[…] Obama, his national security advisers and NATO and European leaders are all reviewing a just-completed assessment by McChrystal of military strategy in Afghanistan. The president began his review of the assessment September 2 during a brief break from official duties at Camp David. McChrystal was selected by Obama to lead operations in Afghanistan as commander of U.S. forces and also as commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

[…] President Obama joined NATO leaders at the NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl to celebrate sixty years of peace and security within the Alliance as the foundation for a Europe whole, free and at peace.
The summit demonstrates the transatlantic commitment to the success and ongoing transformation of the Alliance to meet today’s security challenges.

[…] We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, met today in Strasbourg and Kehl to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our Alliance. We have reaffirmed the values, objectives and obligations of the Washington Treaty which unite Europe with the United States and Canada, and have provided our transatlantic community with an unprecedented era of peace and stability.

[…] The 28-nation NATO alliance celebrated its 60th anniversary by pledging renewed resolve in its mission to help Afghanistan root out terrorist safe havens and to balance collective defense with emerging security challenges. “For years, our efforts in Afghanistan have lacked the resources needed to achieve our goals,” President Obama told reporters in Strasbourg, France, April 4. “Commitments of troops, trainers and civilians represent a strong down payment on the future of our mission in Afghanistan and on the future of NATO.”

[…] At a ceremony today at the Department of State, Deputy Secretary Steinberg accepted Albania’s and Croatia’s instruments of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty for which the United States is the depositary government. At the moment the Deputy Secretary received the instruments of accession, Albania and Croatia became NATO Allies. Albanian Ambassador Aleksander Sallabanda and Croatian Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic represented their countries in this ceremony.

[…] The treaty that brought the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into being on April 4, 1949, has left the United States for the first time to be featured at the 60th anniversary NATO Summit. The 2009 NATO Summit will be held in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl Germany, and also Baden-Baden, Germany, April 3–4. The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, is a 14-article text that pledges its members to maintain international peace.

[…] In a joint ceremony at the State Department April 1, representatives from Albania and Croatia deposited instruments of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty, becoming the 27th and 28th members of the alliance. The United States is the depository government for the mutual defense pact, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary April 4 during the 2009 NATO Summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany.

[…] To help us understand these challenges and the role of NATO, we talked with Dr. Kenneth Moss, Chairman of the National Security Studies Department at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Moss is an expert on the history of U.S. foreign policy, relations between government and industry, and has a unique perspective on the American Congressional role in foreign policy, having worked on Capitol Hill and in private and public sector roles on transatlantic security issues.

[…] Obama’s first visit to Europe as president will cover eight days, with visits to five nations. He travels to London for the G20 summit of advanced and emerging market economies April 1–2, then he travels to the 60th anniversary NATO Summit hosted by Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, April 3–4 and the European Union summit April 5 in Prague, Czech Republic, before wrapping up his travel in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, April 6.

[…] As NATO prepares to celebrate its 60th birthday, President Obama calls for a renewed commitment to Afghanistan and other shared security challenges facing the 26-nation alliance. “We are confident that we can create a process whereby NATO, which is already strong, becomes stronger, where we become even more effective in coordinating our efforts in Afghanistan,” Obama said following a March 25 White House meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.