On 26 January, Anders Fogh Rasmussen launched the first ever ‘Annual Report’, which gives a brief overview of NATO’s principal achievements and challenges in 2011. This assessment of Alliance activities focuses on four areas: NATO operations, emerging security challenges, the modernization of NATO – its structures and capabilities - as well as NATO’s growing partnerships. These areas are examined against the backdrop of the financial crisis and are preceded by a foreword from the Secretary General.

The Arab Spring has raised many hopes in Syria for those who fight to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's repressive regime. Since March 2011, the dictator engaged the country in a crawling civil war, killing at least 4000 people according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that published the figure in December 2, 2011.

Ambassador Simon Gass is NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan. In an interview with NATOchannel.tv 2 weeks into the new year, he talked about the priorities for 2012 and highlighted a number of different issues.

This month, almost 300 soldiers from eight European countries are preparing at the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre in Hohenfels, Germany. The training follows countries’ from the Central and Eastern Europe commitment and actively support for NATO security mission in Afghanistan.

A Slovak bomb disposal team has has served for the last six months in Kandahar City where insurgent IEDs remain a constant threat to ISAF forces and civilians. Michael Mieres, team leader, recounts the incident which earned him and his team distinction for bravery.

Počet zahraničných vojakov, ktorí zomierajú v Afganistane, je stále vysoký. V roku 2011 tam prišlo o život viac ako 560 vojakov, čo je druhý najvyšší počet v 10-ročnom boji proti povstalcom Talibanu.

By the end of March 2011, NATO had officially assumed command of all three elements of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on Libya: an arms embargo, a no-fly zone and actions to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under the threat of attack.