August 14th, 2003
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma
Oklahoma National Guard officials confirmed today that elements of the 45th Infantry Brigade will be deployed to Afghanistan later this year as the command element for a training task force of as many as 1000 American soldiers.
The task force will be comprised of National Guard soldiers from Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine and will be known as “Task Force Phoenix. ” The number of soldiers from each state required for the mission is yet to be determined.
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The mission of the task force will be to train and mentor soldiers in the new Afghan National Army. The Brigade has been given the task of having 1 Corps (division) of the Army stood-up by June of 2004, when Afghanistan will hold its first national elections.
Soldiers of the 45th may begin training for the mission as soon as mid-September and will deploy to Afghanistan sometime after Thanksgiving. Most of the pre-deployment training will take place at Ft. Carson, Colo., home the 45th’s higher headquarters, the 7th Infantry Division.
In addition to being the Command Element for Task Force Phoenix, the 45th will also mentor Afghani Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers in the new army and may provide part of the operation’s security force.
The 45th has already begun to identify soldiers who will be deploying to Afghanistan, most of which will be Officers and Senior NCOs. “Most of our Officers and NCOs will be mentoring members of the Afghan Army, and for that reason, we will be deploying our most experienced soldiers on this mission”, said Col. Robbie Asher, Deputy Commander for the 45th Infantry Brigade.
“This is the most important tasking the 45th has been given since the Korean War. The success or failure of this mission, will have a direct effect on the future of the Nation of Afghanistan and the future relationship of the United States and the Muslim world,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, Commander of the 45th Infantry Brigade.
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