Task Force Helmand was the name given to a military unit of the
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...
in
Helmand Province
Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. Task Force Helmand was part of
Regional Command Southwest and consisted primarily of personnel from the
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...
, as well as contribution from NATO allies Denmark and Estonia. It was established in April 2006, which coincided with the deployment of
Operation Herrick 4.
During August 2013 the Headquarters of Task Force Helmand moved from
MOB Lashkar Gah to
Camp Bastion
Camp Shorabak (formerly Camp Bastion) is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres.
The camp was buil ...
.
On 1 April 2014 the command was disbanded and its responsibilities were turned over to
Regional Command Southwest.
Commanders
* Brigadier
Ed Butler (April 2006 – October 2006)
* Brigadier
Jerry Thomas (October 2006 – April 2007)
* Brigadier
John Lorimer (April 2007 – October 2007)
* Brigadier
Andrew MacKay (October 2007 – April 2008)
* Brigadier
Mark Carleton-Smith
General Sir Mark Alexander Popham Carleton-Smith, (born 9 February 1964) is a senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff from June 2018 to June 2022. He previously served as Director Special Forces and commanded 22 Sp ...
(April 2008 – October 2008)
* Brigadier
Gordon Messenger
General Sir Gordon Kenneth Messenger, (born 15 April 1962) is a retired senior Royal Marines officer who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from May 2016 to May 2019. As a colonel he commanded 40 Commando during the Iraq War, and led th ...
(October 2008 – April 2009)
* Brigadier
Tim Radford (April 2009 – October 2010)
* Brigadier
James Cowan (October 2009 – April 2010)
* Brigadier
Richard Felton
Lieutenant General Richard Friedrich Patrick Felton, is a former British Army officer who served as Director-General of the Defence Safety Authority from 2017 to 2019.
Military career
Felton was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport o ...
(April 2010 – October 2010)
* Brigadier
James Chiswell
Major General James Robert Chiswell, (born 29 March 1964) is a former British Army officer.
Early life and education
Born in Berlin to Major General Peter Chiswell, James Chiswell was educated at Allhallows College and King's College London. ...
(October 2010 – April 2011)
* Brigadier
Ed Davis (April 2011 – October 2011)
* Brigadier
Patrick Sanders Patrick Sanders may refer to:
* Patrick Sanders (British Army officer)
* Patrick Sanders (basketball)
{{hndis, Sanders, Patrick ...
(October 2011 – April 2012)
* Brigadier
Douglas Chalmers
Lieutenant General Douglas McKenzie Chalmers, (born 26 February 1966) is a former British Army officer who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) from 2018 to 2021. He is currently Master of Emmanuel Colle ...
(April 2012 – October 2012)
[
* Brigadier ]Bob Bruce
Robert James Bruce (May 16, 1933 – March 14, 2017) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 219 games in Major League Baseball from to for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Colt .45s / Astros, and Atla ...
(October 2012 – April 2013)James Woodham
Brigadier James Medley Woodham, is a retired senior officer of the British Army.
Military career
Woodham was commissioned into the Royal Anglian Regiment on 9 August 1986. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for services in Iraq in 2005. He w ...
(October 2013 – April 2014)
See also
*Operation Herrick order of battle
This is the Operation Herrick ground order of battle, which lists any British ground forces that have taken part in the duration of Operation Herrick between 2002 and 2014.
Operation Herrick 0-10
Operation Herrick began in 2002 on the end of ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*{{cite book , last1=Southby-Tailyour , first1=E , title=3 Commando Brigade – Helmand Assault , year=2010 , publisher= Ebury Press , location= UK , isbn=978-0-09193-776-8
Ad hoc units and formations of the British Army