Milwaukee ? Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday called on a war-weary American public for patience in Afghanistan, arguing that after years of neglect the U.S. had finally devoted the necessary resources to a conflict that had long been overshadowed by the Iraq war.

“With the invasion of Iraq our attention — and resources — were diverted,” Gates told an audience at the American Legion in Milwaukee. “Afghanistan became a second-tier priority for troops, equipment and security and development assistance.”

Gates’s remarks preceded a rare Oval Office address by President Obama on Tuesday night designed to mark the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq and the fulfillment of the president’s campaign pledge to end the war. Despite a diminished U.S. role in Iraq and the lowest levels of violence since the insurgency there took hold, the Iraq war remains far from finished. About 50,000 U.S. troops remain in the country to advise and train Iraqi forces.

Post-election haggling by Iraqi politicians has also hampered the formation of a government and stoked fears that the political unrest could give fuel to the weakened insurgency. “I am not saying all is, or necessarily will be, well in Iraq,” Gates said in his speech. “Sectarian tensions remain a fact of life, al-Qaida in Iraq is beaten but not gone. This is not a time for premature victory parades or self congratulation.”

Gates made clear that Iraq is rapidly becoming yesterday’s war for the U.S. military. In Afghanistan, the last of the 30,000 new U.S. forces ordered into the fight by Obama last December are finally arriving, bringing the total American and NATO forces in the country to about 150,000. “For the first time in nine years, we now have the resources … needed for this fight,” Gates said.

The defense secretary outlined an ambitious agenda for U.S. and Afghan forces in the country, even as he promised that U.S. soldiers and Marines would begin to transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces as soon as next summer. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are in the final stages of developing a plan to develop community defense forces designed to build confidence in the Afghan government, hold off the Taliban and check the power of Afghan police and army forces.

The community-based security forces were a top priority of Petraeus’s predecessor in Afghanistan, but were stalled by Karzai, who worried the local units could turn into militias. Senior Afghan officials also saw the forces as a threat to the relatively weak government in Kabul.

Gates also promised that the U.S. would toughen its efforts to stamp out corruption in Kabul — an effort that risks alienating Karzai and other members of his administration.

“We are committed to enforcing a hard line against corruption that exploits the Afghan people and saps their support for their elected government,” he said. “That includes making sure American tax dollars and other assistance are not being misused.”

Although Afghan civilian casualties and U.S. fatalities show no sign of abating, the U.S. has had increasing success in targeting Taliban leaders. “The enemy is paying a price for its crimes,” Gates said. “More than 350 Taliban commanders have been killed or captured in the past three months. These efforts will only accelerate as our military offensive rolls back the enemy.”