Operation APOLLO

International Operation Name: Campaign against Terrorism – Operation ENDURING FREEDOM

International Operation Dates: 2001/10/07 – 2014/12/28

Mandating Organization: United States of America

Region Name: Asia

Location: Afghanistan

Canadian Operation Name: Operation APOLLO

Canadian Operation Dates: 2001/10/07 – 2003/11/01

Mission Mandate:

To contribute to the elimination of the threat of terrorism by contributing to the Canadian Joint Task Force South West Asia to the Commander in Chief, Central Command in support of the US led Campaign Against Terrorism, in order to protect Canada and its allies from terrorist attacks and prevent future attacks.

Mission Notes:

On 11 September 2001, nineteen terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the Osama bin Laden-led terrorist group, hijacked four airliners in the United States. Two rammed into the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and one crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside. At least 2,986 people were killed, including 265 on the four aircraft, 2595 in the World Trade Centre and 125 military and civilians in the Pentagon. The twin 110-story World Trade Centre towers and five other buildings at the site collapsed, while a portion of the Pentagon was severely damaged by fire and one section collapsed.

The international reaction was immediate. The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1368 on 12 September stating that the Security Council was “determined to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts” and recognized the inherent rights to individual and collective self-defence. Security Council Resolution 1373 of 28 September reiterated these points and using Chapter VII of the Charter laid out a series of actions that states were to take to combat terrorism. This included measures not to harbour or support terrorists , and under paragraph 3 (c) to take action against perpetrators of terrorist acts. Security Council Resolution 1377 of 12 November welcomed the commitment of states to fight terrorism.

For the first time ever, NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty, which defines an attack on one member as an attack on all. The Alliance accordingly agreed to eight specific measures to give collective support to the United States; individual members, including Canada, offered additional military forces.

Initially, the perpetrators of the act were unknown. But it was soon clear that osama bib Laden’s al Qaeda was responsible – as it had been for previous terrorist attacks against American facilities in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere. Relying upon support from the Taliban, whi had assumed de facto power in Afghanistan in a long drawn-out civil war, al Qaeda’s main bases and training facilities were in that country. Demands to turn over bin Laden and other al Qaeda leadership were made by the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others – all in accordance with the Security Council resolutions. When these were rebuffed, the united States invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter – right to self-defence – which also gave authority to NATO to act collectively to support the US-led Campaign Against Terrorism, known as Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Air Attacks on the Taliban air defence system and other military facilities began on 7 October, the goal being first to coerce the Taliban into handing over bin Laden and then, only if that failed, to topple the regime. In time, aided and funded by US intelligence operations and special operations forces, the air campaign would focus on Taliban and al Qaeda field forces that were engaged in ground combat with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. Although it was initially estimated that the decisive campaign to oust the Taliban would not take place until the Spring of 2002, as it turned out the Taliban began to break in mid-November 2001. Kabul fell at that time, and the southern city of Kandahar about a month later.

At sea, coalition warships maintained control of the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean and conducted leadership and maritime interdiction operations to cut off terrorist escape and supply routes. Coalition aircraft supported these efforts and also provided strategic and tactical lift as well as air-to-air refuelling.

Discussions to form a post-conflict and broadly-based, representative governance system began in Bonn, Germany in November 2001. These produced an agreement within days, and an Afghan Interim Government was inaugurated in Kabul on 22 December 2001.

Canadian Operation:

The Canadian Forces offered immediate support to the United States in North America through Operation NOBLE EAGLE and the dispatch of HMCS Iroquois to the waters off New York City. In addition, Canadian members of both NATO and USAF AWACS crews were committed to the campaign. In terms of purely Canadian contributions, the first to deploy were Canadian warships. Once the shape of the campaign and basing arrangements had been worked out, air and land forces would follow.

Naval Forces

On 8 October 2001, HMCS Halifax was ordered to sail to the North Arabian Gulf and join the coalition warships. Over the course of the next two years, 15 Canadian warships, including both supply ships participated in Op Apollo. Their range of duties included leadership and maritime interdiction operations (LIO and MIO), providing protection to high-value warships such as aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships and fleet replenishment.

Perhaps of greater significance was the fact that the commander of the Canadian Naval Task Group was also the commander of coalition naval Task Force 151 from February to June 2003, coordinating the activities of various coalition warships. The composition and size of Task Force 151 changed over time as it conducted LIO and MIO. During Op Apollo, Canadian warships also made some significant contributions to the Campaign Against Terrorism. In July 2002, HMCS Algonquin, in cooperation with CP-140 Aurora aircraft and a French warship, detained four suspected Al Qaeda members. On 31 October 2002, HMCS Montreal intercepted a vessel bound for Iraq that was carrying five patrol boats in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. HMC Ships also discovered oil being smuggled from Iraq, and sailors in need of assistance at sea.

Canadian warships hailed more than 10,000 ships and boarded more than 260, or almost 60 percent of all coalition boardings. Op Apollo included some of the longest continuous times at sea for HMC Ships – HMCS Vancouver spending 79 straight days at sea, receiving all fuel, food and other supplies by replenishment at sea. The last of HMC Ships to return from Op Apollo was HMCS Calgary when she was transferred back to Canadian control on 1 November 2003, returning to Esquimalt on 14 December.

Air Forces

The first Air Force units to deploy were the CH-1 24 Sea Kings on HMC Ships. Each detachment on a destroyer or frigate consisted of about 20 personnel – aircrew and support personnel. The Sea Kings were used to inspect merchant and small vessels in the area of HMC Ships, thus extending the surveillance range of the ships, and also to transport boarding parties to ships about to be inspected.

On 16 November 2001, one CC-150 Polaris from 437 Squadron and about 40 personnel deployed to Germany to transport men and material to the Arabian Gulf region in support of HMC Ships. The tasks also included medical evacuations, and the transport of immediately-required equipment for the ships. This Strategic Airlift Detachment flew over 590 flights with more than 3.5 million kilograms of cargo and 2300 personnel before returning to 8 Wing Trenton on 21 May 2002.

The next air assets to deploy were two CP-140 Aurora aircraft as part of a Long-Range Patrol Detachment (LRP Det). Consisting of about 200 personnel operating from the Arabian Gulf area, the role of the LRP Det was to conduct surveillance of maritime shipping in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. With their various sensors and communications equipment, the aircraft effectively extended the area under surveillance and allowed the coalition warships to be more effectively deployed. After flying more than 500 missions, the LRP Det returned to Canada in late June 2003.

The final air force contribution to Op Apollo were three CC-130 Hercules and about 180 support personnel that operated from the same location as the CP-140 LRP Det. Deploying on 21 January 2002 the Tactical Airlift Detachment (TAL Det) provided support not only to the 3 PPCLI Battle Group in Kandahar, but also to other coalition forces in Afghanistan. After the invasion of Iraq, the TAL Det flew humanitarian and reconstruction supplies into Iraq under the name Operation IRIS (see separate entry), and provided two Hercules in support of the Interim Emergency Multinational Force in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo under the Canadian name Operation CARAVAN (see separate entry). With the transition from Op Apollo to Operation Athena – the Canadian operation in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan – the TAL Det was renamed the Tactical Air Unit on 16 August 2003.

Land Forces

Canada was eager to support operations in Afghanistan with land forces, but the nature and possible duties of such a commitment changed several times as the momentum of the Anerican-led campaign itself changed. Possibilities included airfield security in Uzbekistan, humanitarian assistance, stabilisation (whether near Herat or Bagram) and, finally contributing to the British-led International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) approved for Kabul. Events overtook each of these possibilities as victory over the Taliban occurred, in the end, at almost break-neck speed. One constant remained, however; although the Taliban withdrew, its leader Mullah Omar, promised that they would return, in strength, to fight the coalition and that guerrilla operations would continue in the meantime. There was, in short, a palpable military threat, and in late December 2001, the Government of Canada decided that the most useful contribution would be to support on-going US military operations against Taliban forces and al Qaeda remnants in the area of Kandahar. That decision was announced in January 2002: Canada would send a battle group based on 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) to operate with the US Army's 187th Brigade Combat Team (Task Force Rakasan) from the 101st Airborne Division. The government also announced that special operations forces from Joint Task Force 2 (JTF 2) would be dispatched to Afghanistan.

On 1 February, the first of what would become an 850-troop contingent left Edmonton with most of their equipment being airlifted by the United States Air Force. The Battle Group included a reconnaissance squadron from the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), combat support from 1 Service Battalion and a rifle company from 2 PPCLI.

Once in theatre, the Battle Group participated in several major operations against the Taliban. These included Operations ANACONDA and HARPOON in March, and Operation TORII in May. Canadian snipers acquitted themselves very well, while the Coyote reconnaissance vehicles provided an unequalled capability. Besides these combat operations, the Battle Group conducted security patrols of Kandahar airfield, at which they were based, and carried out humanitarian projects in the area.

The deployment was marred with the accidental bombing of personnel on 17 April. During a live fire exercise at the Tarnak Farm range, four soldiers were killed and eight others injured when a USAF aircraft dropped a bomb on the group.

In the land battle against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Joint Task Force 2 operated with Joint Special Operations Task Force – South (later known as Task Force K-BAR). Here they conducted surveillance and raiding of sites in southern Afghanistan suspected of containing Taliban or Al Qaeda personnel or materials of intelligence value. Members would receive the US Presidential Unit Citation.

The land forces also provided a 35-person security force to the Canadian air forces deployed in the Arabian Gulf, starting in March 2003. The security force, known as the Defence and Security Platoon, continued its operations as support transitioned from Op Apollo to Op Athena.

Headquarters

Several units were created to provide support and coordinate activities of the Canadian forces deployed on Op Apollo. All Canadian forces operated under the Canadian Joint Task Force South West Asia, the headquarters of which (the National Control Element) was co-located with the US Central Command Headquarters (CENTCOM) in Florida to coordinate Canadian activities with those of coalition forces, who also maintained contingents at CENTCOM. In August 2003, as Op Apollo was winding down, the size of the NCE was reduced from about forty personnel to seven, and given a new name - Operation FOUNDATION.

A National Support Unit (NSU) coordinated the diverse logistical requirements of the Canadian air, land and sea forces deployed on Op Apollo. A National Command, Control and Information System Squadron (NCCIS Sqn) provided communication and computer support for the various deployed units. A Strategic Line of Communication (SLOC) was also created and remained operational for the period of the 3 PPCLI's deployment.

In May 2003, the Government of Canada announced that Canada would be participating in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul. The first Canadian personnel for this new mission -Operation ATHENA- deployed in August 2003. With the implementation of Op Athena, Op Apollo was slowly wound down. On 13 August, the units supporting Op Apollo now transitioned to supporting Op Athena. HMCS Calgary was the last remaining operational unit deployed on Op Apollo. When she returned to Canadian control on 1 November 2003, Op Apollo officially ended. During the course of the operation, more than 6,000 Canadian Forces personnel participated in the operation.

The content of this webpage was prepared by the Operational Records section within the Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH).

To report a typo or error, Please submit the problem to the General Questions Form.