After a concert from country music star Brad Paisley, Obama spoke before a rally of about 3,000 American troops. Currently, there are 32,000 Americans currently serving in Afghanistan.
Obama made a bit of news, saying he was hopeful that a new president in Afghanistan would lead to a signed security agreement that would leave a small number of American troops in the country after 2014. That agreement has been elusive under the government of Hamid Karzai.
Obama, however, mostly focused on thanking the troops and reminding them about the beginning of America's longest-running war.
"To all of you, I'm here on a single mission and that is to thank you for your extraordinary service," Obama said to resounding applause.
Obama got a few laughs with references to sports and his singing, but toward the middle of the address he became serious.
He said the U.S. is at a pivotal moment in its mission in Afghanistan. At the moment, U.S. forces are playing a support role to Afghan security forces. By the end of the year, the U.S. combat mission will come to an end.
"For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan," Obama said, again receiving a raucous applause.
He then brought the story full circle. He talked about visiting the Sept. 11 memorial in New York City.
"We resolved to never forget and do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again," he said. "This is why you are here."
Obama said that it was U.S. troops and American civilians that helped put al-Qaida on "its heels in this part of the world." It was American intervention that brought democratic reform and advances in public health, literacy and education for women.
"Even with all the challenges," Obama said, "more Afghans have hope for their future and that is because of you."
NPR's Scott Horsley, who is traveling with the president, reports Obama also received an on-site briefing from his military commanders and will visit wounded servicemen on the base.
Obama made a . He then in which he said that after more than a decade war, the U.S. was on a path toward peace.
to a "senior advisor" who gave the paper a preview of the speech Obama is expected to deliver on Wednesday.
The paper reports that Obama will outline a second-term foreign policy that is "interventionist and internationalist, but not isolationist or unilateral."
Update at 3:05 p.m. ET. Additional Clarity To Come:
During a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Afghanistan, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said President Obama wanted to meet with his ambassador and general face-to-face before making a decision on what troop levels should look like after 2014.
Source: http://www.npr.org/
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