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ETT Commander inspects ANA March 2009

Embedded Training Teams or ETT is the term used by the US military[1][2][3][4] since 2003 [5] to describe conventional forces used to train and mentor Afghan forces (ANA and ANP primarily), a role previously assigned to Special Forces. They were formed in 2003 under Task Force Phoenix.

Mission

ETTs and their coalition partnered Operational and Mentoring Liaison Teams (OMLTs aka omelettes) supported by contractors, mentor the ANA in leadership, staff support functions, planning, assessing, supporting, and execution of operations and training to include doctrine development. In addition to training and mentoring the ANA the ETTs and OMLTs provide the ANA access to combat enablers such as close air support/fires, medical evacuation, and quick reaction. According to the CJTFP Public Affairs Office, Coalition Forces have assisted in training and equipping nearly 35,000 Afghanistan National Army (ANA) Soldiers.[6] ANA personnel receive mentoring and training in the field that is administered by Coalition forces in their respective Corps area of operations. Throughout the entire training and deployment process, ETTs and OMLTs work closely with afghans to maintain standards established by CSTC-A, to ensure a high level of professionalism, and to provide the ANA experience working with combat enablers, such as close air support/fires, medical evacuation and quick reaction forces. Accordingly, ETTs were divided into four groups, advising in the areas of intelligence, communications, fire support, logistics and infantry tactics[7]:

  • Training Assistance Group (TAG): Oversees doctrine and training at Kabul Military Training Center.
  • Regional Corps Assistance Command (RCAC): Mentors operational ANA Regional Corps staffs.
  • Brigade Training Teams (BTT): Mentors Brigade command and staff at Brigade and Kandak (Battalion) level during training and deployment.
  • Mobile Training Teams (MTT): Specific equipment training once recruits report to their Brigade. Many of these MTTs were sourced/filled by contractors and supervised by ETTs.

The ETT (personnel)

ETT Captain William Swenson receiving the Medal of Honor
  • Unlike their Special Forces counterparts in the past, ETTs are normally Officers and Senior NCOs drawn from conventional forces and from wide variety of backgrounds and Military Occupational Specialties who are selected due to their experience as professional soldiers and Marines. The composition of an ETT ranges from a single Officer paired with a single NCO mentoring a Company or Kandak of ANA, up to a mixed team of 20 Officers and SNCO/NCOs led by a Colonel mentoring a Brigade or Corps.
  • Partnered OMLTs are the international (non-U.S.) equivalent of ETTs deployed under the NATO International Security Assistance Force ("ISAF"). They are fielded by other Coalition/Partner countries in Afghanistan to assist in the training of the ANA. The following coalition partners provide OMLTs: France, Germany, Spain, Romania, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia.[6][8]
  • Contracted trainers, mostly former law enforcement and military, contributed greatly to the ETT mission.

ETTs awarded the Medal of Honor

While serving as ETTs in Kunar Province, Captain William D. Swenson (Army) and Corporal Dakota Meyer (Marine) received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Battle of Ganjgal.

ETT Dakota L. Meyer
  • Cpl Meyer is the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War
  • CPT Swenson is the fifth living Soldier to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War
  • Two other Marine ETTs in the battle, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez and Capt. Ademola Fabayo, received the Navy Cross.

Task Force Phoenix

Task Force Phoenix is sometimes referred to Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix or CJTF Phoenix (its more official name)[9]. TF Phoenix was organized in April 2003 to train and mentor the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The first units involved with TF Phoenix were from the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York. Once the 10th Mountain Division rotated home the train, mentor and advise mission was assumed by units of the Army National Guard and other members of the coalition. Much of this training took place at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC). Initially the TF was involved in only training the Afghan National Army (ANA) but that mission soon spread to training the Afghan National Police (ANP). In addition to the United States, other countries participated in Task Force Phoenix to include France, United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, Bulgaria, New Zealand, and Mongolia.

Units of CJTF Phoenix

Some of the units that have participated in TF Phoenix include:

  • 45th Infantry Brigade, Oklahoma Army National Guard. Formed the core of Task Force Phoenix II in 2003.
  • 76th Infantry Brigade, Indiana Army National Guard. Formed the core of Task Force Phoenix III 2004.
  • 53rd Infantry Brigade of the Florida Army National Guard, 209th Regiment of the Nebraska Army National Guard, and 211th Regiment of the Florida Army National Guard formed the core of Task Force Phoenix IV in 2005.
  • 41st Infantry Brigade of the Oregon Army National Guard formed the core of Task Force Phoenix V. The 41st was activated in late 2005.
  • 218th Brigade Combat Team of the South Carolina Army National Guard formed the core of TF Phoenix in 2007.
  • 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York Army National Guard took command of TF Phoenix in April 2008.
  • 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Illinois Army National Guard took command of TF Phoenix in December 2008.
  • 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Georgia National Guard. Formed the core of TF Phoenix in 2009.

Disbanding of Task Force Phoenix

TF Phoenix was eventually disbanded. [10] With the establishment of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) and Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) the need for TF Phoenix lessened. The task forces' mission changed from one of training to support of the many coalition bases in the Kabul area. It's name was changed to the Kabul Base Cluster Installation Command [11]or KBC.

Notes

  1. ^ "Embedded Training Teams Making History in Afghanistan". Retrieved 11 March 2005.
  2. ^ "DefendAmerica News – Article". Defendamerica.mil. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  3. ^ Blog by a USMC ETT 2008-2009. "Embedded in Afghanistan... a Marine's opinions and experiences as a member of an Embedded Training Team in 2008-2009 in the Korengal and Pech River Valleys of Afghanistan". blogspot.com. Retrieved 21 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ This story was written by Lt. Karin Burzynski, Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Force Public Affairs. "Sailors Train for Mission in Afghanistan". Navy.mil. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Task Force Phoenix Afghanistan". afghanwarnews.info. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  6. ^ a b Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix Website (Official DoD website)
  7. ^ "ANA – Article". understandingwar.org/. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  8. ^ "OMLT Factsheet" (PDF). nato.int. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  9. ^ "The Phoenix Patriot". dvidshub.net. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Afghanistan Training Mission to Double in Size". wired.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  11. ^ "Passing the Torch: Task Force Phoenix Gives Way to New Kabul Base Cluster Command". isaf.nato.int. Retrieved 31 October 2013.


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