President Obama is in Alaska, refueling en route to Japan and meeting with troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Among the news from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs en route to Alaska:

--Obama’s likely to hold at least one more meeting on the war plans;

--He will not announce his new strategy for Afghanistan until after he returns home from the Asia trip;

--The US is talking with Afghanistan about benchmarks to measure progress once the new strategy is announced.

“Some benchmarks HAVE been discussed,” Gibbs said. “But…the president believes that we have been there for eight years. And we’re not going to be there forever. … It’s important to fully examine not just how we’re going to get folks in but how we’re going to get folks out.”

 “The embassy there is working on agreements with the Afghan government. … I think it’s sufficient to say that whether on the civilian side of our effort, whether on the military side of our effort, or the governance side of the Afghans’, the President will want – has asked for, and will want – benchmarks to evaluate our progress. That’s part of his desire to get a sense of where we are rather than committing to an open-ended conflict.”

--White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is not on the trip, presumably staying in DC to work on health care.

--First Lady Michelle Obama also is not on the week-plus trip, definitely staying in DC to work on the First Family.  “There are two calculations,” Gibbs said. “One’s Malia. And the other one is Sasha. … She has, first and foremost, that responsibility. And being away for so long, she’s taking care of that.”