The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, commonly called a unit patch or shoulder patch, was approved on 3 November 2010. For the nonsubdued version of the patch, light blue and white—official NATO colors—are used in a counterchanged (alternating) pattern along with a white polestar (NATO emblem) centered in the lower shieldlike portion of the insignia.
Inscribed in black is the initialism NTM – A for insignia’s designation in English; beneath it is the hyphenated initialism NATO – OTAN for North Atlantic Treaty Organization – Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord, French for NATO. The use of darker blue for two of the quarters in the shield is an allusion to Lapis Lazuli, a beautiful gemstone that is of Afghanistan’s most valuable natural resources. The yellow border, in combination with the polestar and the annulet surmounting it, signifies the excellence in the Joint and Coalition Forces.
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NATO Training Mission Afghanistan Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)
The blue and white are NATO colors and the polestar is the NATO emblem. NATO is North Atlantic Treaty Organization and OTAN is Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord which is NATO in French. The addition of the darker blue quartering signifies the Afghanistan national treasure of Lapis Lazuli gems. The yellow border along with the polestar and the annulet signifies the excellence in the Coalition and Joint Forces.
Activated a year before the patch was approved, the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan was a collaboration of multinational military forces seeking to provide higher-quality training for the Afghan National Army through the creation of Defense Colleges and Academies and the development of strategic and tactical doctrine. It also sought to bring the same type of training and advising to the Afghan National Police.
As NATO began a drawdown of forces and the U.S. began actively seeking to start winding down its troops levels as well, the NTM-A was redesignated CJ7 and in September 2014 it became a Staff Element under the ISAF Headquarters.