NATO’s International Security Assistance Force took charge of the southern region of Afghanistan on Monday from the US-led coalition forces. NATO has slowly expanded its areas of control since assuming its initial mission in Kabul in 2003. “This is one of the most challenging tasks NATO has every taken on, but it is a critical contribution to international security,” said NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer. The US and its coalition partners retain responsibility for Afghanistan’s eastern region, known as Regional Command East.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…