Train Advise Assist Command – South (TAAC – South) was a multinational military
formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics and science
* Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...
, part of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
's
Resolute Support Mission
Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Dece ...
within Afghanistan. Prior to 2014 it was designated Regional Command South, under 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 ...
(ISAF).
It was responsible for provincial reconstruction and security in
Zabul
Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zab ...
,
Kandahar
Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
,
Daykundi
Daikundi (Dari/) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 516,504 people, who are mostly peasants, traders, and shop owners.
Daikundi falls into the traditionall ...
, and
Uruzgan Province
Uruzgan (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot ...
. Its primary
Afghan National Army
The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the army, land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when th ...
partners were the
205th Corps and the 404th Zone Police Corps.
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
countries contributing troops included
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and the United States. Non-NATO countries contributing troops included
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, and
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
Regional Command – South

Prior to 2014, this command was known as Regional Command – South.
The command of the region previously rotated between Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, but eventually was assumed solely by the United States. The headquarters was located at
Kandahar International Airport
Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, also referred to as Kandahar International Airport (, ), and by some military officials as Kandahar Airfield (KAF), is located in the Daman District, Afghanistan, Daman District of Kandahar Province in Afgh ...
next to the city of
Kandahar
Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
. In 2010, the command's original territory was split into two commands, with the new
Regional Command Southwest headquartered 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 ...
.
* 28 February 2006: Canadian Brigadier-General
David Fraser assumed Command of Regional Command South.
* 1 November 2006: Dutch
Major-General Ton van Loon
Ton van Loon (born October 10, 1956, in Weert) is a commander from the Netherlands. He is a lieutenant general employed by NATO who took control of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Regional Command South (RC-S) on November 1, 2 ...
led Regional Command South in Afghanistan for a six months period.
* 1 May 2007: British Major-General
Jacko Page
Lieutenant General Jonathan David "Jacko" Page, (born 25 February 1959) is a retired senior British Army officer.
Early life
Page was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on 25 February 1959.
Military career
Page commissioned into the Parachute Regimen ...
* 1 February 2008: Canadian Major-General
Marc Lessard took command for a nine-month period.
* 1 November 2008: the Dutch Major-General
Mart de Kruif took command of this region.
* 1 November 2009: British Major General
Nick Carter
Nickolas Gene Carter (born January 28, 1980) is an American singer, the lead vocalist of the vocal group Backstreet Boys, and an alleged rapist. As of 2015, he has released three solo albums, '' Now or Never'', '' I'm Taking Off'' and '' All A ...
took command. At this time,
6 (UK) Division, reorganised as Combined Joint Task Force 6, took over the headquarters function for the period of the British rotation. On 14 June 2010, RC(S) was split to create RC(S) and RC(SW). RC(SW) assumed control of the Helmand and Nimroz provinces.
* 1 November 2010: USA Major General
James L. Terry, Commanding General,
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...
, assumes command of Regional Command South. Headquarters 10th Mountain Division (LI) became HQ Combined Joint Task Force 10 for the deployment.
* 1 October 2011: USA Major General
James L. Huggins,
Commanding General,
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
, assumes command of Regional Command South.
*2 September 2012: USA Major General
Robert B. Abrams
Robert Bruce Abrams (born 18 November 1960) is a retired four-star General (United States), general in the United States Army who last served as the commander of United States Forces Korea. He concurrently served as the commander of United Nation ...
, Commanding General,
3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, assumes command of Regional Command South. The 3rd Infantry Division became Combined Joint Task Force 3 for the deployment.
*8 July 2013, USA Major General
Paul LaCamera
Paul Joseph LaCamera (born 4 September 1963) is a retired United States Army general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or n ...
, Commanding General,
4th Infantry Division, assumes command of RC-S. Headquarters 4th Infantry Division became HQ Combined Joint Task Force 4 for the deployment.
*7 July 2014, USA Major General
Michael Bills, Commanding General,
1st Cavalry Division, assumes command of RC-S. Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division became HQ Combined Joint Task Force 1 for the deployment.
Three
Provincial Reconstruction Team
A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRT ...
s (PRTs) operated in Regional Command South: Kandahar PRT, Kandahar province, led by the United States; Qalat PRT, Zabul province, led by the U.S. and supported by Romania and the U.K.; and Tarin Kot PRT, Uruzgan province, led by Australia.
Train Advise Assist Command – South

*14 Oct 2014, USA Brigadier General
Douglas Gabram
Douglas M. Gabram is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who last served as the commanding general of the United States Army Installation Management Command. Previously, he served as the Director for Test of the Missile Defense Agenc ...
, Commanding General, CJTF-1 of the
1st Cavalry Division, assumed responsibility for Train, Advise, Assist Command – South (TAAC-S), CJTF-1. At this time RC(S) became TAAC-S.
*10 January 2015, USA Brigadier General
Viet Luong, Commanding General, CJTF-1 of the
1st Cavalry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S.
*10 June 2015, USA Brigadier General
Paul Bontrager, Commanding General, CJTF-7 (TF Bayonet) of the
7th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S.
*26 October 2015, USA Brigadier General
Antonio Aguto
Antonio Alzona Aguto Jr. (born November 18, 1966) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the commander of Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAGU) from 2022 to 2024. He served as the 40th commanding general of Firs ...
, Commanding General, CJTF-7 (TF Bayonet) of the
7th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S.
*22 June 2016, USA Brigadier General Lee Henry, Commanding General, CJTF-36 (TF Arrowhead) of the
36th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S. This was the first time a National Guard division command element assumed responsibility for a regional command within Afghanistan.
*18 February 2017, USA Brigadier General Chuck K. Aris, Commanding General, CJTF-36 (TF Arrowhead) of the
36th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S.
*31 October 2017, USA Brigadier General
John W. Lathrop, Commanding General, CJTF-40 (TF Sunburst) of the
40th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S. This was the first time the
40th Infantry Division deployed to a combat theater since the Korean War.
*30 June 2018, USA Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley, Commanding General, CJTF-40 (TF Sunburst) of the
40th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for TAAC-S.
*October 2018, Brigadier John Shanahan of the Australian Army assumed command of TAAC-S after General Smiley was wounded in action.
*24 February 2019, Brigadier General Miles Brown assumed command.
See also
*
Train Advise Assist Command – Capital
Train Advise Assist Command – Capital (TAAC – Capital) was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan. The headquarters was in Kabul. Prior to 2014 it was designated Regional Command Capital ...
*
Train Advise Assist Command – North
Train Advise Assist Command – North (TAAC – North) was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan. Until 2014 it was designated Regional Command North, under the International Security Assist ...
*
Train Advise Assist Command – East
Train Advise Assist Command – East (TAAC – East) was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan. Until 2014 it was designated Regional Command East, part of the International Security Assist ...
*
Train Advise Assist Command – West
Train Advise Assist Command – West (TAAC – West) was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan. It was previously called Regional Command West under the International Security Assistance For ...
Train Advise Assist Command – SouthwestTrain Advise Assist Command – Southeast*
Train Advise Assist Command – Air
Train Advise Assist Command – Air (TAAC – Air) was a multinational military formation, part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission within Afghanistan.
Contributing nations included Australia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hun ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Train Advise Assist Command - South
Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Resolute Support Mission units and formations (Afghanistan)