On May 1, 2012, President Obama gave a speech from Bagram Air Field in which he laid out U.S. government approaches for “winding down” the war in Afghanistan. While a number of observers have challenged the logical plausibility of a unilateral decision to “wind down” a war, the Administration’s commitment to decreasing U.S. involvement in the war in Afghanistan is clear. At this apparent turning point in both strategic thinking and activity on the ground, this report considers issues that may be of interest to Congress as it considers the strength and duration of further U.S.

involvement in Afghanistan, to 2014 and beyond. This is a print on demand report.