Many NATO countries with troops in Afghanistan have “national caveats” that restrict how their troops may be used. While the Riga summit relaxed some of these caveats to allow assistance to allies in dire circumstances, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, and the US are doing most of the fighting in southern Afghanistan, while French, German, and Italian troops are deployed in the quieter north.
但到目前为止，北约面临的最大问题是阿富汗问题。卡尔扎伊政府仍然虚弱，其经济仍极大地依赖于鸦片生产。塔利班和基地组织的网络不断出现，成为政治和军事威胁。许多将军队驻扎于阿富汗的北约国家受到“国家告诫”，对他们使用军队提出了限制。里加会议解除了一些告诫，以让其协助处于紧急威胁之下的同盟。英国、加拿大、荷兰和美国在阿富汗南部为主力作战方而法国、德国和意大利军队则在更平静的北部部署军队。