That's the message President Obama will take to this weekend's NATO summit in France, where the need for the United States' allies to contribute more troops, funds and military training programs in Afghanistan will overshadow celebrations of the security organization's 60th anniversary.

In an interview with USA TODAY on Thursday, the top coalition commander in Afghanistan called on NATO to expand its role there to include training Afghanistan's nascent police force, which has lagged its army in training and effectiveness.

"I think if NATO and other military contributors to this campaign don't put an effort into working with the police the same as we put into working with the (Afghan) army, then I think we're short-sighted in our approach here," U.S. Gen. David McKiernan said in Kabul.

McKiernan described Afghan police as "the critical link" in efforts to beat back a reinvigorated offensive by insurgents from the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Once an area is cleared of insurgents by NATO troops, the police are charged with holding the area, providing security and preventing the militants from returning.

The official mission of NATO - which encompasses the USA and 25 other, mostly European countries - currently does not include police training in Afghanistan. That's because most member countries consider police training to be a function of law enforcement, and therefore outside their military responsibilities, McKiernan said.

Several European countries have long placed tight restrictions on what their troops can do in Afghanistan, limiting them to humanitarian missions rather than combat operations, for example.

U.S. forces have taken the lead in police training, and some other countries also participate outside the official NATO umbrella. Their efforts have not been enough.

As of now, U.S. and allied countries are providing police mentor teams at 55 of Afghanistan's 365 districts, said U.S. Army Col. Stephen Yackley, an official at the U.S. command that oversees the training of Afghan security forces.

McKiernan's request comes as Obama has announced plans to escalate the U.S. commitment by sending 21,000 additional servicemembers before the end of the year. The Taliban, which governed Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion in 2001, has expanded its influence in some areas of the country, aided by militants based across the border in Pakistan.

McKiernan said he is confident the additional U.S. troops would "change the ... security balance in the south," where the Taliban has made gains.

At a briefing Thursday in London, National Security Adviser James Jones said member countries were still "considering" how to provide reinforcements.

"I expect there will be additional troop contributions," Jones said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the renewed emphasis on training Afghan troops and police was part of a "shift of strategy" in the Afghanistan war that Obama announced last month.

Clinton said that among U.S. allies, "there's a great deal of interest ... in participating in this training."

Afghanistan's government is working on several initiatives to reform police, including an electronic payment system that cuts down on graft. The system is designed to eliminate a scam in which officers pocket the salaries of "ghost employees."

U.S. and some NATO combat forces are also teaming up directly with police and army, living and working alongside them.

"As we build (U.S. and NATO) forces up here we need to make sure we have Afghan forces both in the army and the police to partner with," said U.S. Marine Col. Julian Alford, a staff officer.

"If we go into an area and we don't have our Afghan partners with us, then we're just another invading army," Alford said.