31 January 2003 Military News

Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

ADDITIONAL III CORPS UNITS AT FORT HOOD RECEIVE DEPLOYMENT ORDERS III Corps 31 Jan 2003 -- Elements of III Corps stationed at Fort Hood have received deployment orders to reposition forces as required to support the President's global war against terrorism. Units from the 13th Corps Support Command at Fort Hood have been directed to deploy.
GEORGIA/U-S/TERRORISM VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- second group of Georgian recruits has begun training in an anti-terrorism program led by the U-S military. The program aims to eradicate Islamic militants officials believe may be hiding out in the Pankisi Gorge region of Georgia, near Chechnya
AFGHAN/BLAST VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- A powerful explosion has killed at least 18 people traveling on a bus in southern Afghanistan. As Ayaz Gul reports from neighboring Pakistan, Afghan authorities blame anti-government fighters for the attack
Chopper Crash Kills 4 Americans; Land Mine Kills 18 Afghans AFPS 31 Jan 2003 -- All four crewmembers of an Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter died following a crash in Afghanistan Jan. 30.
Bush Tells Congress Kosovo Force to Reduce Gradually Washington File 31 Jan 2003 -- President Bush sent a letter to Congressional leaders January 31 with a Congressionally mandated report regarding the continued deployment of U.S. military personnel serving as the U.S. contribution to the NATO-led international security force in Kosovo.
Reserve Cargo Handling Battalions Mobilize to Support War on Terrorism NNS 31 Jan 2003 -- Hundreds of Naval Reservists attached to Naval Cargo Handling Battalions (NCHB) across the United States have been recalled to active duty in support of the war on terrorism
4th Force set to deploy USMC 31 Jan 2003 -- Local Marines were called to active duty recently in support of the nation's ongoing war against terrorism
6th Communication Battalion activates, heads to Camp Lejeune USMC 31 Jan 2003 -- With a reserve activation almost as big as in the early 90's another Marine Corps Reserve unit in New York has been activated. This week the Sixth Communication Battalion at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, N.Y., activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Wednesday, 29 January 2003 the Marines of 6th Comm. reported to ensure all their professional and personal affairs were in order before they deploy. The Marines will be deploying to Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Other Conflicts

DR of Congo: WFP launches emergency airlift to feed 115,000 in east of country UN News Centre 31 Jan 2003 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an emergency airlift to provide food for over 100,000 desperate and hungry people in the town of Bunia, who were forced from their homes by fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
FRANCE / IVORY COAST VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- The French government has advised some of its citizens in the Ivory Coast to leave. An agreement to end the four-month Ivorian civil war seems on the verge of collapse, and there has been anti-French rioting. The government of French President Jacques Chirac is being criticized for mishandling the situation.
SRI LANKA/UNICEF VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- The top official of the United Nations Children's Fund is in Sri Lanka to assess the needs of children affected by nearly two decades of warfare in the north and east of the island. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the visit comes amid reports that Tamil Tiger rebels continue to recruit child soldiers into their ranks
IVORY COAST / UNREST VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- Hundreds of demonstrators stormed the airport at Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, on Friday. The demonstrations are part of continuing protests over a new peace accord that some Ivorians say grants too many concessions to rebels
ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- Two Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin early Friday. The operation is part of a sweep by Israeli security forces, tracking down suspected militants in the Palestinian territories
WFP/BURUNDI VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- The United Nations World Food Program says it has not been able to reach an estimated 50-thousand people in Burundi, who have fled renewed fighting in the central part of the country (Gitega and Ruyigi).

Defense Policy / Programs

MANNED GROUND COMBAT VEHICLES DESIGN TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR FUTURE COMBAT SYSTEMS Army 31 Jan 2003 -- In conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), The Army announces the creation of a cooperative design team to develop and integrate the Manned Ground combat Vehicle (MGV) platforms of the Future Combat System (FCS), as part of The Army's Lead System Integrator (LSI) contract.
Command implements smallpox vaccination plan AMCNS 31 Jan 2003 -- Air Mobility Command is taking every precaution to ensure its people deploying into harm's way are protected from one of the Department of Defense's newest perceived threats, smallpox.
Commentary: Be a bandwidth nibbler, not a Kobayashi ArmY News 31 Jan 2003 -- Soldiers deploying today need every bit of bandwidth for their network-centric operations. The old method of attaching large files to an e-mail and broadcasting it via sequential chain-mail to entire garrisons, major commands, or the Army-wide workforce requires huge chunks of bandwidth and brings networks and in-boxes to a crawl
Chemical agents - how to MOPP up USMC 31 Jan 2003 -- since the development of chemical, biological adn nuclear weapons, Marines have trained to protect themselves from its effects and carry on with the mission. Part one of this three-part series emphasizes the history, creation and symptms of exposure to agents used as weapons
1/3 storms Bellows, MCBH USMC 31 Jan 2003 -- An American embassy in an unstable country has several innocent people trapped inside. Marines are given the mission to insert themselves tactically within the walls of the embassy and evacuate the individuals before armies of angry nationals raid the building.

News Reports

SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 31 Jan 2003
SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 31 Jan 2003
U.N. Envoy Outlines 2003 Challenges for Afghanistan Washington File 31 Jan 2003 -- The three challenges for Afghanistan in 2003 are to strengthen and build key government institutions, address the political and security uncertainties, and meet the rising expectation of Afghans, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan said January 31.
ARAB REFORM VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- A United Nations report found that there is less freedom in Arab countries than anywhere else. The report, written by a panel of Arab scholars and intellectuals, concluded that Arab countries will stagnate without democratization. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other U-S officials have joined the call for democracy in the region. President George W. Bush has promised that if the United States leads a coalition to disarm Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, a democratic Iraq will be a primary goal. What efforts are being made to promote democracy and freedom in the Arab world and can they succeed?
UN envoy in Angola call for 'spirit of new partnerships' UN News Centre 31 Jan 2003 -- With demobilization programmes under way and elections imminent in Angola, the United Nations top envoy has called for a "spirit of new partnership" to help the war-torn country overcome any new challenges that lie ahead.
Amid 'remarkable' gains, challenges persist in Afghanistan, Security Council told UN News Centre 31 Jan 2003 -- The top United Nations envoy for Afghanistan told the Security Council today that while impressive gains had been made over the past year, the country still faced tough challenges and the peace process was "far from secure" amid worrying reports that support for the remnants of the Taliban might be growing in some areas
EDITORIAL: POWELL ON VENEZUELA VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- A general strike marked by daily street protests for and against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is now in its second month. Venezuela's political crisis presents major challenges to democratic stability and has significant implications for the Western hemisphere. The Venezuelan people urgently need to resolve the current impasse. The international community has demonstrated that it is prepared to assist Venezuela in finding a solution to the crisis. In the words of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, "The situation in Venezuela grows worse by the day. The people of Venezuela see their democracy and their hopes for prosperity growing weaker."
U-N / AFGHANISTAN / BRAHIMI VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- A U-N official has told the Security Council he is encouraged by improvements made in Afghanistan during the past year. But V-O-A's Jenny Badner reports, there is concern about future support to continue the progress
ISRAEL ELECTIONS VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Likud party won big in this week's parliamentary elections. Now the question on the minds of many U-S editorial writers is what can be done about the continued violence in the Middle East
Harvard Scholar Says "Regime Change Must Occur" in Zimbabwe Washington File 31 Jan 2003 -- Robert Rotberg, Harvard University scholar and President of the World Peace Foundation, has termed Zimbabwe a "man-made disaster" and called for "regime change" as the most likely way to pull the nation back from the brink of catastrophe
THAILAND / CAMBODIA VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- The owner of Cambodia's only independent radio station was charged Friday with inciting the violent anti-Thai riots that erupted in the capital earlier this week. Nancy-Amelia Collins in Bangkok reports that Cambodia has taken full responsibility for the riots and is working to repair relations with its neighbor
VENEZUELA/MEETING VOA 31 Jan 2003 -- In Venezuela, diplomats from six nations, the so-called "friends of Venezuela," are meeting to find a solution to the country's crisis. One of the main goals is to bring Venezuelan political leaders together in dialogue. But, as V-O-A's Greg Flakus reports from Caracas, the rhetoric from both opponents and supporters of President Hugo Chavez remains strident