US forces in Afghanistan were deprived of sufficient military and financial support, but with the change in force levels in Iraq, this will improve. President Obama stated that in addition to the 17,000 soldiers already promised, there would be 4,000 soldiers deployed for training Afghan security forces. Additionally, every US unit will be partnered with an Afghani unit. These measures will help to meet the 2011 goals of 134,000 Afghani soldiers and 82,000 police.

Another critical requirement is the improvement of the civilian quality of life, beginning with combating government corruption. The drug trade, which finances the rebellion, is another major challenge. This will require agriculture specialists, teachers, engineers, and lawyers. NATO allies are also indispensable to not only training the army but ensuring security during the elections and other civil support.

One of President Obama's most important statements was that many nations have a stake in the future of Afghanistan, most notably its neighbours: Iran, India, and Pakistan. By establishing reconciliation between Pakistan and India, Pakistan could redistribute its troops from the Indian border to the Afghani border where they could be used in the fight against Al Qaeda.

At the beginning of April, at the NATO summit in Strasbourg and Kehl, President Obama appealed for a greater allied commitment in Afghanistan and in support of Pakistan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel committed greater military and civil support, while France and Spain committed economic support and instructors. Great Britain pledged more troops to support the elections and Belgium promised to allocate two more F-16s. Poland announced that it would increase its contingent from 1,600 to 2,000. President Obama's appeal for allied support towards the new strategy brought positive results [58].

Later in the month, NATO organized a meeting of 70 national representatives at The Hague to discuss operations against the Taliban and how to ensure the safety of Afghanistan. Included in this group was a US representative as well as a delegation from Iran, which was distrustful of this western-state initiative. The US appealed to the coalition countries to increase their contingents as well as contribute more money. Between the US and the EU, $100M was pledged solely to support the presidential election. However, NATO Secretary General Scheffer estimated that the

Afghan security forces required $2B annually. France was one of the countries who volunteered increased financial assistance, provided that it would not send additional troops. This conference became another step in constructing a stable Afghanistan, even though there were no significant breakthroughs [59].

A major development was the Gen. McKiernan's retirement in May 2009 from commanding the US forces in Afghanistan. Taking his place was Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who had been serving as the director of the Joint Staff. According to the Associated Press, Gen. McKiernan was asked to resign; he had commanded in Afghanistan for 11 months and served in the army for 38 years. It is hard to determine if this resignation was related to the massacre of Afghan civilians by US aviation in Farah province. According to Secretary Gates, the reason was that the new administration needed a fresh look at the conflict. This resignation subsequently ended McKiernan's career [60].

Gen. McKiernan's resignation is the first dismissal of a commander from a combat command since Gen. Douglas Mc Arthur's during the Korean War. Secretary Gates praised Gen. McKiernan's long and distinguished service, but felt that the new mission demanded new thinking and a new approach. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, recommended Gen. McChrystal to be the new commander of all forces in Afghanistan.

One of the weak links in ISAF's operations has been the actions of the 4,050 German soldiers in RC North and Mazar-e-Sharif. Despite having adequate weapons and equipment, they did not conduct any offensive operations against the militants. In October

the German parliament voted to extend their commitment for an additional year and even increase the troop level to 4,500. The German strategy holds that military activities must include rebuilding programs. This will require monetary assistance, as well as utilizing German firms to help with the rebuilding of industry, infrastructure, and education. In 2008 alone, Germany spent Ђ170M; between 2002 and 2008 they spent a total of Ђ117M on improving the police force [61].

German authorities point to their constitution as a reason for not conducting offensive operations: it forbids them from leading military actions in a foreign territory. Therefore, the German contingent has the same mandate. However, they do acknowledge the conflict as part of the stabilization mission. In June

the first direct Taliban attack on German soldiers in Qunduz killed three Germans. Due to the lack of offensive operations in the northeast, the Taliban has regained their