U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, toured the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah on Monday.

More Army units are spending 17 to 18 months at home between deployments – an increase from only a year ago.

Army Chief of Staff General George Casey says, as U.S. troop levels in Iraq decline, more soldiers will be headed to Afghanistan.

U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal says the U.S. and its NATO allies are slowly resolving a crisis of confidence among the Afghan people.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn spoke at the American Legion Commander’s Call in Washington DC.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy says coalition forces need to prepare for the possibility of setbacks during Operation Moshtarak.

Training and advising security forces in partner nations needs to become a priority for the NATO alliance.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee about the Defense Authorization Request for FY2011.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

SecDef Robert Gates calls for more support from NATO to mentor Afghan forces. Plus, addressing the issue of sexual assault in the military.

President Obama updates the nation on Afghanistan in his State of the Union address. Plus, a closer look at NATO’s involvement there.

President Barack Obama intends to end the war in Iraq and Afganistan.

President Obama renewed his pledge to have Afghan security forces take the lead by next year.

The Pentagon supports a full reform of the nation’s export control system.

NATO officials say they’ve reached an agreement with Kazakhstan on a new supply route for U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.

NATO’s top military commander expects significant progress in Afghanistan before the scheduled departure of U.S. troops begins in July 2011, a timeline that he said lends focus to the mission, reports AFPS’ John J. Kruzel.

The remarks today by Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, add weight to an American troop withdrawal start date that has been criticized as representing more a symbolic aspiration than a realistic commitment.

“I have great confidence that as we get forward toward 2011, we’re going to have significant progress,” he said in an interview. “If we do that, we will be able to start transitioning over to an Afghan security force lead, and that’s going to be the key.”

Characterizing the significance of the July 2011 target built into the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan announced last month, Stavridis backed a statement by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“I saw President Karzai in an interview last night saying that the 2011 date does not concern him; it helps focus things,” Stavridis said. “I think that’s a good way to think about it.”

The new strategy President Barack Obama unveiled last month will send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops and at least 7,000 more NATO forces to Afghanistan, bringing the total there to around 150,000. The U.S. deployment is expected to include a brigade-sized element to train Afghan forces — a key component undergirding the transfer of responsibility to Afghanistan to begin in July 2011 that will enable the potential drawdown of American troops.

During a congressional hearing a day after the Dec. 1 strategy rollout, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the 18-month deadline signals the need for the Afghan government in Kabul to claim greater responsibility and shows the American public the war isn’t open-ended.

Though any reduction in U.S. forces in July 2011 would be based on conditions on the ground, Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Defense Department expects to be able to transition uncontested areas to Afghan responsibility and gradually draw down at that time.

Echoing these remarks, Stavridis today emphasized the importance of handing over authority from U.S. and NATO to Afghan forces.

“I’m very confident, as we get forward to 2011, we’re going to have serious momentum in this area, because we’re putting very significant resources against it from the whole NATO alliance,” he said. “It will be Job No. 1.”

The Afghan military is slated to increase from 134,000 troops in December 2010 to 170,000 by July 2011. Some 70,000 U.S. and 43,000 NATO forces are in Afghanistan now as the increase of forces gets under way.

Similarly to the drop-off in violence that came in the wake of a U.S. troop surge in Iraq, Stavridis said, success in Afghanistan also will take shape through better security and improvements in government institutions.

“I think progress and success will look a lot like Iraq does today,” he said. “I think what we’ll end up with is a nation that will have reasonable control over its borders, it will have a reduced level of corruption and terrorist attacks, it will have a strong and dedicated security force, both in the army and in the police side, and I think we will then be able to transition province by province.”

Marines and Afghan forces ramp up offensive against Taliban.

Admiral Michael Mullen visited Afghanistan to discuss President Obama’s new war strategy.

Health experts say the H1N1 pandemic puts us at risk, not just for the flu, but also for bacterial infections like pneumonia.

NATO/ISAF briefing at the Pentagon.

Marines and Afghan forces work to gain the trust of locals in Helmand Province.