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Atask force (TF) is aunit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by theUnited States Navy,[1] the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part ofNATO terminology. Many non-military organizations now create "task forces" or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed byad hoc (designated purpose)committees. In non-military contexts,working groups are sometimes called task forces.
The concept of anaval task force or simply task force is as old asnavies, and prior to that time the assembly of ships for naval operations was referred to asfleets,divisions, or on the smaller scale,squadrons, andflotillas.
BeforeWorld War II, ships were collected intodivisions derived from theRoyal Navy's "division" of theline of battle in which one squadron usually remained under the direct command of theAdmiral of the Fleet, one squadron was commanded by aVice Admiral, and one by aRear Admiral, each flying a differentcommand flag, hence the termsflagship andflag officer. The names "Vice" (second) and "Rear" might have derived from sailing positions within the line at the moment ofengagement. In the late 19th century ships were collected in numberedsquadrons, which were assigned to named (such as theAsiatic Fleet) and later numberedfleets.
A task force can be assembled using ships from different divisions and squadrons, without requiring a formal and permanent fleet reorganization, and can be easily dissolved following completion of the operational task. The task force concept worked very well, and by the end of World War II about 100 task forces had been created in the U.S. Navy alone.[citation needed]In theU.S. Army, a task force is abattalion-sized (usually, although there are variations in size)ad hoc unit formed by attaching smaller elements of other units. Acompany-sized unit with anarmored ormechanized infantry unit attached is called acompany team. A similar unit at thebrigade level is called abrigade combat team (BCT), and there is also a similarRegimental combat team (RCT).
In theBritish Army and the armies of otherCommonwealth countries, such units are traditionally known asbattlegroups.
The1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was abrigade-sized formation which commandedAustralian andNew Zealand Army units deployed toSouth Vietnam between 1966 and 1972.[2] More recently, Australian task forces have been designated to cover temporary support elements such the battalion-sized force which operated inUrozgan Province, Afghanistan from 2006 to 2013,[3] and theNorthern Territory Emergency Response Task Force.[4]
In government or business a task force is a temporary organization created to solve a particular problem. It is considered to be a more formalad hoccommittee.A taskforce, or more commonly, task force, is a special committee, usually ofexperts, formed expressly for the purpose of studying a particular problem. The task force usually performs some sort of anaudit to assess the current situation, then draws up a list of all the current problems present and evaluates which ones merit fixing and which ones are actually fixable. The task force would then formulate a set of solutions to the problems and pick the "best" solution to each problem, as determined by some set of standards. For example, a task force set up to eliminate excessive government spending might consider a "best" solution to be one that saves the most money. Normally, the task force then presents its findings and proposed solutions to the institution that called for its formation; it is then up to the institution itself to actually act upon the task force's recommendations.
In business, task forces are initiated similar to military situations to form an ad hoc group of persons that focus on a specific subject, which needs urgent addressing, resolutions or results.[5] Subject-specific task forces are very common.[6] NASA lessons contain information from different task forces.[7] Taskforce is also an umbrella name for an online marketing agency[8] with a group of highly experienced and specialized marketers in the Netherlands.