Over the weekend, NATO nations signed an agreement to start turning over Afghanistan’s security to its military next year and to give local forces full control by 2014. Despite the 2014 deadline, President Obama acknowledged U.S. troops will likely remain in Afghanistan for many more years.

President Obama: “My goal is to make sure that by 2014 we have transitioned, Afghans are in the lead, and it is a goal to make sure that we are not still engaged in combat operations of the sort that we’re involved in now. Certainly our footprint will have been significantly reduced. But beyond that, it’s hard to anticipate exactly what is going to be necessary to keep the American people safe as of 2014. I’ll make that determination when I get there.”