Vietnam long has been the gold standard for unpopular wars, but evidently no more. A new Gallup poll suggests Americans soured on the Iraq War even faster than they did with the Southeast Asian conflict of the 1960s. The new poll compared the two wars at identical points—after two and a half years of combat. At that point in the Vietnam War—early 1967—41 percent of Americans had decided sending troops was a mistake. The figure at the comparable point in the Iraq War? Fully 50 percent, said Gallup.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.