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NATO officials met to pledge forces for all the alliance's global military missions except the war in Afghanistan. BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO officials met onNov. 24to pledge forces for all the alliance's global military missions except the war in Afghanistan, which is still awaiting President Barack Obama's decision on whether to commit new troops.

Spokesman Col. Greg Julian said the staff-level meeting was focused on generating contributions for NATO's force in Kosovo, its anti-piracy patrols off Somalia, a naval mission in the Mediterranean, and the alliance's various headquarters.

The meeting at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, a town in southern Belgium, also was supposed to discuss reinforcements for Afghanistan. But that part was postponed after Washington delayed its decision on a request by top U.S. and NATO war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal for tens of thousands of new troops there.

A separate conference on NATO forces in Afghanistan has tentatively been scheduled for Dec. 7 at the Supreme Headquarters, after Obama's expected announcement and following a meeting of NATO foreign minister on Dec. 3-4.

The alliance holds regular biannual conferences where allies pledge troops, equipment and other resources to fulfill the requirements of NATO missions abroad. NATO has about 90,000 service members deployed abroad — including 12,500 in Kosovo and 71,000 in Afghanistan — and new units are regularly rotated in as replacements for troops leaving a mission.

Several contributing countries already have indicated they would send additional troops to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. Britain has said it may deploy 500 more soldiers, and Slovakia will double its 245-strong contingent. Georgia, a nation that is not part of NATO, will add about 170 soldiers and will later dispatch a 700-member infantry battalion to Helmand province.

But most allies have declined to make any commitments, saying they would decide after an international conference on Afghanistan sometime next year.