Defense Secretary Robert Gates is assessing war efforts in Afghanistan and will present his findings to the White House.

Gates said that after the nine-year conflict, American troops are making progress.

"I will go back convinced that our strategy is working," he said at a news conference with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

"The bottom line is that over the last 12 months we've come a long way," Gates continued. "There is no denying that the security climate is improving and that the sacrifices of Afghan and coalition troops are achieving greater safety and security."

Gates said he attributes the success mostly to President Obama's troop increase.

However, he does admit that the 2014 withdrawal date might not be possible.

During his trip, Gates also encouraged a crowd of marines, praising them for stopping the Taliban's momentum.

This was Gates' 10th trip to the region.