A unit from the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Defense Forces arrived at the base of Marmal, in Mazari Sharif, Northern Afghanistan. The NATO base is under the control of German forces.

Georgian troops have been operating in Afghanistan for several years (Picture source: Sgt. Jessica Ostroska)

The 2nd Infantry Brigade will soon assume obligations from the 3rd Infantry Brigade and will fully be operational in the framework of the Resolute Support mission. The specific duties of the regiment will be to protect the base. The Resolute Support mission, which is the continuation of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) is not something new to the Georgian Army. In both of these NATO missions, Georgia has been the largest non-NATO contributor, per capita. In the Resolute Support mission, 870 Georgian soldiers will take part.

Currently headed by U.S. Gen. Austin Scott Miller, Resolute Support is a NATO-led, non-combat mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). It was launched on 1 January 2015, following the conclusion of the previous NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, and the assumption of full security responsibility by the ANDSF. The Resolute Support Mission works closely with different elements of the Afghan Army, Police and Air Force.

The Resolute Support Mission currently comprises around 17,000 personnel from 39 NATO Allies and partner countries. It operates with one ‘hub’ (Kabul/Bagram) and four ‘spokes’ (Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, Herat in the west, Kandahar in the south, and Laghman in the east). In addition to the train, advise and assist its purpose is to help the Afghan security forces and institutions:
* develop the capacity to defend Afghanistan
* protect its citizens in a sustainable manner