Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• 101st assaults camp in 'war's biggest raid on terror' Army News Service 16 Sept 2003-- On the eve of the second anniversary of the biggest terrorist attack ever against the United States, Soldiers of the 101st countered with their own attack, capturing 79 suspected terrorists.
• AFGHAN SECURITY VOA 16 Sept 2003-- In Afghanistan, U.S. forces and their allies are engaged in "Operation Mountain Viper," where the latest offensive against remnants of the ousted Taleban is underway
• Afghanistan: Land-Grab Scandal In Kabul Rocks The Government RFE/RL 16 Sep 2003 -- A United Nations housing expert is calling for the removal of Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and other senior Afghan officials implicated in a scandal over the seizure of real estate in Kabul. But some of the accused officials say they have not done anything illegal.

Other Conflicts

• Russia: Two Suicide Bombers Carried Out Ingushetia Attack RFE/RL 16 Sep 2003 -- Officials in Ingushetia today said two suicide bombers carried out the deadly truck-bomb attack on a government security service building near Chechnya.
• CONGO / UN VOA 16 Sept 2003-- U-N troops have clashed for the second day with armed militiamen in Congo's northeastern town of Bunia, as they step up their operations to clear the town of weapons. The U-N troops are yet to deploy into the surrounding mineral-rich Ituri Province after taking over from a French-led European force
• ARABS/ISRAEL VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Political experts in the Arab world are urging international intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying that without it, peace will never be achieved. Their warnings are being made as the United Nations Security Council debates whether to condemn Israel's recent decision to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
• SRI LANKA PEACE VOA 16 Sept 2003-- A year ago, the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels began peace talks, raising hopes of putting an end to the island nation's devastating two decade-long civil conflict
• U.N. Seeks One-Year Extension of Peace Verification Mission in Guatemala Washington File 16 Sept 2003-- The United Nations has recommended a one-year extension of its peace verification mission in Guatemala to help ease the peace process in the Central American country.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Mr. Matthew Hodes, Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center, discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• INDYK-MIDDLE EAST VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Ambassador Martin S. Indyk, Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, discusses the latest developments in the Middle East.
• UN/Israel/vote VOA 16 Sept 2003-- The United States has vetoed a U-N Security Council resolution demanding that Israel ensure Yasser Arafat's safety
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 16 Sept 2003-- A senior Palestinian official proposes that Israel and the Palestinian Authority reach a mutual ceasefire agreement to pave the way for getting back to peace negotiations. There has been no official response yet from Israel, but an official is quoted as saying the government rejects the idea

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Pace 16 Sept 2003-- Major combat activity in Iraq ended four and a half months ago. Four and a half months of freedom is not a long time for a nation that was politically and economically repressed for decades. There has been measurable progress in that short period. Twenty-three million Iraqis were liberated; the harsh regime of Saddam Hussein is no more. Forty-two of Iraq's 55 most wanted Ba'athist leaders are captured or killed. The country is being put on a path to democracy and representative government, a country that is at peace with its neighbors.
• Goal: Zero Troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld Says AFPS 16 Sept 2003-- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reiterated that the goal or the "end state is to have no U.S. and no international forces in Iraq . because it is their country" in today's briefing with Pentagon reporters.
• 8th U.S. ARMY FIELDS ENHANCED AIR DEFENSE CAPABILITY 8th US Army Release MS DOC 16 Sept 2003-- 1-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion (Patriot) has received new equipment to improve its current capability from the Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) to the Patriot Advanced Capability -3 (PAC-3) as a part of the Army's transformation and modernization program in support of the Theater Missile Defense Plan. The upgraded Patriot System will bring enhanced defensive capabilities to the peninsula as well as contribute to the overall deterrence U.S. forces bring to the alliance.
• Hampton Roads Ships Sortie to Evade Hurricane Isabel Navy Newsstand 16 Sept 2003-- Commander, 2nd Fleet ordered ships based in Hampton Roads to get underway Sept. 16, to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated hurricane force winds and high tidal surges. Ships currently underway will stay out to sea until Hurricane Isabel passes.
• Installations Gear Up for Hurricane Isabel AFPS 16 Sept 2003-- With Hurricane Isabel sweeping across the Atlantic and expected to make landfall Thursday or Friday, military bases along the East Coast taking steps to protect people, ships, aircraft and facilities from potential destructive winds and water.
• Surface Force Revises Damage Control Doctrine Navy Newsstand 16 Sept 2003-- Aboard a ship at sea, all hands need to be proficient as firefighters. But a new approach to shipboard firefighting, issued to the fleet in a recent revision to the Surface Force Repair Party Manual, recognizes that not every fire requires all hands to fight it.
• Rentz Nets Fourth Drug Bust, Receives Praise from U.S. Attorney Navy Newsstand 16 Sept 2003-- During a counter-narcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific, USS Rentz (FFG 46) and its embarked helicopter and U.S. Coast Law Enforcement Detachment, recently conducted their fourth major drug interdiction, which yielded the seizure of 7,710 pounds of narcotics and the detention of seven suspected drug traffickers.
• Some Blue AEF participants will deploy longer AFPN 16 Sept 2003-- Air Force officials have determined that some airmen in Air and Space Expeditionary Force Blue will remain deployed longer than the scheduled 120 days.
• Maintenance shop mends broken wings AFPN 16 Sept 2003-- Experts in the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Hog Up" program here are extending the aircraft's lifespan by taking old wings and rejuvenating them.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 16 Sep 2003 -- NATO considers proposals to expand Kabul peacekeeping mission / U.S. circulates draft resolution calling for UN peacekeeping force of up to 15,000 for Liberia / Bosnia Serbs to sell wartime weaponry via tender
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 16 Sep 2003 -- First vehicles in Hungarian army vehicle program to be given to NRF / Italian envoy on NRF / Finnish defense minister urges updating of law on peacekeeping / Defense Minister Struck rejects cuts to Eurofighter order / Europe summit to seek Iraq deal / UN soldiers in Bunia clash

• CONGRESS/SYRIA VOA 16 Sept 2003-- The Bush administration has renewed allegations Syria is still not cooperating fully with the war on terrorism. The statement by Undersecretary of State John Bolton came at a congressional hearing examining what many lawmakers believe is continuing Syrian support of Middle East-based terrorist groups and development of weapons of mass destruction.
• SYRIA / U-S VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Syrian officials say Damascus is willing to cooperate with the United States in combating international terrorism
• White House Calls Syria's Behavior "Unacceptable" Washington File 16 Sept 2003-- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters September 16 that Syria "has a history and continues to harbor and assist terrorists and terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and others."

• U-S / ARABS / DEMOCRACY VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Key officials in the Bush administration say that when a new, freely elected Iraqi leadership is established, there will be significant pressure on Arab governments to become more democratic. They argue that if more people are able to rule themselves in countries with prosperous economies, the atmosphere that is fueling hatred and terrorism in the Middle East can be changed. Many analysts agree with these positions, although some say the democratization of the Arab world is likely to take a very long time
• MALAYSIA-CHINA VOA 16 Sept 2003-- Malaysia's soon-to-be prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, says his government will work to build relations with the United States. Ties between the two countries were tested earlier this year, when Malaysia joined other nations in opposing the U-S led invasion of Iraq
• ASIA U-S DRUGS VOA 16 Sept 2003-- A U-N official says the key to cutting opium production in Burma is to ensure farmers have other ways to make a living
• State Department Noon Briefing, September 15, 2003 Washington File 16 Sept 2003-- North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestinians, Sweden, Burma, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, China, Mexico
• U-N / GENERAL ASSEMBLY VOA 16 Sept 2003-- The United Nations General Assembly opened its 58th session in New York today (Tuesday). About one-hundred world leaders, including President Bush, are scheduled to participate in the annual gathering
• State Department Noon Briefing, September 16, 2003 Washington File 16 Sept 2003-- Sweden, Israel/Palestinians, Syria, Iraq, Iran/Russia, Russia, Lebanon, Guinea-Bissau, North Korea