NATO leaders tackle packed agenda including ISIS, Ukraine, Afghanistan --- Newport, Wales (CNN) -- NATO has grappled with many perilous issues in its more than six decades of existence. But it's had few times quite like this. -- That was obvious Thursday, as leaders of the trans-Atlantic alliance's member countries met in Wales. They discussed everything from Afghanistan to the Middle East to Ukraine, each of which has its own special significance and presents its own unique military and diplomatic challenges. -- "We meet at a crucial time in the history of our alliance," British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the outset of the two-day summit. "The world faces many dangerous and evolving threats, and it is absolutely clear that NATO is as vital to our future as it has been in our past." -- There was no indication given that NATO, as a group, will be deploying more ground troops anytime soon to any new conflict -- as it has done before most recently following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. -- Still, the alliance is looking at a range of options to combat a range of diverse threats. -- Here's a look at a few developments on those front, broken down by region: - More, http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/04/world/europe/uk-nato-summit/index.html