Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
News Reports

Current Operations

• Bomb Discourages Afghan Ethnic Fighting AFPS 19 Jul 2002 -- An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II dropped a 500-pound bomb as a show of force in the province of Nangarhar in Afghanistan
• U.S. Focus in Afghanistan is On al Qaeda, Negroponte Says Washington File 19 Jul 2002 -- The United States focus in Afghanistan continues to be the war on terrorism and the destruction of the remnants of the al Qaeda terrorist organization, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte told the Security Council July 19.
• Security Situation Still Precarious in Afghanistan Washington File 19 Jul 2002 -- The U.N. special representative in Afghanistan urged the Security Council July 19 to give more consideration to authorizing the expansion of the international peacekeeping force to other areas of the country and warned that nations which pledged funds to rebuild the country must "translate the commitments into concrete contributions."
• AL-QAIDA TODAY VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- The intensive hunt for Osama bin Laden has been underway for months but the man blamed for masterminding the September 11th terrorist attacks appears to have vanished into thin air. Nevertheless, the illusive al Qaida leader and his organization remain the subject of contradictory and conflicting speculation.
• PENTAGON / AFGHAN SHIPS VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- U-S officials have formally detained two suspected al-Qaida members seized at sea in an intercept carried out by allied naval forces.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 19 Jul 2002
• CONGO TALKS VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- Negotiators from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected to wrap up their peace talks late today (Friday) in Pretoria, South Africa.
• U-S /MOROCCO-SPAIN VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has been involved in intensive mediation in an effort to ease the rift between Spain and Morocco over the contested Mediterranean island off the Moroccan coast. U-S officials hope an end to the dispute is near.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- The Israeli army has destroyed the homes of two suspected Palestinian militants and detained more than 20 of their family members for possible exile.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Army Special Forces Operations Briefing 19 Jul 2002 -- "There were a number of things, which identified targets for us. Some were CINC-directed targets. Some of them became -- came from other organizations in our government. There were a lot of targets that -- we called them "opportunity targets," where the locals themselves would come to us and say, "Hey, there are al Qaeda in this house over here, or in this compound." Or, "We have some weapons over here that we want out." There's -- people would come up and hand you materials or things that they had saved when the al Qaeda ran, when they left. So, there were a number of sources"
• BUSH MILITARY VOA 19 Jul 2002 -- President Bush wants Senate Democrats to boost military spending for the fight against terrorism before legislators leave for their August recess. Bush told U-S troops Friday that he will never allow them to be judged by the new International Criminal Court.
• USS John F. Kennedy Battle Group Relieved of Watch, USS George Washington Takes Over Navy Newsstand 19 Jul 2002 -- After more than five months at sea, the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Carrier Battle Group units were relieved of their duties in Operation Enduring Freedom by the USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Battle Group today (July 19).

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS CEO salutes Eurofighter GmbH developments BAE Systems 19 Jul 2002 -- It was announced today that the Eurofighter Partner companies, Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, EADS Germany and EADS-CASA, have appointed a new CEO Fillippo Bagnato, for the reorganised Eurofighter GmbH.
• Boeing Installs Propulsion System in STOVL JSF Demonstrator Boeing 19 Jul 2002 -- Boeing recently installed the propulsion system for its short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator aircraft in less than four hours, the second time in three months the team installed a JSF propulsion system quickly and without incident.
• Northrop Grumman's X-47A Pegasus Unmanned Vehicle Successfully Completes First Taxi Test Northrop Grumman 19 Jul 2002 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector achieved another milestone today in preparation for the first flight of its X-47A Pegasus experimental unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with the successful completion of the vehicle's first taxi test at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif.

News Reports

• NATO Names U.S. Marine General as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe Washington File 19 Jul 2002 -- NATO announced July 18 that it has appointed, at President Bush's request, General James L. Jones of the United States Marine Corps as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).
• Chinese Military Power Secret, but Growing AFPS 19 Jul 2002 -- A report to Congress detailing the military power of the People's Republic of China is filled with words and phrases like "approximately," "roughly," "likely" and "is believed to be." This is because despite tremendous strides in economic growth, the Chinese government is still extremely secretive and opaque about military matters.