Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• Ships Returning to Pearl Harbor Navy NewStand 14 Apr 2003 -- Following images of liberated Iraqis in Baghdad April 9, news quickly broke that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Battle Group was relieved by the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Battle Group, and the ships of the Lincoln Battle Group were headed home after one of the longest naval deployments since the Vietnam War.
• After 9 Months, Lincoln, CVW-14 Head Home Navy NewStand 14 Apr 2003 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 are heading home for their respective home ports. A usually joyous occasion for any deployment, this is Lincoln's second time heading home on this one.
• Unfinished Afghanistan VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- While U-S forces are winning the war in Iraq, they face renewed resistance in postwar Afghanistan: periodic attacks by al-Qaida and Taliban groups that appear to be growing in numbers and indeed may be answering to Mullah Mohammed Omar, who like Osama bin Laden, has never been found. In this sense, the war has by no means ended in Afghanistan.

Other Conflicts

• U.S. Statement on Refugees in Iraq, Balkans, Chechnya Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States is concerned about the humanitarian plight of people in Iraq, the Balkans, and Chechnya and Ingushetia, said Douglas A. Davidson, deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE.
• Armitage Urges Support for "Momentum of Peace" in Sri Lanka Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage opened an international conference on Sri Lanka on April 14 at the State Department by calling for international support for the "momentum of peace" in Sri Lanka.
• HOT SPOTS GET HOTTER VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- As coalition forces in Iraq turn to reconstructing a democratic nation from the ruins of Saddam Hussein's regime, other regions of conflict around the world are seeing an increase in tension. Recent events on the Korean peninsula, in the disputed province of Kashmir and in Israel and the occupied territories have only added to already severe problems.
• U-S/SRI LANKA VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States Monday convened an international conference aimed at reinforcing the peace process in Sri Lanka. The meeting was hosted by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who called on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the L-T-T-E, to unequivocally renounce terrorism, in order to play a full role in talks on the country's future.
• UN / CYPRUS VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution holding Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash responsible for the failure of a U-N plan to re-unify the Greek- and Turkish-controlled parts of the island.
• Security Council backs action by UN Mission chief to overrule Kosovo Assembly UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council today strongly supported the decision by the top UN official in Kosovo to declare without legal effect the enactment of legislation on higher education by the Kosovo Assembly on 3 April.
• UN Security Council discusses improving implementation of Somali arms ban UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- Concerned at the continued violations of the arms embargo on Somalia, the United Nations Security Council today exchanged views on how to better implement the ban.
• UN Mission brokers cease-fire between rival factions in Northern Afghanistan UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has helped broker a cease-fire between warring factions in the northern city of Maimana, ending a spate of deadly violence that erupted last Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• President's Message to America's Military and Their Families White House 14 Apr 2003 -- In a video message, President Bush thanked America's armed services personnel and their families. The video is airing on armed services TV networks around the country and around the world, wherever American servicemen and women are based, including in the area of hostilities.

• Congress Sends President Largest Supplemental Package In History Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. Congress has approved a $78.5 billion fiscal year 2003 supplemental appropriations bill that will help pay for the war in Iraq, bolster homeland security measures, fund the continuing global war on terrorism, and assist with selected urgent domestic needs.

• Arms Expert Says Depleted Uranium Poses Low Health Risk Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- Depleted uranium (DU) poses a very low and temporary health risk to troops and veterans, says an international expert and former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq.

• White House Press Briefing White House 14 Apr 2003
• Stryker brigade completes `Arrowhead Lightning I' at NTC Army News 14 Apr 2003 -- The Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team ended several weeks of rigorous day and night training in California's Mojave Desert April 11, and now is preparing for an exercise in Louisiana next month to certify its operational readiness.
• Army system tracking 2,100 deployed civilians Army News 14 Apr 2003 -- More than 2,100 civilians are now deployed in support of contingency operations around the world, and the Army's new automated civilian tracking system, CIVTRACKS, is keeping track of their location.
• F/A-22 provides technological leap forward AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- One cannot view the F/A-22 Raptor as only a replacement for current Air Force fighters, the service's top acquisition official told lawmakers April 11.
• War sharpens air traffic control mission's focus AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- Operation Iraqi Freedom is providing students attending the Air Force's only air traffic control school real-world examples of how their training will be used after graduation.
• B-52 still a force to be reckoned with AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- More than 50 years after the first B-52 bomber rolled off a Boeing assembly line, the Stratofortress is still making believers out of those who would oppose the United States.
• Air Force begins re-deploying some forces AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- The Air Force has started re-deploying some its assets supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to defense officials.
• PEO-T Leaderships Implements Robust Communication with the Fleet NAVAIR 14 Apr 2003 -- Fleet empathy, understanding and robust communication were words that resonated throughout the recent offsite attended by leadership within the Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft (PEO-T). Led by Rear Admiral James B. Godwin, III, PEO-T, and Mrs. Steffanie Easter, Deputy PEO-T, program managers, their deputies, and PEO-T staff met to tackle the conference theme of enhancing their focus on the Fleet.
• Future San Antonio Chiefs Begin Paving Way for Successful Chiefs' Mess, Crew NAAVSEA News 14 Apr 2003 -- Although their ship won't be commissioned for another two years, eleven Chief Petty Officers being assigned to the future amphibious assault ship San Antonio (LPD 17) recently met in Little Creek, Va. to learn more about their new ship and to lay the foundation for a strong Chiefs' Mess.
• Thresher Remembered at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard NAAVSEA News 14 Apr 2003 -- Close to 500 family members and friends, Navy and shipyard personnel, and local dignitaries joined together at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) on April 5 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the loss of USS Thresher (SSN 593) on April 10, 1963.
• Navy Lab Sets Record for Reynolds Numbers NAAVSEA News 14 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. Navy's William B. Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in Memphis has enabled hydrodynamic experts to produce and measure two-dimensional flows at Reynolds Numbers up to 20 times higher than any previously achieved in a laboratory.
• NSWC Corona Supports Deploying Marine Unit NAAVSEA News 14 Apr 2003 -- Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division recently supported Operation Iraqi Freedom by assisting a Marine Corps unit prepare for deployment to Southwest Asia.
• EA-6Bs Are on the Prowl Navy NewStand 15 Apr 2003 -- The EA-6B Prowler is one unique aircraft. Its ability to support strike aircraft is unparalleled, and the "Cougars" of Electronic Air Squadron (VAQ) 139 prove that every day during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Navy's Newest Guided-Missile Destroyer Commissioned Navy NewStand 15 Apr 2003 -- The Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Mason (DDG 87), was commissioned here in a April 12 ceremony.
• Bioengineers keep Osan breathing PACAFNS 14 Apr 2003 -- Alarm Blue Scud . Alarm Blue Scud . booms the voice emanating from speakers all over Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. Airmen all over the base close their eyes and hold their breath in unison. An exercise attack has occurred.
• AGE maintainers keep planes ready, moving USAFENS 14 Apr 2003 -- They are the veins and arteries that carry the lifeblood to hundreds of workers keeping the coalition bombing effort pumping on time.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 14 Apr 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 14 Apr 2003
• U.S., EU Rescind Visa Restrictions on Belarus Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States is joining with 14 member countries of the European Union in rescinding visa restrictions relating to Belarus, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker announced April 14.
• State's Jones Strongly Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Central Asia Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- "The United States is wholly committed to intensive engagement and dialogue" with each of the nations of Central Asia, a "pivotal region of the world," Assistant Secretary of State Beth Jones reaffirmed April 10.
• U.S. Criticizes Prison Sentences for Cuban Dissidents Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, has expressed criticism of the Cuban government's imposition of long prison sentences on 75 human rights dissidents.
• FRANCE/MUSLIMS VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Muslim leaders in France have elected the country's first representative Islamic council, gathering together various, historically fractious religious currents. The council, which represents the country's second largest religion, intends to lobby the government for more mosques, among other demands.
• SAF/WINNIE VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has gone to court in South Africa in a bid to keep the speaker of parliament from publicly reprimanding her for ethics violations. A parliamentary ethics committee found that she had failed to disclose a significant source of outside income.
• U-N/RIGHTS DEFENDERS VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- A U-N special investigator says threats against people who work to defend the human rights of others have increased and become worse since the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. The investigator says human-rights defenders in all regions of the world are subjected to violations ranging from executions and torture to restrictions on their freedom of expression and association.
• ASIA PNEUMONIA VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Hong Kong has reported a big jump in the number of deaths from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, despite efforts to contain the disease. The increase in deaths is raising speculation that something may be making the disease deadlier.
• INDONESIA / BASHIR VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Indonesian prosecutors have charged an Islamic cleric with treason for his alleged role in a radical movement that seeks to overthrow the government. Abu Bakar Bashir is believed to be the leader of a terror network linked to al-Qaida.
• CHINA SARS VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- China's prime minister says the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is grave, and he is urging stronger measures to combat the disease. It is a big change from Beijing's earlier assurances that the disease was under control.