On 19 September 2003, the 45th Infantry Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Thomas P. Mancino, was mobilized to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, assuming command of Task Force Phoenix II from 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. The initial training for the mission was located at Fort Carson, Colorado. Task Force Phoenix II consisted of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), C/1-179 Infantry Battalion for convoy and base security, HHC/700th Support Battalion for base support and convoy missions, the 136th Regional Training Institute of the Texas National Guard, 3 embedded training teams (ETT's). The 1st ETT was composed of officers, NCO's and soldiers from the 1–179 Infantry Battalion headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 2nd ETT was composed of officers, NCO's and soldiers from the Vermont National Guard and the 3rd ETT was composed of officers, NCO's and soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard. In April 2004, 350 soldiers from the brigade's 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment also deployed to Joint Task Force Phoenix. The mission of Task Force Phoenix II was to 1) Embed training teams into the Afghan National Army to provide training assistance, mission support, and administrative pay support 2) Assume the duties of the Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan (OMC-A) 3) Establish the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) 4) Mentor the Central Corps Commander and Command Group 5) Establish and maintain postal operations for the eastern sector 6) Conduct convoy resupply missions and 7) Establish the Afghan National Army Supply Depot. During this rotation, the brigade grew the size of the Afghan National Army to over 14,000 as well as fielding a corps-sized force ahead of schedule. In August 2004, the brigade was replaced in this mission by the 76th Infantry Brigade, and subsequently returned home to the United States.