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NATO Military Missions

by Željko Heimer

International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
- KAIA Multinational Force
Kosovo Force - KFOR
NATO Response Force

See also:

International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan

by Sean McKinniss, 19 April 2003

At the official website for NATO, there is a picture of various national flags. With these national flags is a flag of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, is a multinational peacekeeping force supervised by NATO. The flag of this force is incredibly simplistic. It has a black field with the white letters "ISAF" on it.

SeanMcKinniss, 19 April 2003

[International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan]

by Jens Pattke

Yahoo News reported the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Gen. James Jones handing over the ISAF flag he received from Commander of ISAF-III Lt. Gen. Norbert Van Heyst of Germany to Lt. Gen. Gotz F.E. Gliemeroth during a handover ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 11, 2003. NATO took command of the 5,000-strong international peacekeeping force in the Afghan capital, a historic move that marks the alliance's first operation outside Europe since it was created 54 years ago. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Mark Sensen, 11 August 2003

by Eugene Ipavec, 11 March 2009

I saw a new flag in photos of the recent transfer of command to Turkey. The Arabic inscription appears higher up on shoulder patches and some logos--like the smile in a smiley face--but on the flag it is shifted downward, nestled parallel to the line of the white circle. There are apparently yet further variants: http://www.state.gov/cms_images/b030811f_600.jpg shows one that has a much smaller logo, different font and a thicker circle.
Eugene Ipavec, 17 February 2005

An Aug 7 2010 Yahoo News photo shows Dutch and Australian soldiers lowering an ISAF flag during a transfer of authority ceremony from nl to au and us in Tarun Kowt, Uruzgan. The flag is that of NATO but with an unusually light blue, and a black charging bull silhouette superimposed overn the compass star, fimbriated white. The text "TFU VII"; at the bottom, on either side of the lower "ray." A small Afghan flag is in the upper hoist.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 August 2010

This is apparently the flag of TFU - Task Force Uruzgan, the Dutch ISAF-operation as part of NATO's ISAF force in Afghanistan. The TFU is scheduled to withdraw in 2010, which is the occasional, I guess. See more on TFU at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_Force_Uruzgan
The Roman numeral VII may designate the 7th Dutch contingent rotation, in which case this is the flag of the individual contingent - although it may well be that the previous contingents had the same flags with different numeral. At least such is the practice of Croatian contingents there - who probably saw it from others.
Željko Heimer, 13 August 2010

See also:

ISAF webpage

Kabul International Airport (KAIA) Multinational Force

image by Zoltan Horvath, 2 March 2011

Kabul International Airport (KAIA) Multinational Force cover practically the full spectrum of tasks involved in the control and management of the Kabul airport, ranging from logistic tasks to EOD support and Force Protection duties. In September 2010 Hungarian military personnel took command of Kabul International Airport (KAIA) for the second time. To illustrate the variety of their roles, on a most ordinary weekday, the volume of air traffic at KAIA is comparable to that of Ferihegy Airport, Budapest. Moreover, the Hungarian staff is also tasked with providing accommodation, catering and security on a daily basis for thousands of co-located units and guests in transit.
KAIA has an own flag, which is yellow with its emblem in the middle of the flag.
Image of flag: http://www.hm.gov.hu/files/9/14224/kaia_1n.jpg
Zoltan Horvath, 2 March 2011

Kosovo Force - KFOR

Image by Zoltan Horvath, 20 June 2010

KFOR use the standard NATO flag at any NATO installations. KFOR adopted a new badge in August of 2007, but its use on a flag dated somewhere in mid of 2008. Since then this flag is official KFOR flag, but it is used only for ceremonial occasions, and it is not hoisted on any flagstaff. I haven't seen it in this way, only indour positions.

This new badge is a Normann like shield, quartered into darker and lighter blue parts, overlapping with a white NATO compass. Above the shield, there are inscriptions NATO-OTAN, and on an other golden stripe: KFOR. It is placed at center on a NATO blue flag. Its proportions are 2:3. The badge itself has been adopted on 20 August 2007, originaly for replacing the former one (white-blue with Latin and Cyrillic letters), but I haven't find any evidence of its use on flag until mid of 2008.

Zoltan Horvath, 20 June 2010

Flag of KFOR - 1999-2008

Image by Jens Pattke, 27 March 2004

A TV report from a press conference organized on 22 March 2004 by different international organizations shows that the international military forces in Kosovo (KFOR) use a distinctive flag. The flag is similar to the flags used by SFOR and previously IFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovine, but this one is inscribed KFOR (bothin Cyrillic and Latin, as on all of these). The flag is dark (NATO) blue with a shield divided vertically in white and blue, each half inscribed counterchanged in vertical line, dexter in Latin (KFOR) and sinister in Cyrillic (КФОР). The shield is set between two NATO emblems.

Željko Heimer, 23 March 2004

Even, this flag was used until mid of 2008, when two compasses were removed.

Zoltan Horvath, 20 June 2010

Flag of KFOR - 2008-2009

Image by Zoltan Horvath, 21 June 2010

A different KFOR flag was used between 2008 and mid-2009. Since September of last year, the flag of shield has not used, it can be seen in some offices, only. The two compasses have been removed, and only the white-blue shield placed on it. Use of this flag can be seen in KFOR Chronicle No. 8/2008. http://www.nato.int/kfor/chronicle/2008/chronicle_08/chronicle_08.pdf
(Cover page, and page 17.)

Zoltan Horvath, 21 June 2010

Flag of Headquarters KFOR (HQ KFOR)

Image by Zoltan Horvath, 25 January 2011

The Headquarters of KFOR is located at western part of Prishtina in place of a former movie studio, that's why it is called as Film City. On top of main building, the standard NATO flag is hoisted. But in front of the building there are four flagstaffs. Flags are hoisted from left to right: Allied Command Operations (nat-stra.html#aco), then Joint Force Command Naples (nat-ops.html#jfcn), next one is flag of HQ KFOR, and the last one is flag of Commander of KFOR.

A new commander of KFOR is inaugurated on 1 September, 2010. Next day a new HQ KFOR emblem was introduced and a new HQ KFOR flag was hoisted in front of the main building in last week of September 2010. It is blue (as previous one), but the new emblem is placed in the center of the flag. It shows Kosovo map, NATO compass, two-star (new commander is a German two-star general) and new motto for commanders mission: Together for Progress. Ratio of the flag is 2:3.

Zoltan Horvath, 25 January 2011

Former Flag of Headquarters KFOR (HQ KFOR) (2009-2010)

Image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2010

Flag of HQ is blue with a large emblem of HQ. It is a white circle with Kosovo map, NATO compass, and a red flag, with three stars, representing the rank of the commander. Inscription around the disk is the current motto of KFOR: "Moving Forward" and "Kosovo Force". Diameter of disk on the flag is unusually large, about two-thirds of width of flag.
This HQ crest is adopted on 11 September 2009, when the current commander took over his position.
Note: Crest of HQ was changed in almost every year, because it belongs to the actual commander of KFOR.
Flag can be seen in many issues of KFOR chronicle pages. http://www.nato.int/kfor/chronicle/2010/2010.htm
Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2010

The red flag with white stars have not been seen in cloth format. This is a rank flag of US generals. I was suprised to see it in NATO crest, but it was depicted on that, even the commander was not an American but German three-star general.
The former Commander (Lieutenant General Giuseppe Emilio Gay, 2008-2009) also has a different HQ crest, and it was also used on HQ flags as well. Please see:
http://www.nato.int/kfor/chronicle/2009/chronicle_special2/chronicle_special2.pdf (Page 4 and 5)
That flag was also blue with HQ emblem during his command. It was a disc with Kosovo map and NATO compass and there was an inscription around it: Headquarters Kosovo Force - Unity of Effort - it was the motto used between 2008 and 2009.
I have a picture with all HQ crests, they are displayed on the wall, just next to main entrance of HQ building. (uploaded to file section). His crest is in the far right in the second row.
Regarding the older flags, all KFOR Chronicle should be reviewed, I am sure we could find many pictures with different type of flags.
Zoltan Horvath, 27 February 2011

Commander of KFOR (COMKFOR)

Image by Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2010

Its blue with three dark red five-pointed stars expressing that the current commander of KFOR is a three-star German general. Its proportion is 2:3.

Zoltan Horvath, 22 June 2010

The new commander does not use his rank flag, I have not seen it.

Zoltan Horvath, 25 January 2011

KFOR Joint Logistics Support Group (JLSG)

[Joint Logistics Support Group (JLSG)] Image by Zoltan Horvath, 20 January 2011

The Joint Logistics Support Group (JLSG) is the newest KFOR unit and is going to establish a new position in the logistic support for KFOR. While in all areas adjustments to the KFOR structure are being prepared, the JLSG starts building up its logistics capabilities in and outside Kosovo. In KFOR the JLSG will bring new transportation units, an engineer unit, a Reception Staging and Onward Movement (RSOM) with the capabilities to support all the deployments and redeployments. KFOR JLSG was established in January 2010.

Its flag is blue with its emblem in the center of the flag. The emblem consists a yellow bordered blue shield with diagonal black stripe, white a compass rose, and JLSG letters around it. KFOR letters are placed on the upper part of the shield. The shield is similar to those of NRF, because it is part of this concept.

There is a low visibility image of its flag here

Zoltan Horvath, 20 January 2011

NATO Response Force

by Santiago Tazón

The new NATO Response Force (NRF) was formally inaugurated at Brunssum (the Netherlands) on 15 October 2003. The NRF is a tri-service rapid response force with contributions of Spain, France, Germany and U.S.A. For the first time in its history, NATO will have a combined air, land, sea and special operations force under a single commander. The NRF colours were also presented. Purple field with the NRF logo in the center and a gold fringe all around except hoist. The NRF logo consist in NRF letters and the NATO star over a blue background and a black diagonal stripe.

Santiago Tazón, 7 November 2003