The American majority that shuns the Administration proposal to increase the number of US military forces in Iraq still holds the same negative view even after the President’s speech last week, according to a new USA Today/Gallup Poll. The Jan. 12-14 survey showed that 59 percent of respondents oppose a surge in forces. Asked about the issue a week earlier, 61 percent were opposed to such a move.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.