Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan

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Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan
Re: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_113694.htm

Following the completion of the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at the end of 2014, a new, follow-on, NATO-led mission called Resolute Support was launched on 1 January 2015 to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions. At the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, Allied leaders decided to extend the presence of RSM beyond 2016. Two years later, at the Brussels Summit in July 2018, they committed to sustaining the mission until conditions indicate a change is appropriate.

Chart of Afghanistan: Resolute Support Mission: https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2...ax_775x549.jpg

Over 16,000 personnel from 39 NATO member states and partner countries are deployed in support of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). At the 2018 Brussels Summit, NATO welcomed two new troop-contributing nations, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which are currently finalising the details of their offers to contribute.

RSM operates with one central hub (in Kabul/Bagram) and four spokes in Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar and Laghman. It focuses primarily on training, advice and assistance activities at the security-related ministries, in the country’s institutions and among the senior ranks of the army and police. The Resolute Support Mission works closely with different elements of the Afghan army, police and air force.

Key functions include:

Supporting planning, programming and budgeting;
Assuring transparency, accountability and oversight;
Supporting the adherence to the principles of rule of law and good governance;
Supporting the establishment and sustainment of such processes as force generation, recruiting, training, managing and development of personnel.
Key decisions on RSM

The decision to launch a follow-on, NATO-led non-combat mission to continue supporting the development of the Afghan security forces after the end of ISAF’s mission in December 2014 was jointly agreed between Allies and partners with the Afghan government at the NATO Summit in Chicago in 2012. This commitment was reaffirmed at the Wales Summit in 2014.

The legal framework for RSM is provided by a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which was signed in Kabul on 30 September 2014 by the Afghan President and NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, and later ratified by the Afghan Parliament on 27 November 2014. The SOFA defines the terms and conditions under which NATO forces will be deployed in Afghanistan as part of Resolute Support, as well as the activities that they are set to carry out under this agreement.

The agreement between NATO and Afghanistan on the establishment of the new mission was welcomed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2189. Unanimously adopted on 12 December 2014, it underscores the importance of continued international support for the stability of Afghanistan.

In December 2015, at the foreign ministers’ meeting of NATO Allies and their RSM partners, it was agreed to sustain the RSM presence, including in the regions of Afghanistan, during 2016. Six months later, in May 2016, they agreed to sustain the RSM presence beyond 2016 – a decision that was confirmed by Allied leaders at the NATO Summit in Warsaw in July.

At a meeting of defence ministers in November 2017, RSM troop-contributing nations confirmed that the number of troops deployed would increase from around 13,000 to around 16,000 troops.

Beyond the training, advice and assistance mission, Allies and partner countries are committed to the broader international community’s support for the long-term financial sustainment of the Afghan security forces until the end of 2020 (see ANA Trust Fund). At the 2018 Brussels Summit, Allies and partners agreed to extend their commitment to supporting the financial sustainment of the Afghan security forces through 2024.

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Statement by Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan

1. As the Afghan Government of National Unity takes steps to uphold stability and security, and to promote peace, NATO reaffirms its commitment to the development of the Afghan security and defence forces through a conditions-based approach for our Resolute Support Mission. We recognise and highly appreciate the essential contributions that the men and women in uniform from Allied nations, and from our Resolute Support Mission (RSM) operational partners, have provided over many years of NATO presence in Afghanistan.

2. At the second Kabul Conference of 28 February, President Ashraf Ghani took a decisive step toward Afghan reconciliation by proposing peace talks between the Government of National Unity and the Taliban, without preconditions. NATO Allies are united in their support for this proposal of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. We will respect and support a negotiated political settlement led by the Afghan Government which ends violence, cuts ties to terrorism and protects the human rights of all Afghan citizens. We also support the Afghan Government's intention to address all contested issues between the parties, including those relating to the future role of the international community in Afghanistan.

3. We urge the Taliban to respond favourably to this opportunity and participate in an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process. The responsibility to bring an end to a long era of conflict is now in the Taliban's hands.

4. We welcome the support for this proposal that was provided by countries within the region at the 27 March Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan. Regional actors have a significant role to play in support of peace and stabilization in Afghanistan. Pakistan facilitates important logistical supply lines for the Resolute Support Mission. We believe Pakistan's role will be important to a peace process, including in encouraging the Taliban to change their calculus. We encourage Pakistan to act on its stated support for a political solution to the Afghan conflict, to close terrorist sanctuaries and to work to prevent terrorist financial flows and cross-border attacks, including by working with its neighbours. We echo President Ghani's call on regional actors to cooperate more closely on fighting terrorism and to support the Afghan government's peace and reconciliation efforts. In this regard, we also encourage Iran and Russia to contribute to regional stability by fully supporting an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.

5. Fair, inclusive and timely parliamentary and presidential elections due in 2018 and 2019 respectively are essential for peace, stability, and the consolidation of democracy. NATO therefore welcomes the recent announcement by the Afghan Independent Election Commission in setting the date for parliamentary elections on 20 October 2018. More broadly, we encourage Afghanistan to continue on the path to wider reform. The Government of National Unity will remain fully accountable for the commitments it made in this respect during the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan held on 4-5 October 2016, including the promotion of human rights, good governance, and combatting corruption in Afghanistan.

6. Allies are committed to strengthening Afghan security capabilities to tackle both internal security threats and terrorists who seek to use Afghanistan as a safe haven from which to plot attacks on other nations. NATO also supports the Afghan Government's determination to eliminate the threat of terrorism in all its forms, including that posed by ISIS/Daesh affiliates in Afghanistan.

7. There should be no doubt about NATO's position: NATO will continue to provide the support that the Afghan Government has requested so we can help Afghanistan fully provide for its own security.

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NATO and Afghanistan as of 16-July-18

NATO is leading a non-combat mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions. The Resolute Support Mission (RSM) was launched in January 2015, following the completion of the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in December 2014, when responsibility for security in Afghanistan was transferred to the Afghan national defence and security forces. Beyond supporting RSM, NATO Allies and partners are helping to sustain Afghan security forces and institutions financially, as part of a broader international commitment to Afghanistan. The NATO-Afghanistan Enduring Partnership provides a framework for wider political dialogue and practical cooperation.

1. NATO led the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from August 2003 to December 2014. ISAF’s mission was to enable the Afghan authorities and build the capacity of the Afghan national security forces to provide effective security, so as to ensure that Afghanistan would never again be a safe haven for terrorists.

2. ISAF is NATO’s longest and most challenging mission to date: at its height, the force was more than 130,000 strong with troops from 50 NATO and partner nations.

3. ISAF also contributed to reconstruction and development in Afghanistan through 28 multinational Provincial Reconstruction Teams – led by individual ISAF nations – securing areas, outside of Kabul in the provinces, in which reconstruction work was conducted by national and international actors.

4. The transition to Afghan lead for security started in 2011 and was completed in December 2014, when the ISAF operation ended and the Afghans assumed full responsibility for security of their country. By the end of 2014, PRTs had been phased out and their functions were handed over to Afghan authorities. In January 2015, NATO launched the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces and institutions. Currently, it numbers over 16,000 troops from 39 NATO Allies and partner countries. At the July 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, NATO will welcome two new troop-contributing nations, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, increasing RSM to 41 contributors.

5. Allied leaders decided at the July 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw to sustain the presence of RSM beyond 2016.

6. NATO and its partners are already committed to providing financial support to sustain the Afghan forces until the end of 2020.

7. The Enduring Partnership is NATO’s political partnership with Afghanistan. It was set up in 2010 at the NATO Summit in Lisbon. At the 2016 Summit, Allies decided to strengthen and enhance the Partnership, within and alongside RSM, through political dialogue and practical cooperation. In the longer term, a traditional partnership with Afghanistan remains NATO’s goal.

8. NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative represents the political leadership of the Alliance in Kabul, liaising with the government, civil society, representatives of the international community and neighbouring countries. The Representative has a leading role in advising the Afghan authorities on the Enduring Partnership.

Note: Nothing current as of 8-14-18 on NATO's position on Afghan.