Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• The Dirty Dozen Squared; Marines make ammo supply point their own USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- In the middle of a seemingly endless expanse of Kuwaiti desert, Marines not professionally trained in security force tactics guarded I Marine Expeditionary Force's ammunition for two weeks.
• PENTAGON/RED SEA VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Defense officials may shift two aircraft carrier battle groups into the Red Sea for use in a possible war with Iraq.
• New Yorkers prepare to leave one front line for another AFPN 12 Mar 2003 -- The 722nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical specialists do not know where they may be going to war, but they know why they are going.

Other Conflicts

• Security Council condemns violence in Somalia, calls for peace and relief access UN News Centre 12 Mar 2003 -- Expressing strong regret at the continued fighting in Somalia despite peace agreements, the United Nations Security Council today condemned the factions involved in the conflict and called for an immediate end to all acts of violence and safe access for all humanitarian personnel.
• Timor-Leste: UN honours four Korean peacekeepers killed in river accident UN News Centre 12 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations today honoured four peacekeepers from the Republic of Korea who died in a river accident last week in Timor-Leste.
• Ensuring peace in Africa also means tackling broader social issues - Annan UN News Centre 12 Mar 2003 -- Ensuring peace in Africa not only means resolving the continent's many conflicts, and preventing fighting from erupting, but also includes tackling broader social challenges, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message delivered in Japan.
• IVORY COAST / GOVERNMENT VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The new prime minister of Ivory Coast is getting ready to name his new government.
• TIMOR/INDONESIA SENTENCE VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- A human rights court in Indonesia has convicted an army general of crimes against humanity for his role in the violence that surrounded East Timor's vote for independence three years ago.
• PHILIPPINES REFUGEES VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- In the southern Philippines, the struggle between Islamic rebels and the government is again flaring. Last week, a bomb attack in Davao on the island of Mindanao killed more than 20 people and injured 150 others. This comes after the government last month launched an offensive against the largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front - which has been waging a 30-year secessionist battle. The renewed fighting has created a new flood of mostly Muslim refugees.

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Daily Briefing White House 12 Mar 2003
• Establishing the Global War on Terrorism Medals 12 Mar 2003 -- By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including my authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

• Transcript: Air Force Briefing on "Space: The Warfighter's Perspective" 12 Mar 2003 -- "Good morning. Today we're going to have an on-the-record briefing on the support that military operations in space provide to our warfighters. The first briefer will be Major General Judd Blaisdell, the director of Space Operations and Integration for the Air Force. And then he'll be followed by Colonel Steven Fox, the director of Army space support."

• Officials investigate possible mortar launch near Yokota AFPN 12 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Air Force officials and local Japanese authorities are investigating a possible improvised mortar launch toward Yokota Air Base.
• UNIVERSITIES SELECTED FOR RESEARCH FUNDING 13 Mar 2003 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced plans to award 17 grants to Universities selected for research funding. The grants total approximately $8.5 million in fiscal year 2003 and up to $17 million per year starting in fiscal year 2004.
• Nighthawk unit maintains the flock AFPN 12 Mar 2003 -- The F-117 Nighthawk may be a mystery to some, but its maintainers take pride in knowing the airframe's secret inner workings.
• Commander Sub Group 9 Trains on the 'Northern Edge' Navy NewStand 12 Mar 2003 -- For Naval Reserve Commander, Submarine Group 9, being a part of Northern Edge 2003 (NE03), Alaska's premier joint training exercise, is a unique experience.
• Bravo Company corpsman balances two critical roles USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- The role of tending to injured Marines on the battlefield is already a great responsibility. To a particular corpsman assigned to, Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, his secondary duty is welcomed experience.
• CSSG-3 hears 'Beep, beep, beep!' USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- To many, this might sound like rush-hour traffic in a big city. However, if you are in a combat zone, this means you have a few precious moments to properly react to a nuclear, biological or chemical threat.
• CSSG-3 charges through the Pali trail USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- The rainfall pours through the dense jungle canopy and the rugged terrain becomes an even tougher challenge.
• USS Harpers Ferry wins Battle "E" Seventh Fleet 13 Mar 2003 -- Following a hull-swap and a year of successful operations and inspections, USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) has earned the prestigious Battle Efficiency Award for 2002.
• PENTAGON / IRAQ / SPACE VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- With U-S forces massing around Iraq, a senior military official says America's space-based assets will give Washington dominance in any battle with Baghdad.
• Officials release Predator accident report AFPN 12 Mar 2003 -- Investigators determined that pilot error caused an Air Force RQ-1 Predator aircraft to crash nine miles west of Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nev., Oct. 25.
• U-S MILITARY/NORTH KOREA VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The top U-S military commander in South Korea has told Congress there are no signs the North is planning a conventional military attack. But he and another senior military officer, say U-S and South Korean military forces are fully prepared to handle any eventuality.
• U.S. troops and South Korean army stage river-crossing drill KCNA 12 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. troops and South Korean army on Sunday reportedly staged a river-crossing drill on the River Rimjin flowing along the MDL, part of the foal eagle military exercise aimed at invasion of the DPRK.
• Two Survive Black Hawk Crash at Fort Drum; 11 Dead AFPS 12 Mar 2003 -- Officials at Fort Drum, N.Y., are reporting today two soldiers survived the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed on the post March 11.
• NAVAIR Depot North Island begins in-depth IMP in Hawaii NAVAIR 12 Mar 2003 -- Capt. Pete Laszcz (right) and Cmdr. Don Williamson, commanding officer of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 37 prepare to cut a ribbon marking the first SH-60 Integrated Maintenance Program aircraft inducted at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, Hawaii. Photo by Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert Carlson
• 26th MEU (SOC) personnel ready for deployment USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- An intense pre-deployment training schedule may have prepared the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) to accomplish its missions overseas, but the men and women that make up this unit had many of their own preparations to make before being 100 percent ready to go.
• MAG-12 trains in Thailand USMC News 12 Mar 2003 -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 is playing a vital role in the multilateral Exercise Cope Tiger 2003 in Korat, Thailand.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 12 Mar 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 12 Mar 2003
• SERBIA ASSASSINATION VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has been assassinated. Belgrade Radio reports Mr. Djindjic was hit by two high-caliber bullets as he was standing in the courtyard of the main government building in the Serbian capital. Mr. Djindjic died of his wounds soon after being taken to a hospital.
• Djindjic Obit VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Zoran Djindjic, the prime minister of Serbia, was assassinated Wednesday outside his government office in downtown Belgrade.
• SERBIA / IMPACT VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The assassination Wednesday of Serbia's reformist Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic is being widely blamed on organized crime.
• Annan, UN 'shocked and saddened' by Serb premier's assassination UN News Centre 12 Mar 2003 -- Secretary General Kofi Annan and other officials throughout the United Nations system today deplored the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
• Bush Extends Condolences to Serbia, Djindjic Family Washington File 12 Mar 2003 -- On behalf of the United States, President Bush extended condolences March 12 to the people of Serbia and the family of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who was assassinated earlier in the day in Belgrade.
• Powell "Shocked, Saddened" by Assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Washington File 12 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed shock and sadness at the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in Belgrade March 12, citing Djindjic's "fearless leadership" in bringing democracy to Serbia and pledging U.S. support for the continuation of his "vital work" on political and economic reforms and on combating corruption.
• SERBIA / ASSASSINATION / AFTERMATH VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Serbia's government has asked the republic's president to declare a state of emergency after the assassination Wednesday of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in front of the government building. The announcement came as Serbia prepared for three days of official mourning.
• BUSH / SERBIA / ASSASSINATION VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The United States joined other countries in mourning the death of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who was assassinated in Belgrade Wednesday. The Bush administration hailed Mr. Djindjic's role in helping bring democracy to Serbia after almost a decade of war in the Balkans.
• JANUSZ BUGAJSKI VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has been assassinated in a shooting outside the main government building in central Belgrade. Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic formally announced the death. He said the government had urged Acting President Natasa Micic to declare a state of emergency throughout Serbia in response. Mr. Djindjic played a key role in the popular revolt in October, 2000, that toppled former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

• House Passes Bill Promoting WHO Observer Status for Taiwan Washington File 12 Mar 2003 -- The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill March 11 authorizing the United States to seek observer status for Taiwan within the World Health Organization (WHO).
• World Bank Helps Afghanistan Revitalize Transportation Networks Washington File 12 Mar 2003 -- The World Bank on March 11 announced that it had approved $108 million in credit to help rehabilitate Afghanistan's highway and civil aviation programs. The Emergency Transport Rehabilitation Project is designed to help the Afghan government meet emergency needs in the short term, while building its capacity to maintain programs in the long term.
• State Department Supports Refugee, IDP Returnees in Afghanistan Washington File 12 Mar 2003 -- The State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) issued a fact sheet on March 6 detailing the Bureau's $174.5 million in contributions to assist Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• ZIMBABWE / POLITICS VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- A veteran ruling party politician in Zimbabwe has unexpectedly criticized the country's senior officials and their friends, accusing them of corruption, which he says has infected all of society.
• U-S-ZIMBABWE-RIGHTS VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The United States said Wednesday it will lead an effort to condemn Zimbabwe for "flagrant and ruinous" human rights abuses at the upcoming meeting of the U-N Human Rights Commission. The State Department issued a report, which says the more than two decades of rule by Robert Mugabe have brought the country to a state of ruin.
• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH / U-N RIGHTS VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The human rights group Human Rights Watch is calling on the United States and the European Union to restore the credibility of the United Nations' Human Rights Commission.
• ZIMBABWE / CLERGY VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Last month, 21 Zimbabwean clergymen were briefly detained while protesting police harassment of priests and disruptions of religious gatherings. Their protest followed growing criticism from Zimbabweans that the clergy had failed to take a strong stand against government human rights violations.
• AFGHAN POLICE / AMNESTY REPORT VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The human rights group Amnesty International says Afghanistan urgently needs to reform what is described as an abusive police force. In a report issued Wednesday, the organization alleges that the Afghan police are not only unable to uphold human rights but are also guilty of violating them.
• EUROPEAN COURT / OCALAN VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- Europe's top human rights court ruled Wednesday that Turkey had denied Kurdish rebel Abdullah Ocalan a fair and speedy trial. But the Strasbourg-based court rejected claims of other violations of the Kurdish leader's human rights.
• INDIA/TEMPLE VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- In northern India, government archeologists have begun excavating a disputed holy site claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. A court ordered the excavation to settle the conflicting claims to the site, but there are fears that the work may complicate the dispute.
• CHINA / N-P-C SOCIAL STABILITY VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- As a new generation of leaders prepares to assume power in China next week, it will face an unprecedented challenge from growing social unrest due to poverty and massive unemployment. The next Communist Party government has pledged to relieve hardships brought about by major restructuring to create a market economy. But their promises may not be enough.
• CHINA NPC / LABOR VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- China's top labor official says the country's unemployment problem is grim, but the government is trying to help the jobless. His comments come shortly after an unemployed man claiming to have a bomb held several journalists hostage in Beijing. China's leaders feel they must act quickly, to prevent more frustrated workers from striking out.
• CHINA HOSTAGE JOURNALISTS VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- A man claiming to have a bomb took over the Beijing office of the Reuters news agency Wednesday. The staff was eventually released unharmed, and a few hours later, police captured the suspect. The man appears to be one of China's millions of frustrated jobless workers.
• CHINA NPC / WESTERN DEVELOPMENT VOA 12 Mar 2003 -- The Chinese government has been pouring money into developing the country's western provinces. China's leaders consider the region's poverty an urgent problem, and have a new plan to enrich the arid region.