Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has condemned Friday's bloody bombing at a Muslim shrine in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.
• COALITION BRINGS AR RAMADI SCHOOLS BACK TO LIFE CENTCOM 29 Aug 2003 -- Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and a team from 490th Civil Affairs Detachment inspected on August 24 three schools currently under renovation in the neighborhood of Sofia.
• Soldier killed, 3 wounded in attack on convoy AFPS 29 Aug 2003 -- A 4th Infantry Division soldier was killed and three others were wounded today when their convoy was hit in a rocket- propelled grenade and small-arms attack north of As Suaydat in Iraq.
• ONE 4TH ID SOLDIER KILLED, THREE WOUNDED IN ATTACK CENTCOM 29 Aug 2003-- One 4th Infantry Division soldier was killed and three were wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire attack 1 km north of As Suaydat at approximately 9:15 a.m. today.
• Iraqi diesel fuel delivered to Iraqi people Marine Corps News 29 Aug 2003-- Beneath the shifting sands of the Iraqi desert rests an ocean of crude oil. Under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, the oil was treated like a prize for the dictator, which he used to fund his military ambitions and enormous palaces.

• US SOLDIER DIES IN AFGHANISTAN OPERATION CENTCOM 29 Aug 2003 -- A U.S. special operations soldier died this morning of injuries received during a night combat assault near Deh Chopan in the Zabul province.
• Afghan Math, Science Teachers Introduced to Computers Washington File 29 Aug 2003 -- On a warm mid-August day, in a sleek, modern college classroom with windows facing the New York City skyline, nine Afghan science and mathematics professors one-by-one stood before a group of visitors and used computers to present reports on their intensive summer training program. The nine women were completing a course that would enable them to return home, train other math and science teachers, and help education in Afghanistan leap into the 21st Century.
• EDITORIAL: HELP FOR AFGHANISTAN VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- The first battle in the global war against terrorism took place in Afghanistan with the removal of the extremist Taleban regime. The Taleban had given al-Qaida terrorists, responsible for the September 11th, 2001, attacks on the United States, a sanctuary and a place to train.
• Afghanistan: Fierce Fighting Reported In South RFE/RL 29 Aug 2003 -- Afghan government soldiers, backed by U.S. planes, continue to battle Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan today after a night of clashes.

• Wrapping up regional tour, top UN envoy returns to Liberia UN News Centre 29 Aug 2003 -- Wrapping up a weeklong regional tour to rally support for the peace in Liberia, the top United Nations envoy for the country returned to the capital Monrovia today to complete his security and humanitarian assessment report for the Security Council.
• LIBERIA / APOLOGY VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- West African peacekeepers have entered Liberia's second port city of Buchanan to the cheers of refugees lining the road. Liberia's President Moses Blah has apologized to the families of those killed in the 14 years of civil war.
• U-N / LIBERIA VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- senior U-N official says as many as 15-thousand peacekeepers may be needed in Liberia to assure security for aid workers. The official describes the conditions in Liberia in bleakest terms.

Other Conflicts

• ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Palestinian gunmen kill an Israeli settler and wound his pregnant wife. This as Israel steps up efforts to stop Palestinian militants from attacking Israelis. Theodore Feifer, Middle East expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS LONG VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Palestinian gunmen have shot dead an Israeli man and wounded his pregnant wife in an ambush in the West Bank. The armed wing of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction has claimed responsibility for the attack.
• EDITORIAL: THE ROAD MAP MUST BE FOLLOWED VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Hopes for peace between Israelis and Palestinians faced a setback on August 19th when a Palestinian suicide terrorist set off a bomb on a crowded bus in Jerusalem, killing at least twenty people. More than one-hundred were wounded. Many of those killed or wounded were children.
• EDITORIAL: HAMAS LEADER'S HATRED VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- As President George W. Bush said after the August 19th bombings in Baghdad and Jerusalem, the terrorists and their sponsors "bear a deep hatred for the values of the civilized world"

• IVORY COAST ARRESTS VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- The Ivory Coast government has made another arrest following the news earlier this week that the coup plot was uncovered in France. Tensions are mounting in the country casting doubt over the stalling peace process.

• PHILIPPINES/DEFENSE VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- The political turmoil in the Philippines following a failed military rebellion last month deepens. The country's defense chief has resigned amid allegations of corruption.

• ECOSOC and Security Council work together on post conflict situations in Africa UN News Centre 29 Aug 2003 -- Continuing its efforts to enhance the relationships among the top bodies within the United Nations on challenging international issues, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today provided the Security Council an update on work underway to assist African countries emerging from conflict.
• All sides in Nepal conflict should return to negotiating table, Annan urges UN News Centre 29 Aug 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced deep concern over the breakdown of the ceasefire and recent upsurge of violence in Nepal and called on all sides, especially the communist insurgents, to return to the negotiating table.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Donation Contract Signed Transferring Historic Aircraft Carrier 29 Aug 2003 -- Today, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hansford T. Johnson signed the donation contract officially transferring the historic aircraft carrier Midway to the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum in San Diego. Before the ship opens to the public next year, SDACM plans to perform work necessary to transform the ship into a museum and memorial.
• Special Operations Units to Leave Roosevelt Roads, Mission Unaffected Navy Newsstand 29 Aug 2003-- There will soon be no more little brown parachutes in the skies over Naval Station Roosevelt Roads (NSRR).

• EDITORIAL: THE FIRST WAR OF THE 21ST CENTURY VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- In the first war of the 21st century, the United States, its friends, and allies are facing a new enemy: the global terror network. Their aim, said President George W. Bush, "is to spread chaos and fear by killing on an ever-widening scale"
• KEFTACEX a Success, Looks Toward '04 Navy Newsstand 29 Aug 2003-- Keflavík Tactical Exchange (KEFTACEX) 2003 concluded Aug. 24, with a debrief on the lessons learned by the seven nations involved in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise. Aircrews from the United States (Patrol Squadrons (VP) 10, 45, and 66), United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway left with lessons learned.
• Jarrett Crew Members Ready for ESG Deployment Tasking Navy Newsstand 29 Aug 2003-- USS Jarrett (FFG 33) is a warship with a simple approach to its mission. "We execute," said Cmdr. Bob Hospodar, commanding officer. In only its first week of what could be an eight-month deployment, the crew is motivated to perform its duties as one of seven ships assigned to Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1.
• U.S. and Coalition Forces Bring Global War on Terrorism to the Enemy at Sea Navy Newsstand 29 Aug 2003-- While much of the public's attention remains focused on security and reconstruction operations in Iraq, the U.S. 5th Fleet continues to develop innovative strategies to fight terrorism as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
• Keel Laid for Fourth LPD 17 Class Ship Navy Newsstand 29 Aug 2003-- With the ceremonial keel laying of the future USS Green Bay (LPD 20) Aug. 26, four of 12 ships of the LPD 17 class have passed their traditional start of construction milestone.
• SHIPMAIN Initiative, Maintenance Teams Improving Ship Maintenance NAVSEA News Wire 29 Aug 2003-- It is said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In the world of ship maintenance, many Sailors would tell you that the distance between identifying that something needs to be fixed, and that something actually getting fixed, is anything but.
• USNS Rainier joins MSC logistics fleet Military Sealift Command 29 Aug 2003-- USS Rainier became the third of four U.S. Navy Supply-class fast combat support ships to leave commissioned service for an even more active role with the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command at a formal 10 a.m. transfer ceremony held here today. United States Naval Ship Rainier joins more than 30 civil service-crewed ships providing combat logistics services to the Navy fleets worldwide.
• Depot Decade: A base is born in San Diego Marine Corps News 29 Aug 2003-- In an ongoing project to cover the 80-year history of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, the Chevron will be covering a decade in the history of the Depot in weekly installments. The archivist at the Command Museum has verified all facts.

• NEW PATROL BOATS TO BETTER PROTECT AUSTRALIA'S COASTLINE Australian Ministry of Defence 29 Aug 2003 -- Australia is a step closer to buying a new fleet of bigger, faster and more capable patrol boats to increase surveillance and better protect Australia's coastline.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 29 Aug 2003 -- Britain, France to set out vision for EU defense in Rome meeting / Daily: "Bush aims to mend his European fences" / France calls for transatlantic charter to mend rift on Iraq / Cautious reactions on new force in Baghdad / Afghan leader wants to press ahead with plan for loya jirga in October / EU to press Iran on nuclear plans

• U.S. Calls for Immediate Release of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi Washington File 29 Aug 2003 -- The Burmese junta's continued detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the National League for Democracy is unacceptable and should end immediately, Deputy State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker said in a statement released August 29.
• Chechnya: Kadyrov Seen As Front-Runner Ahead Of October Vote RFE/RL 29 Aug 2003 -- Nearly a dozen candidates will compete in Chechen presidential elections in October. This week Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, the current Moscow-appointed administrator of Chechnya, registered as a candidate. Many analysts pick him as an early favorite on the assumption that he enjoys the support of the Kremlin.
• Kazakhstan: Almaty Conference Adopts Access Plan For Landlocked Countries RFE/RL 29 Aug 2003 -- In Almaty, a two-day international ministerial conference of landlocked developing countries ended today having successfully adopted a play for improving the access of these countries to outside markets. The Almaty Program of Action focuses on transport availability and cost, and how to provide better access to seaports and facilitate the export of products.
• RWANDA ELECTION VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Rwandan voters went to the polls this week to cast ballots in the country's first presidential election since the genocide of 1994 that killed nearly a million. In this Dateline report, Sarah Williams looks at the victory of incumbent president Paul Kagame [kah-GAMM-may], and the controversy surrounding the contest.
• RWANDA / ELECTION VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- Rwanda's electoral commission has rejected findings of European Union observers that there were a number of irregularities and fraud in the country's recent presidential election.