 2008, Russia has facilitated the transit of non-military equipment for ISAF contributors across Russian territory in support of the ISAF mission. NATO-Russia transit arrangements proved critical to the development of the northern supply route to Afghanistan, linking rail transportation between Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Initially set for non-lethal equipment originating from NATO member states, the arrangement was extended to the non-NATO troop contributing nations, including reverse transit, at the NATO Lisbon Summit in November 2010. The current arrangement allows cargoes to travel by rail both to and from Afghanistan. At the Chicago Summit in May 2012, Allied leaders welcomed the progress on developing arrangements with Central Asian partners and Russia, which will allow multi-modal reverse transit, using a mix of rail and air transit for ISAF equipment through Russian territory.

  Cooperation with Japan

  While not a troop contributor, Japan is involved in a range of projects that enhance ISAF’s capabilities. By May 2011, Japan had given $2.49 billion worth of assistance to Afghanistan, in addition to providing more than 100 Japanese aid workers. In particular, Japan has provided financial support to human security projects in numerous regions of Afghanistan since 2007, in coordination with ISAF. Japan maintains a direct presence in the office of the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan to help coordinate the $20 million worth of funding through Japan’s Grassroots Grant Assistance Projects. Additionally, Japan has made generous contributions to a Partnership Trust Fund project in Afghanistan with a view to enhancing stockpile management and physical security of ammunitions and has also made valuable contributions to the ANA Trust Fund aimed at equipping and sustaining the Afghan National Army, including $20 million for literacy programmes in February 2012, in addition to procuring medical supplies.