Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• U.S. Welcomes New Zealand's Assistance for Iraq, Afghanistan Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- The State Department issued a press release June 9 expressing appreciation for New Zealand's decision to "expand its contribution to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, and to make a meaningful contribution to stabilization and reconstruction in Iraq."
• U.S. Troops Assist Injured German Peacekeepers; Soldier Killed In Iraq Assault AFPS 09 Jun 2003 -- U.S. military medical personnel treated the more than 20 German peacekeepers injured in the June 7 suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to a Coalition Joint Task Force 180 press release.

Other Conflicts

• POWELL / MIDEAST VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell is welcoming Israel's first steps to remove unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank, as promised by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at last week's Aqaba summit.
• MAURITANIA FIGHTING VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- The pro-Western president of Mauritania says an attempted coup launched by dissident soldiers on Sunday has failed.
• U.S. Lawmakers React to U.N. Decision To Eliminate Observer In Sudan Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- Members of both political parties in Congress reacted strongly to the United Nations Human Rights Commission decision to lift the monitoring of abuses like abduction and slavery in Sudan, hinting they would consider legislation to sanction U.S. companies doing business in the troubled but oil rich nation if conditions did not improve.
• U.S. Calls on Sri Lankan President, Rebels to Take Steps for Peace Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage June 9 called on Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to take the needed steps toward peace in Sri Lanka. Armitage was speaking at the Sri Lanka Donors' Conference in Tokyo.
• U.S. and France to Respond Together to Genocide in Eastern Congo Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- Both French and American experts agreed in a discussion June 6 that the only hope to avert further mass killing in eastern Congo is a complete political reorganization of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) government.
• Bush Optimistic About the "March to Peace" in the Middle East Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- President Bush said he is optimistic about "the march to peace" in the Middle East. Bush spoke at the White House June 9, following a cabinet meeting.
• 'Alarmed' by intensified clashes in Liberia, Annan calls for protection of civilians UN News Centre 09 Jun 2003 -- Alarmed that escalating clashes between rebels and government forces in Liberia have severely impacted the already-desperate people living in and around the capital of Monrovia, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that civilians are not targeted and spared the effects of war.
• Bloody ethnic clashes in DR of Congo claim more lives - UN mission UN News Centre 09 Jun 2003 -- Bloody ethnic clashes in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) claimed more lives over the weekend, according to the United Nations mission in the country, as an advance party of troops from the UN-authorized multinational force began patrols in the area around Bunia.
• Mauritania: Annan strongly condemns coup attempts, calls for end to violence UN News Centre 09 Jun 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly condemned the ongoing armed attempts to overthrow the constitutional Government in Mauritania and called for an immediate end to the violence.
• Deploring latest Middle East violence, Annan reaffirms Road Map peace plan UN News Centre 09 Jun 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today deplored the violence by Palestinian groups over the weekend, and urged that it not derail the peace process in the Middle East.
• 'Deeply concerned' Security Council calls on parties in Liberia to seek peace UN News Centre 09 Jun 2003 -- Deeply concerned by developments in Liberia - where weekend violence once again rocked the capital city of Monrovia - the United Nations Security Council today appealed to all the parties to give the current peace process a chance to succeed.
• Afghanistan: Country Still Struggling With Land-Mine Legacy RFE/L 09 Jun 2003 -- Among its many challenges, Afghanistan is still struggling with a dangerous legacy of some 8 million land mines laid by invading Soviet forces and rival Afghan groups in the 1980s and '90s. The land mines have claimed thousands of lives, and Afghan officials say over 150,000 people have been permanently maimed by the hidden explosives. The country's demining agencies, working together with international NGOs, are hoping to clear Afghanistan of all its minefields in the next four years.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Examining Military Force 'Footprint' Worldwide AFPS 09 Jun 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that the military is examining the stationing of U.S. troops worldwide.

• U.S. Army Helicopter crashes in Kosovo USAREUR 09 Jun 2003 -- Two United States Army soldiers serving in Kosovo were killed early Sunday morning when their AH-64 helicopter crashed.
• U.S. and Polish paratroopers punch into Poland for 'Immediate Response 03' USAREUR 09 Jun 2003 -- Paratroopers from the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force and the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade parachuted into Poland late Friday night during the opening phase of Exercise Immediate Response '03. This operation is a computer-assisted command post exercise lasting June 6th through 10th.
• A Matter of Survival 8th Army [MSWORD DOC] 09 Jun 2003-- Army aviators stationed in the Republic of Korea and other Pacific rim countries are getting "dunked" at Camp Humphreys for a good reason: to get certified in survival skills needed for over water missions.
• Byliner: Budget Meets Defense Needs, by Duncan Hunter Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- This column by Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was first published June 10 in the USA Today.
• U.S., Polish paratroopers jump into joint exercise Army News Service 09 Jun 2003-- Paratroopers from the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force and the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade parachuted into Poland during the night of June 6 in the opening phase of Exercise Immediate Response '03.
• U.S. Forces Korea to start major realignment next year Army News Service 09 Jun 2003-- The Army will be moving from bases located near the Demilitarized Zone and the South Korean capital to "hubs" farther south, and that massive shift could start as early as next year, according to a joint document released by the South Korean and U.S. governments June 5.
• Longbow Landing 8th Army [MSWORD DOC] 09 Jun 2003-- A task force directed by the 194th Maintenance Battalion, was standing by last week at the 837th Transportation Battalion pier in Pusan with everything needed to reassemble 17 Apache Longbow attack helicopters arriving in Korea after a lengthy voyage from Corpus Christi, Texas, aboard the MV Green Point. Air Force weather, medical, safety, fire, helicopter maintenance, air traffic control and other key personnel teamed up to get the 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Brigade aircraft off the ship, reassembled and test flown safely.
• Nimitz Conducts MEDEVAC With USS Pasadena Navy Newsstand 09 Jun 2003-- USS Nimitz's (CVN 68) deck department was called upon June 4 to assist a USS Pasadena (SSN 752) Sailor who had a potentially serious medical condition.
• Kearsarge Gets 1st Beer Day - Heads Home Navy Newsstand 09 Jun 2003-- The elusive "Beer Day" finally came to the crew of USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) on their 138th day of a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Potential Arresting Gear Cable Problem Solved NAVAIR Release 09 Jun 2003-- While recently testing the arresting gear at NAVAIR Lakehurst test facilities, the military operators discovered unexpected damage to the cable during a routine inspection between tests.
• Intel troops keep CJTF-HOA informed Marine Corps News 09 Jun 2003-- They make up one of the largest sections of Combined Joint Task Force and provide the "ears and eyes" for the task force's area of operations (AO), which includes the airspace, land areas and coastal waters of Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.
• CJTF-HOA conducts largest MEDCAP during operation Marine Corps News 09 Jun 2003-- A group of medical personnel from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and the German Army lent its expertise to hundreds of citizens here June 7 during the largest Medical Civil Action Program the task force has conducted.
• Rumsfeld to Consult With European, North Atlantic Allies AFPS 09 Jun 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld leaves today for four days of talks with European leaders, culminating in the NATO defense ministerial June 12.
• U.S. Army Helicopter crashes in Kosovo USAREUR Release 09 Jun 2003-- Two United States Army soldiers serving in Kosovo were killed early Sunday morning when their AH-64 helicopter crashed.
• U.S. and Polish paratroopers punch into Poland for 'Immediate Response 03' USAREUR Release 09 Jun 2003-- Southern European Task Force and the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade parachuted into Poland late Friday night during the opening phase of Exercise Immediate Response '03. This operation is a computer-assisted command post exercise lasting June 6th through 10th.
• McInerney Continues Impressive Counterdrug Operations Navy Newsstand 09 Jun 2003-- USS McInerney (FFG 8) continued its impressive go-fast, speedboat, interdiction record in late May, nabbing an offshore high performance race boat in high seas, while on routine patrol in the western Caribbean.
• Georgians rock GTEP Marine Corps News 09 Jun 2003-- Train and Equip Program soldiers receive a gamut of training, to include land mine warfare, claymore anti-personnel mine employment and live fire hand grenade practical application.

• Afghanistan: Germany Reviewing Plans For Expanded Patrols RFE/L 09 Jun 2003 -- The attack on a German military convoy in Afghanistan on 7 June has re-opened debate on whether the international security force in Kabul should expand its operations into other parts of the country. Afghanistan's Transitional Authority President Hamid Karzai has pushed for such an expansion, and the German government appears to favor the change as well. But Germany's political opposition says such a move is too dangerous.

News Reports

• Transcript: Intervention at the Plenary of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States by Secretary Colin L. Powell State Dept. 09 Jun 2003 -- "Twelve years ago, at the last general assembly in Santiago, our heads of delegation approved the "Santiago Commitment to Democracy and the Renewal of the Inter-American System." The meeting set an ambitious agenda to promote and defend representative democracy and human rights. We as a hemisphere have made much progress since 1991. The Americas have truly emerged from the shadow of authoritarian rule."
• Powell Applauds EU Decision to Restrict Travel of Officials to Cuba Washington File 09 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has applauded the decision of the European Union (EU) to restrict travel of its officials to Cuba.
• Western Press Review: 'Weapons Of Mass Delusion' And The Pole Position RFE/L 09 Jun 2003 -- Commentary in U.S. and British newspapers today and over the weekend focus on the continuing fallout from the failure of coalition forces in Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction. Also on the editorial agenda is Poland's vote over the weekend to join the European Union and Britain's long-awaited decision on whether to join the eurozone.
• POWELL-LATAM O'NITER VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell meets Argentina's new President Nestor Kirchner today (Tuesday) in Buenos Aires as he completes a Latin American trip that included an Organization of American States foreign ministers meeting in the Chilean capital, Santiago.
• CONGRESS / BURMA O'NIGHTER VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- A leading U-S Senator has sharply criticized Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries for their failure to bring adequate pressure on Burma's military government. John McCain spoke as the Thai Prime Minister arrived in Washington for talks with President Bush, and the Senate prepares to take up legislation calling for a ban on all U-S imports from Burma.
• ZIMBABWE / ARRESTS VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Police in Zimbabwe have arrested another leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change on treason charges.
• Poland: After EU Vote, Poles Wonder Where They Go From Here RFE/L 09 Jun 2003 -- Poles are celebrating their decision to join the European Union. Although there are no final results as yet, it's clear that a majority of those voting in the weekend national referendum said "yes" to joining the EU. That followed worries that not enough people would turn out to make the vote valid. But where does Poland go from here? Poland's difficulties are now Europe's problems.
• EU: Poles Vote To Join Union RFE/L 09 Jun 2003 -- Initial results suggest Poles have voted to join the European Union. In a weekend referendum, more than 50 percent of eligible voters cast ballots to support their country's entry into the EU. With 75 percent of Poland's polling stations reporting, 76 percent of Poles cast ballots supporting EU membership.
• BURMA SUU KYI VOA 08 Jun 2003 -- Burma's government has stepped up its criticism of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, raising fears that a United Nations envoy will not be able to secure her freedom.