U.S. And NATO Forces Are Now Planning For A Fast Exit From Afghanistan

U.S. Army Spc. Nickolas Evangelista-Reitner scans the area while providing overwatch security for another unit in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, Jan. 22, 2014. Evangelista-Reitner is assigned to U.S. Army National Guard's 216th Mobile Augmentation Company. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Laura Beth Beebe

Military Plans Reflect Afghanistan Uncertainty -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — American and NATO military planners, facing continued political uncertainty about whether foreign troops will remain in Afghanistan after December, have drawn up plans to deploy a force this summer that is tailored to assume a training mission in 2015 but is also small enough to withdraw if no deal for an enduring presence is reached, alliance officials said.

With President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan refusing to sign security agreements approving a presence for American and NATO troops after 2014, allied military planners have been forced to prepare for both sudden success and abject failure of proposals for a continuing mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces after combat operations officially end this year.

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Update: U.S.: Afghanistan can't 'keep deferring' decision on security pact -- Reuters

My Comment: My prediction still holds that a U.S. - Afghan security agreement will eventually be signed .... albeit less than what the U.S. was planning for.