Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• White House Report, August 18; Iraq, Libya, North Korea Washington File 18 Aug 2003 -- U.S. STAYS ON THE "OFFENSIVE" WHILE SABOTAGE HITS IRAQ / U.S. SANCTIONS ON LIBYA TO REMAIN IN PLACE / U.S. TAKES STEPS TO CURTAIL NUCLEAR WEAPONS SHIPPING

• V CORPS SIGNAL SOLDIERS JOIN WITH MARINES TO ESTABLISH VITAL RETRANSMISSION SITE V Corps Release 18 Aug 2003-- The 1st Armored Division's 141st Signal Battalion, working with signal elements from 1st Marine Division, has set up a joint-service remote retransmission site for U.S. Army and Marine communications between Baghdad International Airport and Logistic Supply Area Dogwood.
• V CORPS ENGINEER BATTALION WORKS TO IMPROVE IRAQI COLLEGES V Corps Release 18 Aug 2003-- Soldiers from the 16th Engineer Battalion of V Corps's 1st Armored Division have spent the past several weeks rebuilding and resupplying Baghdad's higher-learning institutions.
• SOLDIER KILLED BY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE CENTCOM Release 18 Aug 2003-- A 1st Armored Division soldier was killed by an explosive device on August 18.
• JASDF completes 200th mission supporting war on terrorism PACAF News 19 Aug 2003-- The Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) successfully completed its 200th operational mission Aug. 14 in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
• Iwo Jima Inserts Marines into Liberia Navy Newsstand 18 Aug 2003-- The USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), using air and surface assets, launched Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) into Liberia Aug. 14, with the mission of supporting peace-keeping efforts in the war-torn capital of Monrovia.
• Sortie changes green pilot blue AFPN 15 Aug 2003-- An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot deployed here with the 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron was required to fire at an enemy target on his first combat sortie Aug. 11.
• IRAQ/WRAP VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Authorities in Iraq continue attempts to repair a sabotaged oil pipeline, and U-S authorities confirm a soldier had shot and killed a television cameraman by mistake on Sunday.
• Iraq: Sabotage Of Civilian Infrastructure Seen As Resistance Strategy RFE/RL 18 Aug 2003 -- Sabotage took its toll in Iraq over the weekend, with explosions rupturing crucial oil and water pipelines. Violence also resulted in the deaths of at least eight Iraqis, as well as a Danish soldier and a Reuters television cameraman. The attacks on civilian and military facilities are seen as a strategy of the Iraqi resistance, to wreak havoc and spawn discontent among the population.
• Iraq: City Of Karbala Calmly Awaits Multinational Stabilization Force RFE/RL 18 Aug 2003 -- Bulgarian and Lithuanian troops are due to deploy in the coming weeks to a new Polish-controlled sector in central Iraq. The troops will take up duty in the area around the Shi'a shrine city of Karbala, an area that has been largely quiet since the regime of Saddam Hussein fell in April.
• Iraq: NGOs Call For U.S. Investigation Of Death Of Reuters Journalist RFE/RL 18 Aug 2003 -- Two international press watchdog groups have called on the United States to investigate the killing yesterday in Iraq of a Reuters news agency journalist.
• UFL galvanizes peninsula forces 8th Army MS DOC 18 Aug 2003-- Ulchi Focus Lens, a Peninsula-wide exercise currently gearing up in Korea, officially begins Aug. 18 at several Command Posts throughout Korea.

• Marines open last legacy school before shipping home Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- Dozens of teachers and students in An Najaf, Iraq joined 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment Aug. 14 in a ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the last First Marine Division legacy school to be reopened before the Marines return home.
• Seabees help water flow to Iraqi crops Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- Navy Seabees helped replace the last vital piece to the irrigation system of the farming community of Kish, Iraq that has been missing for months on Aug. 15.
• 1st Cavalry Division Deployment Timeline Announced III Corps Release August 2003-- The 1st Cavalry Division begins its deployment to the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility early next year.

• Afghanistan: UN-assisted commission begins disarmament of flashpoint region UN News Centre 18 Aug 2003 -- A United Nations-assisted security commission has left on a mission to disarm a northern region of Afghanistan that has been a flashpoint for tensions between rival militias.
• AFGHANISTAN ATTACKS VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Militant violence is on the rise in Afghanistan, where officials are reporting a series of attacks in the southeastern province of Paktika. At least seven police and 15 renegade militants are believe to have been killed in one incident at a police station. The increased fighting threatens to hamper aid operations in rural areas.

• LIBERIA / PEACE UPDATE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Liberian rebel and government representatives have signed a peace agreement in Ghana. The deal will put into place a transitional government to oversee elections and a return to peace after 14 years of fighting.
• White House Welcomes Liberian Peace Agreement Washington File 18 Aug 2003 -- The White House welcomed the signing in Accra, Ghana, August 18 of a Liberian peace agreement. Following is the text of the White House statement
• LIBERIA / SHIP VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- A ship carrying emergency relief supplies to Liberia has gone down off the coast of the West African nation. Everyone aboard the ship survived but some badly needed cargo has been lost.
• UN helps secure pact between government, rebels to allow aid into Liberia UN News Centre 18 Aug 2003 -- With desperately needed food and medical supplies now trickling into Liberia's capital, Monrovia, the United Nations envoy for that country has secured a pact with the government and two main rebel factions to give humanitarian workers and organizations free and secure access across the war-riven nation.
• Annan welcomes Liberia peace accord, urges cooperation to restore stability UN News Centre 18 Aug 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement for Liberia and called on all parties to seize the opportunity to work together to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country.
• BUSH / LIBERIA VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- President Bush says U-S troops will be out of Liberia by October 1st. Mr. Bush says they will move out as U-N peacekeepers move in.
• LIBERIA/PEACE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Mediators are hopeful that Liberian rebels and government representatives will sign a peace agreement. Pressure is on all sides to formulate a plan for a transitional government that will oversee elections and a return to peace after 14 years of civil war.

Other Conflicts

• UNICEF/CHILD SOLDIERS VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- The U-N Children's Fund says it will start setting up transit centers in Monrovia, Liberia, this week for child soldiers who need a safe place to stay.

• Annan urges Pacific region countries to keep working with UN to prevent conflict UN News Centre 18 Aug 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged island countries in the Pacific region to continue collaborating with the world body, particularly in preventing conflict, and cited the crisis in the Solomon Islands as a "challenge of immediate concern."

• U-N / KOSOVO VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- The U-N Security Council Monday discussed recent inter-ethnic incidents in Kosovo at the urging of the Serbian government. In the past week, two Serbs minority youths were killed in western Kosovo.
• ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- The hand-over of security responsibility from Israel to the Palestinian Authority for two West Bank towns, scheduled to take place today, has been delayed after negotiations between the two sides failed to resolve differences over security concerns.
• NIGERIA / VIOLENCE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Ethnic fighting continued Monday in the town of Warri in the southeast of Nigeria following a weekend of clashes between ethnic Ijaws and Itsekeris. Security forces imposed a dawn to dusk curfew in an effort to end the violence.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Maine Guard artillery trains in Canada Army News Service 18 Aug 2003-- Maine Army National Guard soldiers have learned a lot about working closely with their allied cousins, because they have been training on eastern Canadian soil most summers for the past 33 years.
• U.S. Air Force lands at Moscow air show AFPN 18 Aug 2003-- U.S. Air Force aircraft landed at Ramenskoye Airfield just south of Moscow Aug. 18 to participate in the Moscow Aviation and Space Show, a first for the U.S. military.
• Guard 'patches' gap in support ACC 18 Aug 2003-- When America goes to war, guardsmen and Reservists work with active-duty airmen to bring the world's best Air Force to the fight, but this successful integration is not limited to the war-time setting.
• Robert G. Bradley Leads Search and Rescue Mission Navy Newsstand 18 Aug 2003-- July 17, while on deployment in the eastern Pacific, USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49) assumed the role of on-scene commander for a search and rescue mission to locate nine missing crew members of a fishing vessel consumed by fire. As the on-scene commander, Bradley organized the efforts of two U.S. Customs P-3 Orions, a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 and two Costa Rican patrol boats.
• 'Presence With A Purpose' - CNO Explains Fleet Response Plan Navy Newsstand 18 Aug 2003-- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Vern Clark said the Fleet Response Plan will not only provide the president with a greater range of naval options, but will also change the way ships deploy and ensure a "presence with a purpose."
• TR Underway for Carrier Qualifications Navy Newsstand 18 Aug 2003-- Sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) have geared up to support two Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS) and two Training Commands (TRACOM), as they conduct Carrier Qualifications (CQ) off the Atlantic Coast.
• Silver Eagles team with Truman group, cruise through OIF Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- In December, the Harry S. Truman Battle Group rolled across the Atlantic Ocean towards the Mediterranean Sea. By March, the war-fighting force of 12 naval ships and submarines and eight aircraft squadrons was deeply involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, the Silver Eagles of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 were leading the way for their fellow Marine and Navy squadrons.
• Jack of all trades: MALS Marines keep Fightertown rolling during OIF Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- Three Air Station squadrons turned to the Stingers of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31 to keep their jets rolling during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Hawks tend Air Station nest after successful OIF Sweep Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- The role of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Operation Iraqi Freedom could be seen on television screens across the world on March 19 when air strikes began in Baghdad. Leading from the front of the air assault were three Fightertown F/A-18 squadrons along with more than 900 aviation support Marines on the ground.
• Thunderbolts strike during OIF Marine Corps News 18 Aug 2003-- The streets and skies of Beaufort are a little more crowded these days, since the Air Station squadrons that participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom have returned home after successfully accomplishing their missions abroad.
• U-S / NORTH KOREA EXERCISE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- The Bush administration said Monday that naval training exercises led by the United States and Australia next month on interdicting weapons at sea are not directed against North Korea. However, U-S officials say North Korea could be affected by the program if it continues to proliferate missiles and other advanced systems.
• U.S. Army Begins Chemical Weapons Burn VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- In the United States, the Army has started to destroy old chemical weapons at a base in the southern state of Alabama. The operation began last Saturday at a storage center near the city of Anniston.
• SMALLPOX / IMMUNITY VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- A new study shows that millions of people who received smallpox shots decades ago still retain some immunity to the virus. This could help protect them if bioterrorists launch a smallpox attack. But many experts say this leftover immunity is unlikely to be strong enough to be useful.
• Service Members Urged to Attend to Legal Affairs Long Before Deployment AFPS 18 Aug 2003 -- American service members have deployed to locales across the globe for months at a time since the advent of the war against global terrorism.
• Sudden Danger Means No Hesitation AFPS 18 Aug 2003 -- An aircraft carrier's flight deck during flight operations is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous places to work. So the sailors and Marines of USS Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 9 are constantly on the lookout for dangers. For them, crew safety is paramount on the deck's four-and-a-half acres of sovereign U.S. territory.

• NATO Air Exercise Over Poland NATO AIRNORTH Press Release 18 Aug 2003 -- The NATO live-flying exercise NATO AIR MEET 2003 (NAM 03) will take place during the period 5 19 September 2003, with live flying taking place between 8 - 12 and 15 - 18 September.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 18 Aug 2003 -- Daily: Germany to contribute more than 5,000 troops to NRF / Afghan newspaper expresses hope NATO can restore security to provinces / U.S. reportedly against EU assuming SFOR leadership / Turkish General Staff puts cost of troops to Iraq at $60 million a year

• MALI / HOSTAGE RELEASE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Fourteen European hostages have been released after a five month ordeal in the Sahara desert. They are reported to be in reasonable health.
• FRANCE / HEAT WAVE VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- A senior health official in France, Lucien Abenhaim, has resigned after his office came under strong criticism for its performance during the recent heat wave that claimed thousands of lives.
• INDIA / PARLIAMENT VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- India's coalition government is facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. The motion does not pose a threat to the government, but is seen as an effort by opposition parties to consolidate support before a string of key elections in the country.
• CHINA BURMA VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Senior Chinese officials say Beijing will strengthen ties to Burma. The move is in stark contrast to Western efforts to isolate Burma's military government over its continued detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
• KENYA/CONSTITUTION VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- Police fired tear gas at protesters demonstrating outside Kenya's National Constitutional Conference as talks on a draft document resumed.