More on that NATO defense ministerial. Check out Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ take on the mood in Bratislava:

Gates said several allies have indicated that they will, or are leaning toward, increasing their military or civilian contributions, or both. “I find that very heartening,” he said.

He also said he received “mounting endorsements of McChrystal’s approach” during his sessions here.

Gates is no blind McChrystal partisan, if he can be said to be a McChrystal partisan at all. And given his emphasis on keeping Obama’s options on Afghanistan open, it’s hard to believe he’s not faithfully representing what the NATO allies are saying. He pledged to take the allies’ view back to Washington to inform President Obama’s Afghanistan strategy deliberation. If NATO is lining up behind counterinsurgency, will the allies actually commit the requisite resources, or leave that to the United States?