Shortly thereafter. the international community recog nized the newest country in the world. In a region riddled with bullets and bombs. this moment marked the beginning of a praiseworthy chapter in regional and transatlantic history. As a number of global security challenges occupy the top of our foreign policy agendanot least the threat posed by ISIS and the most significant refugee crisis since World War IIit is easy to overlook Montenegros tenth anniversary. But we would be remiss if we did not use this occasion to reflect on the importance of U.S.-Montenegro relations and the role this country of 600.000 can play to advance regional and transatlantic security moving forward. Early on. the countrys leaders made a clear decision to align with the United States and pursue membership in EuroAtlantic institutions.