– A series of setbacks in Afghanistan has sapped U.S. support for the war according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll which shows that more than two-thirds of Americans think the U.S. should not be at war in Afghanistan.
– Gen. John Allen, top allied commander in Afghanistan, said that U.S. and NATO troops will continue to be at risk of being attacked and killed by their Afghan counterparts during the duration of the mission in the country.
– Syria has agreed to a ceasefire and peace plan, brokered by U.N. and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, addressing future “political discussions”, withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from population centers, and humanitarian assistance being allowed to access civilian populations unimpeded said a spokesperson from Annan’s office.
– A Turkish official indicated on Monday that the surge of refugees from Syria may compel the Turkish government — with international backing — to establish a buffer zone on Syrian soil to guarantee border security.
– The Obama administration cut off all non-humanitarian aid to Mali after last week’s military coup and said assistance will resume after the country’s democratic government is restored.
– The Washington Post reports: The U.S. and Australia are planning a major expansion of military ties, including possible drone flights from a coral atoll in the Indian Ocean and increased U.S. naval access to Australian ports, as the Pentagon looks to shift its forces closer to Southeast Asia.
– Defense industry lobbyist David Hess, chairman of the Aerospace Industries Associatin (AIA), has emerged as one of the loudest voices opposing sequestration as the defense industry works to reverse hundreds of billions in sequestered defense cuts set in motion by the failure of the super-committee last year.
– U.S. government investigators at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that counterfeit electronic parts for weapons are easily available from China through the Internet, leading Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to warn, “The Chinese government’s refusal to shut down counterfeiting that occurs openly in their country puts our national security and the safety of our military men and women at risk. It also costs thousands of American jobs.”
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