President Obama welcomes the decision by all 28 NATO members to extend NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s tenure for an additional year, through 2014.  The United States commends the Secretary General for his strong leadership of America’s most important security alliance, and we look forward to continuing to work with him and with our NATO allies and partners as we strengthen and revitalize NATO for the 21st century.  For over 63 years, NATO has advanced freedom, security, and prosperity for the United States and its allies and partners.   Secretary General Rasmussen will lead the Alliance to fulfill the commitments made at the Chicago Summit hosted by President Obama last May, which include completing transition, ending the war, and defining NATO’s long-term partnership with Afghanistan; reshaping alliance capabilities to realize the goals set forth in NATO Forces 2020; and advancing opportunities for global partners to cooperate with NATO.