Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• HELICOPTER CRASHES NEAR ORGUN-E CENTCOM 03 Jun 2003 -- An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed about 4:00 a.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. local Afghanistan time) today near Orgun-E in the Paktika Province in Southeast Afghanistan while supporting combat operations.
• Iranians Detain Soldiers, Chopper Crash in Afghanistan AFPS 03 Jun 2003 -- Iranian forces released four U.S. soldiers and three civilians unharmed yesterday, U.S. Central Command officials said today.

Other Conflicts

• Afghanistan: Security, Warlordism Seen As Biggest Challenges, One Year After Loya Jirga RFE/L 03 Jun 2003 -- One year after the Emergency Loya Jirga, participants in the Afghan grand assembly say a lack of security and warlordism are the main challenges facing the Transitional Authority, the government created by the assembly. Some participants today criticized Transitional Authority President Hamid Karzai for failing to deliver overall peace and security. Others say that, under the circumstances, no other leader could have achieved more over the past 12 months.
• AFGHAN CONSTITUTION BUILDING VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Almost two years after the fall of the Taleban, Afghanistan is preparing to decide on a new constitution and a new democratic government. With a draft text now ready, the Afghan constitutional commission plans to gather opinion from people across the country. But details on the draft constitution are still secret, and political intimidation remains a concern.

• Transcript: Powell, Rice Say Arab Support for Roadmap Is Growing Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said President Bush received a "new commitment to end terror and violence" from Arab leaders at a meeting at the Egyptian seaport of Sharm El-Sheikh June 3, indicating that support for the Middle East road map will continue to grow.
• Bush, Arab Leaders Make "Important Start under New Conditions" for Peace Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said President Bush and five Arab leaders made "a very important start under new conditions" toward ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a Palestinian state at their meeting at the Egyptian seaport of Sharm El-Sheikh June 3.
• Bush Says World Needs Palestinian State That is Free and At Peace Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- President Bush told five Arab leaders that the United States will actively work with all concerned parties in the Middle East to achieve the establishment of a Palestinian state.
• Bush Sees a Moment of Promise for Middle East Peace Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- Speaking at the conclusion of their meeting June 3 in Egypt, President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reaffirmed their commitment to the roadmap for peace in the Middle East and to the vision of two states, Israel and Palestine.
• Powell Says Elements are Aligned for Change in the Middle East Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell told ABC news June 2 in Egypt that circumstances were ripe for renewing efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
• POWELL-PALESTINIANS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat Tuesday not to try to act as a "spoiler" in U-S-led efforts to bring about a two-state solution of the Middle East conflict. In a news conference at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Mr. Powell also said any Palestinian state that emerges from the process should have territorial "contiguity."
• BUSH / MIDEAST VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- President Bush plans to meet in Jordan today (Wednesday) with the Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers. It will be their first three-way summit and the biggest indication to date of the president's deepening involvement in the peace process.
• Chechnya: Ten Russian Servicemen Reported Killed RFE/L 03 Jun 2003 -- In the latest fighting in Chechnya, rebel attacks have killed 10 Russian servicemen, and the Russian military has struck at rebel positions with artillery and aerial bombing.
• More civilian police, 6-month extension recommended for UN mission in Cyprus UN News Centre 03 Jun 2003 -- Though conditions in Cyprus have improved somewhat - with continued calm along ceasefire lines and the easing of restrictions at some Turkish Cypriot crossing points - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has requested that the mandate of the UN mission in the country be extended until the end of the year.
• Security Council members stress concern at humanitarian situation in Côte d'Ivoire UN News Centre 03 Jun 2003 -- While welcoming recent progress in the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis peace accord for Côte d'Ivoire, members of the United Nations Security Council today stressed again their concern at the humanitarian situation in the country.
• Calm in Bunia, transitional government keys to situation in DR of Congo, Annan says UN News Centre 03 Jun 2003 -- The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) needs to be tackled on two fronts - taking steps to calm war-ravaged Bunia and pressing forward on the political side with the formation of a transitional government, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
• Only one-third of $5.34 billion needed received so far in UN appeal for crisis countries UN News Centre 03 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations consolidated appeals for countries in crisis has so far received only one-third of the $5.34 billion needed for life-sustaining operations in 2003, according to a mid-year review by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• Bush's summit with Arabs 'important step' in Middle East peace - Annan UN News Centre 03 Jun 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called United States President George W. Bush's summit with Arab leaders in Egypt today "an important step in our efforts" to resolve the Middle Eastern conflict.
• CONGO / TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- As a multi-national force prepares to move into eastern Congo a transitional government of national reconciliation is being prepared in the capital, Kinshasa. The goal is to put an end to Congo's four-year civil war, but negotiations are stalled over the composition of the national army.
• BUSH / MIDEAST VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- President Bush and Arab leaders have ended their talks in Egypt with a vow to defeat terror and move the peace process forward. Their summit in Sharm el-Sheikh produced a key endorsement for the new U-S backed mideast peace plan.
• UN/BURUNDI VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- The U-N Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it is concerned about the rising numbers of Burundian refugees who are returning home. The U-N-H-C-R says the refugees are returning to unsafe areas because of deteriorating conditions at their camps in Tanzania.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Israel has begun releasing some Palestinian political prisoners as part of an effort to promote the so-called Roadmap for peace in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers are preparing to attend a summit Wednesday with President Bush in Jordan.
• BUSH / MIDEAST VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- President Bush and moderate Arab leaders have ended talks in Egypt with a vow to defeat terrorism and move the Mideast peace process.
• MIDEAST SUMMIT VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, meet tomorrow (Wednesday) with President Bush in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba to try to overcome final hurdles in implementing the so-called road map for peace in the region.

Defense Policy / Programs

• MEDICAL UNIT REDEPLOYS FROM MIDDLE EAST III Corps Release 03 Jun 2003-- 13th Corps Support Command soldiers and family members will welcome about 200 soldiers of the 36th Medical Evacuation Battalion back to Fort Hood from Iraq on Tuesday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m. at Abrams Fitness Center.
• MILITARY INTELLIGENCE UNIT REDEPLOYS FROM MIDDLE EAST III Corps Release 03 Jun 2003-- The 504th Military Intelligence Brigade will welcome home the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion (-) (AE) from its recent deployment to the Middle East on June 3 at 3:30 p.m. at Robert Gray Army Airfield.
• Transcript: DoD Briefing on Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned Process 03 Jun 2003 -- Video-teleconference briefing on Operation Iraqi Freedom lessons learned process. Participating were Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Gordon C. Nash, commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command Joint Warfighting Center, and Army Brig. Gen. Robert W. Cone, director of the Operation Iraqi Freedom Joint Lessons Learned Collection Team

• U.S-Japan United Against North Korean Threats AFPS 03 Jun 2003 -- The United States and Japan are united to prevent destabilization in East Asia caused by North Korea's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons and more powerful ballistic missiles, two senior U.S. officials told reporters here June 3.
• Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Media Roundtable with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker 03 Jun 2003 -- Media roundtable with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard H. Baker, Jr., at the Ambassador's Residence, Tokyo, Japan
• Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Town Hall with U.S. Troops in Korea 03 Jun 2003 -- Town hall meeting with U.S. troops at Camp Greaves, Republic of Korea. Also participating was Army Maj. Gen. John Wood, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division
• Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Media Availability at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo 03 Jun 2003 -- Media availability at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Also participating was U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard H. Baker, Jr.
• Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Remarks at the Japanese Prime Minister's Residence 03 Jun 2003 -- Remarks following a meeting with Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister's Residence, Tokyo, Japan
• Longbow arrival media advisory 8th Army News Release [MS WORD DOC] 03 Jun 2003-- A squadron of Apache Longbow helicopters from the 6th Cavalry Brigade is returning to the Korean peninsula after completing a portion of the Army's transformation and modernization program. This is part of the ongoing Army Aviation Transformation Plan.
• USS Hayler Returns From Final Deployment Navy Newsstand 03 Jun 2003-- The Norfolk-based destroyer USS Hayler (DD 997) will return from its final deployment June 6.
• Aloha 'Connie' Navy Newsstand 03 Jun 2003-- USS Constellation (CV 64) sailed out of Pearl Harbor May 27 for her homeport in San Diego, marking the last leg of an incredible journey that has spanned over 41 years. Not only will 'Connie' be going home after serving on her 21st overseas deployment, which included Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), but she'll be going home for good. Sadly, 'America's Flagship' is scheduled for decommissioning in August of this year.
• Pave Low takes flight after milestone depot repair effort NAVSEA News Release 03 Jun 2003-- An Air Force helicopter took to the skies over eastern Carolina for a test flight April 14 marking another maintenance milestone for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Depot Cherry Point.
• Wolfowitz Cites Deterrence, Burden-Sharing with Korea Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- Deterrence and burden-sharing are the two principal considerations guiding the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea (ROK), says Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
• CARAT task group to conduct annual Southeast Asia exercise 7th Fleet News Release 02 Jun 2003-- A U.S. Navy task group with an embarked U.S. Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) has formed for the ninth annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series in Southeast Asia this June-July.
• MALAYSIA / U-S FORCES VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- The U-S military commander for Asia is visiting Southeast Asia to build more regional support for the fight against terrorism. The trip comes during a period of heightened concern about possible terror attacks.
• Civilian Personnel System 'Not Cutting It,' Rumsfeld Says AFPS 03 Jun 2003 -- The civilian personnel system in the Defense Department "is not cutting it," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today.

• U.S./France: While Bush, Chirac Thaw Frosty Relations, 'Rupture In Confidence' Remains RFE/L 03 Jun 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, political adversaries over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, met face-to-face for the first time in seven months at the G-8 summit in Evian, France, yesterday. But despite public handshakes and smiles, French analysts believe the two leaders are unlikely to resolve their differences in the foreseeable future.

• G-8 Leaders Endorse Iraq Reconstruction, Mideast Peace Effort Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- "The time has now come to build peace and reconstruct Iraq," the leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) said in a statement at the end of their June 1-3 summit on the shores of Lake Geneva.
• Five Countries Join Global Partnership Against WMD Washington File 03 Jun 2003 -- Following is a White House fact sheet released June 2 on the decisions of Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden to join the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 03 Jun 2003 -- NATO ministers, meeting in Madrid, seek to move forward from Iraq war divisions / UN inspectors had leads on Iraqi weapons but U.S. has banned their return, Blix's report says / Hungarian parliament approves military contribution to Iraqi stabilization force / Recruitment for Iraq's new army to begin by month's end, U.S. administrator says / Croatia readies law to ease war crimes trials / President Chirac says EU eyes "road map" with Syria and Lebanon / U.S. missile defence chief to hold talks with Japan
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 03 Jun 2003 -- GENERAL JONES El Pais interview / NATO agrees on support for Poland in Iraq / Russia to begin withdrawing troops on Thursday / EU set for Congo peacekeeping mission this month

• ZIMBABWE / POLITICS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- In Zimbabwe, on the second day of the opposition's planned five days of strikes and demonstrations most businesses remained closed but again the protest marches failed to materialize.
• ZIMBABWE / TRIAL VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- A request is being heard by a Harare court from the Zimbabwe government that could further restrict opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two other people on trial for treason. The state is trying to toughen the bail conditions to prevent the three defendants from making political statements that might lead to protests or strikes.
• MCCAIN BURMA VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- A key U-S lawmaker is calling for tighter U-S sanctions against Burma after that country's military government detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
• BURMA -- A STEP BACKWARD? VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- The Burmese government has ignored calls from governments and international rights groups demanding the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She and other opposition leaders were taken into custody Friday after clashes between her supporters and pro-government demonstrators in northern Burma. The government also closed all the offices of her party, the National League for Democracy. The crackdown is a serious setback for efforts at political reconciliation.
• SAF / DR. DEATH VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- A South African appeals court has denied the state's request for a new trial for the former head of the apartheid regime's chemical and biological weapons program. The state had argued that the judge who acquitted the official was biased.
• G-8 / SUMMIT ENDS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- The leaders of the world's seven richest nations and Russia have ended a summit in Evian, France by promising to work together to rebuild Iraq and deal with the potential threat of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea. The Group of Eight nations sought to put the tensions caused by the U-S-led war in Iraq behind them and concentrate on insuring peace and stability in the country, but differences over the war have not gone away.
• W-H-O /SARS / CHINA VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- The World Health Organization says it has doubts concerning the number of new cases of SARS being reported by China, particularly in the capital Beijing. The health agency says the figures being cited by Chinese authorities appear to be suspiciously low.
• NEPAL / TIBETANS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- There is a growing chorus of protest at Nepal's recent deportation of 18 Tibetans to China. The deportation is being seen as a departure from past Nepalese policy.
• CHINA/DISSIDENT VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Lawyers for a Chinese journalist who was convicted of online subversion say he is staging a hunger strike. The case is attracting attention from human-rights groups
• TOGO ELECTIONS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- Opposition activists in Togo are threatening to take to the streets if their candidate, Bob Emmanuel Akitani, is not declared the winner in Sunday's controversial presidential election. Early official results give Africa's longest-ruling leader, Gnassingbe Eyadema, a wide lead.
• VIETNAM CORRUPTION VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- One of Vietnam's biggest corruption trials appears headed toward a verdict this week. The trial is part of a larger government effort to fight a rising tide of corruption that could threaten economic growth and turn the public against Vietnam's communist leadership.
• BURMA / SUU KYI VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- International human-rights groups are condemning the detention of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and virtually all of her top party leaders. Their detention is causing fear that Burma's military government has abandoned any move toward democracy.
• AUSTRALIA POLITICS VOA 03 Jun 2003 -- John Howard, Australia's conservative prime minister, has ended months of speculation that he may retire on his 64th birthday next month. Mr. Howard - riding a wave of popularity says he will finish his third term in office.