Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• U.S.: Bush Envisions 'Global Democratic Revolution,' Starting In Iraq RFE/RL 07 Nov 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush painted himself in Reaganesque hues yesterday, declaring that a free Iraq will be a watershed event in a "global democratic revolution" in which dictatorships around the Middle East and elsewhere will crumble. He compared that to how communist regimes collapsed under the crush of Cold War pressure from the United States under former President Ronald Reagan.

• New Satellite Terminals to Help Get News, Info Back to the States AFPS 07 Nov 2003 -- Senior coalition leaders in Iraq are about to increase their ability to keep America informed.
• Iraq: Rumsfeld Says Number Of U.S. Troops To Fall While Indigenous Troop Numbers Will Rise RFE/RL 07 Nov 2003 -- Many American troops in Iraq -- and their families in the United States -- have complained of what they call unacceptably long tours of duty. Some have been granted short home leaves, but nothing more. Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld plans to send some troops home and replace them with fresh, but fewer, forces.
• IRAQ / ATTACKS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- At least six U-S soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash Friday in northern Iraq and U-S troops in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul were ambushed Friday morning.
• Iraq: U.S. Helicopter Crashes Near Tikrit, Kills Six RFE/RL 07 Nov 2003 -- The U.S. Army said a U.S. helicopter crashed today near the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit. This comes after the 2 November helicopter crash (pictured), in which 16 U.S. soldiers died.
• Black Hawk Helo Crash Near Tikrit Kills 6 U.S. Soldiers AFPS 07 Nov 2003 -- Six American soldiers were killed Nov. 7 when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Tikrit, Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.

• Afghanistan's Draft Constitution Promotes Women's Rights Washington File 07 Nov 2003 -- Afghanistan's new draft constitution, due to be discussed and voted on during a special Loya Jirga assembly in December, contains provisions aimed at protecting and promoting women's rights, according to Afghan Minister for Women's Affairs Habiba Sorabi.
• Guard Enhanced Brigade Prepares for Afghan Duty AFPS 07 Nov 2003 -- More than 500 members of an Oklahoma Army National Guard infantry brigade are transferring the military training skills and cultural lessons they have been mastering this fall in Colorado to the southwest Asian country, where they will serve for most of the upcoming winter and spring.
• AFGHANISTAN/CONSTITUTION/REACTION VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Afghanistan's draft constitution is drawing tough criticism. Some observers object to the strong powers granted to the president, while others say not enough attention is paid to human rights.

Other Conflicts

• Children in war zones are being maimed, murdered, or forced to fight - UN UN News Centre 07 nov 2003 -- Children in war zones have sometimes been murdered or disfigured and many thousands have been recruited into government and rebel fighting forces, according to a new report from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

• State's Grossman, UN's Holkeri Discuss Kosovo Strategy Washington File 07 Nov 2003 -- Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Kosovo Harri Holkeri held a press conference in Pristina November 5 on the new Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan (KSIP) that will lead to an evaluation in 2005 of Kosovo's progress towards meeting U.N. benchmarks for political, economic and security reforms.
• Grossman in Tirana: U.S. Seeks Support for Kosovo Strategy Washington File 07 Nov 2003 -- Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman says the United States is seeking support in the Balkans for a new strategy that calls for "an evaluation of Kosovo's progress towards U.N. standards in the middle of 2005, and even earlier if sufficient progress is made. If Kosovo meets these standards, we will begin a process to determine Kosovo's future status."
• UN launches road rehabilitation project in Liberian capital UN News Centre 07 nov 2003 -- The top United Nations envoy for Liberia has launched a $220,000 road rehabilitation project for the capital Monrovia, part of a project by the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to quickly bring infrastructural improvements to the country and give people employment opportunities.
• Annan delays report on Liberia's compliance with sanctions UN News Centre 07 nov 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has postponed a report he was due to make to the Security Council on Liberia's compliance with a resolution that imposed sanctions on it for supporting rebels in Sierra Leone and illegal diamond trading.
• Western Sahara: POLISARIO releases 300 Moroccan prisoners of war - UN UN News Centre 07 nov 2003 -- The POLISARIO Front in Western Sahara has announced the release of 300 Moroccan prisoners of war and said their repatriation will be handled by the International Committee of the Red Cross, a spokesman for the United Nations said today.
• Arms embargo against Somalia constantly violated, UN Security Council told UN News Centre 07 nov 2003 -- Major violations of the arms embargo against Somalia have taken place over a six-month period, but the weapons now arrive continuously in many small quantities, while large quantities arrive less often, a monitoring panel has told the United Nations Security Council.
• Powell-Mideast Peace VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has written the Israeli and Palestinian authors of an unofficial Middle East peace plan, expressing appreciation for their efforts to tackle some of the difficult issues in the regional peace process. The State Department says the Powell gesture is not a U-S endorsement of the terms of the informal plan, or an effort to circumvent current Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
• SRI LANKA/PRESIDENT VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Sri Lanka's president has struck back at her political rival, the prime minister, who she says has neglected issues of national security. In a nationally televised address, President Chandrika Kumaratunga also defended herself against allegations that she carried out a Constitutional coup earlier this week, when she fired three top ministers.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN OLIVE CONTROVERSY VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Israeli settlers in the West Bank have destroyed olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers in several areas in recent weeks, just as the farmers were preparing to harvest their crops. The issue has caused quite a stir among Israelis and Palestinians.
• PHILIPPINES AIRPORT ATTACK VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Government troops in the Philippines have retaken the air traffic control tower at the Manila international airport after armed men briefly took control of the building early Saturday. At least two people were killed in the assault.
• EU distances itself from Berlusconi`s remarks on Chechnya and Yukos IRNA 07 Nov 2003 -- The European Commission, EU`s executive branch, Friday clearly distanced itself from remarks made by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome yesterday defending Russia`s actions in Chechnya.
• BUSH/ARABS/REACT VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- President Bush's call for greater democracy in the Middle East is drawing a cautious response from commentators in the region, who say the United States must first show it is honestly moving to resolve regional conflicts.
• ISRAEL/LEBANON VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- The daughter of a missing Israeli airman has made an emotional plea to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not to release Lebanese prisoners before first determining the fate of her father. Her appeal comes as the Israeli Cabinet prepares to meet Sunday to decide on a proposed exchange of prisoners with the militant Islamic group, Hezbollah.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Israeli troops killed three Palestinian gunmen and a 10-year-old boy on Friday, during military operations in the Gaza Strip.
• ZIMBABWE / POLITICS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has begun instituting a series of changes he promised a week ago, aimed at resolving the country's economic and political problems. Some of the most significant changes may still be ahead.
• IVORY COAST / PROTEST VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Opposition activists in Ivory Coast have scrapped their plans to hold a march in support of a stalled peace deal with rebels. The decision comes several days before a hastily prepared summit in Ghana to revive the peace deal.
• ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Three Palestinians have been killed in two separate overnight clashes with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. The violence comes as Israel prepares to further ease restrictions on Palestinian travel.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CONFEREES COMPLETE FY04 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT House Armed Services Committee 07 Nov 2003 -- House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) today announced that House and Senate conferees have reached agreement on H.R. 1588, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. The legislation sets policies, programs and funding levels for the nation's military. Conferees authorized $400 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE). The bill will be passed by the House today and by the Senate next week and then sent to President Bush for his signature and enactment into law.
• Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Returns Home Navy Newsstand 07 Nov 2003-- USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Princeton (CG 59) arrived home in San Diego Nov. 5, to crowds of anxious families and friends.
• Deyo Decommissioned After 23 Years Navy Newsstand 07 Nov 2003-- The Spruance-class destroyer USS Deyo (DD 989) was decommissioned Nov. 6 during a ceremony conducted in its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
• Floating Drydock Resolute Ends 58 Years of Service to Navy Navy Newsstand 07 Nov 2003-- After 58 years of service to the U.S. Navy, the Medium Auxiliary Floating Drydock Resolute (AFDM-10) was inactivated at a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk Nov. 7.
• Missile Defense Agency Booster Rocket Program 07 Nov 2003 -- The Department of Defense announced today the results of an assessement of two separate manufacturing process-related accidents in August and September 2003 at Pratt & Whitney's missile propellant mixing facility in San Jose, Calif. These incidents affected three key components of the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) missile defense development effort, as well as other DoD programs.
• CONGRESS/DEFENSE VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- The House of Representatives has approved 400-billion-dollars in defense spending for the current fiscal year. The legislation, an increase of seven-billion-dollars over previous spending levels, includes money for a range of military and defense needs, including higher pay, money for new aircraft and weaponry, as well as counter-terrorism efforts.
• Statement from the Secretary of Defense 07 Nov 2003 -- The conclusion of the conference on the 2004 Defense Authorization Bill represents a legislative landmark. We are grateful to the leadership of Chairman John Warner, Chairman Duncan Hunter, Chairman Tom Davis, Rep. Ike Skelton and others. This legislation marks a significant step forward in our quest to transform the Department of Defense. The global war on terror has highlighted the importance of adapting this institution to the threats and capabilities of the 21st century.
• DoD Support to the 911 Commission Announced 07 Nov 2003 -- The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States today voted to subpoena documents relating to the North American Air Defense Command and certain Air Force material.

• RUSSIA/MILITARY REFORM VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says the down-sizing of Russia's bloated and under-financed armed forces has largely been completed. But critics say Russia's military reform program produced no real change.

• Czech Republic: Battle Lines Again Being Drawn At Austerlitz RFE/RL 07 Nov 2003 -- Battle lines are again being drawn up at the site of Napoleon's most spectacular victory, the Battle of Austerlitz, where the French emperor crushed a joint Russian and Austro-Hungarian army in 1805 to gain military supremacy over Europe. This time around, local people are fighting plans to build a huge NATO radar station at the battlefield, which they say will ruin the historic atmosphere and attract terrorists.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 07 Nov 2003 -- Poland suffers first hostile fire death since World War II; two Americans killed / Japan to send troops to Iraq despite risks, top envoy says / U.S. plans to grade states' bio-terrorism preparedness / Future NATO boss urges Moldova to solve conflict
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 07 Nov 2003 -- Hungarian parties to discuss participation in NRF / U.S. daily highlights tree impasse at Geilenkirchen's AWACS base / EU military planning cell "to see the light of day in Mons next summer," says French parliamentarian

• State Department Noon Briefing, November 7, 2003 Washington File 07 Nov 2003 -- Liberia, Turkey/Iraq, Jordan/Iraq, China/North Korea, Syria, Millennium Challenge Account, Middle East, Iran, Israel/Palestinians, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Poland, Georgia, Iran

• EUROBAROMETER POLL'S MISTRUST OF ISRAEL KEYED TO ITS POLICIES US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign media Reaction November 7, 2003
• MAURITANIA / ELECTIONS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Voting has ended in Mauritania's presidential election. The voting has been accompanied by allegations of irregularities.
• EU: Final Progress Reports Mark Beginning Of The End Of Enlargement Process RFE/RL 07 Nov 2003 -- The European Union has had a difficult year, with sharp disagreements among members and candidates over the Iraq war and over the composition of a new constitution for the enlarged union. However, this week's release of the annual reports on the progress of the accession countries has enlivened the enlargement process and provided an opportunity to look ahead.
• MAURITANIA / ELECTIONS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Voting has begun in Mauritania's presidential election, after a night of controversy.
• SRI LANKA POLITICS VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has returned to a hero's welcome in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo for a showdown with his political rival, the president. His return from overseas comes as authorities announced they had withdrawn plans to implement a state of emergency across the country.
• BURMA / U-N VOA 07 Nov 2003 -- A United Nations envoy is wrapping up a visit to Burma to investigate the human rights situation. U-N envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro met with ethnic minority groups as well as with Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy leaders.