Marine General Joseph Dunford has assumed control of the U.S.-led NATO occupation force in Afghanistan, replacing Marine General John Allen. Dunford is expected to be the last commander of NATO troops before combat operations formally end in 2014, although thousands of soldiers will remain behind. In his outgoing address, Allen said the U.S. is winning the war in Afghanistan.

Gen. John Allen: “Afghan forces defending Afghan people and enabling the government of this country to serve its citizens, this is victory. This is what winning looks like, and we should not shrink from using these words. I believe that Afghanistan will never again be a safe haven to terrorists that will oppress the precious people of this country and be the scourge and the plague of the world.”

The Obama administration plans to nominate Allen to serve as NATO’s next supreme allied commander after he was cleared of misconduct in the scandal that ousted former CIA Director David Petraeus.