Operation Apollo

Operation Apollo was the codename for an operation conducted by Canadian Forces in support of the United States in its military operations in Afghanistan. The operation took place from October 2001 to October 2003. In addition, the sequence of events that led to the full manifestation of Operation Apollo started on September 12, 2001, when the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 1368. The resolution had condemned the attacks of 9/11 and reaffirmed via the UN Charter's Article 51 that allied nations had the obligation to eradicate global terrorism.

September 12, 2001:

September 20, 2001:

September 28, 2001:

October 4, 2001:

October 7, 2001:

October 8, 2001:

The CF units and formations committed to Operation Apollo were organized under the Commander, Canadian Joint Task Force South West Asia (CA-JTFSWA). The headquarters of the CA-JTFSWA was the Canadian National Command Element (NCE) co-located with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. The NCE linked the Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff with U.S. CENTCOM and the various CF units assigned to Operation Apollo.

In mid-August 2003, following the re-alignment of Canadian activities in southwest Asia, the NCE was reduced to a liaison staff. This liaison team was part of a new mission known as Task Force Tampa (TFT) or Operation Foundation.

Commanders:

In February 2002, the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group commanded by then Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, for a six-month tour of duty that included tasks ranging from airfield security to combat. This mission received airlift support from a Tactical Airlift Detachment, later named the Theatre Support Element (TSE), located in southwest Asia

In mid-November 2001, the U.S. asked its coalition partners (including Canada) to provide ground troops for a stabilization force to be deployed in areas secured by the Northern Alliance to facilitate distribution of humanitarian relief and supplies to the people of Afghanistan. Canada immediately placed 1,000 members of the Immediate Reaction Force (Land) (IRF(L)) on 48 hours' notice to deploy. At that time, it was drawn mostly from the Edmonton and Winnipeg-based battalions of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

...
Wikipedia