**FILE** U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (center) speaks June 7, 2012, with Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Gen. John Allen (left center), the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan, upon arriving at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Associated Press)
**FILE** U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (center) speaks June 7, 2012, with Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Gen. John Allen (left center), the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan, upon arriving at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Associated Press)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (center) walks with Gen. John Allen and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker (second from right) on the airport tarmac after his arrival in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. Mr. Panetta arrived to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown. Gen. Allen heads the NATO coalition forces. (Associated Press)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (center) walks with Gen. John Allen and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker (second from right) on the airport tarmac after his arrival in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. Mr. Panetta arrived to take stock of progress in the war and discuss plans for the troop drawdown. Gen. Allen heads the NATO coalition forces. (Associated Press)
Gen. John Allen (left), the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, claps with Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak on April 8, 2012, in Kabul, Afghanistan, after signing an agreement document governing night raids by American troops. (Associated Press)
** FILE ** Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, listens during a news conference at the Pentagon outside Washington on Monday, March 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, listens March 26, 2012, during a news conference at the Pentagon. (Associated Press)
Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, tells the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on March 20, 2012, that efforts to hand over security to the Afghans and wind down the decade-plus war are on track despite recent anger over a U.S. soldier's alleged massacre of Afghan civilians and the burning of Korans. (Associated Press)
Marine Gen. John Allen tells skeptical lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, that the war in Afghanistan is winding down. (Associated Press)
