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Military


11 February 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • AFGHANISTAN ARMY VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Efforts are intensifying to create a new Afghanistan army. Recruitment drives have been stepped up and military trainers hope to have a viable army in place by next year. Afghanistan's new army is being built one recruit at a time.
  • 12 Afghans Surrender After Firefight AFPS 11 Feb 2003 -- U.S. Special Forces soldiers came under heavy weapons fire Feb. 10 as they patrolled an area north of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
  • Ammunition finds its way from Kuwaiti port to Marines' hands USMC News 11 Feb 2003 -- Thousands of pounds of munitions were offloaded from a ship in a port here Feb. 2, by Sailors with Navy Cargo Handling and Port Group and contracted civilians aboard the S.S.Cape Jacob.
  • Reservists in Long Island Activated USMC News 11 Feb 2003 -- The stark reality of current events touched this sleepy Long Island hamlet Saturday when Marine Reservists of A Company, 6th Communications Battalion here received orders to activate. They join the thousands of citizen-Marines at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., who have been called to service and are awaiting further orders.
  • ADDITIONAL 13TH CORPS SUPPORT COMMAND UNITS DEPLOY TO CENTCOM III Corps 11 Feb 2003 -- The 13th Corps Support Command, which provides logistical and medical support units to III Corps, will deploy a Medical Evacuation Headquarters and an Air Evacuation Company on Wednesday (Feb. 12).
  • Two Navy cargo ships to load in Jacksonville for war on terrorism Military Sealift Command 11 Feb 2003 -- Two of the U.S. Navy's largest noncombatant ships will load Army combat equipment in Jacksonville, Fla., today. USNS Dahl and USNS Bob Hope - large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships - are loading military cargo for the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky., as part of the repositioning of U.S. forces in support of the president's global war on terrorism. Cargo includes Army Blackhawk, Apache, Kiowa and Chinnook helicopters and a variety of wheeled vehicles. Together, the two have a capacity of more than 600,000 square feet of military cargo.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Interview with WFP country director IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- One of the more crucial activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan remains food security. About 4.3 million rural people will be facing varying levels of food insecurity over the next year. In a comprehensive interview with IRIN in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the country director for the World Food Programme (WFP), Burkard Oberle took a look back over the past year, and outlined some of the challenges ahead.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • White House Daily Briefing White House 11 Feb 2003
  • GPS jamming no 'silver bullet' for potential adversaries AFPN 11 Feb 2003 -- Iraq and other potential adversaries may have the ability to jam global positioning system signals, but Air Force war planners are not too worried about the effect of jamming on precision munitions.
  • Teets: Space access vital to warfighting efforts AFPN 11 Feb 2003 -- America needs to redouble its efforts to make sure the nation has a vigorous and successful national security space program, the Defense Department's executive agent for space said.
  • VISTA F-16 will test airborne safety system AFPN 11 Feb 2003 -- The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here, with the support from neighboring NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, is breaking new ground with an innovative research project intended to help prevent midair collisions.
  • Guard soldiers clean up ruptured shuttle tank Army News 11 Feb 2003 -- Texas National Guard troops trained to test for toxic substances dealt with a dangerous piece of history - a ruptured tank from the space shuttle Columbia's fuel system -- in the Piney Woods region of East Texas in the rainy chill of Feb. 5.
  • Federal laws give mobilized soldiers peace of mind Army News 11 Feb 2003 -- Inquiries about federal laws that give financial relief to mobilized troops have doubled in recent months.
  • DEFENSE PLANNING GUIDANCE VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- In March 1992, a classified U-S document proposing a new approach to American foreign policy was leaked to The New York Times newspaper. The Defense Planning Guidance (DPG), a proposed strategy for the nation's role in the world in the 21 century, sparked intense debate. It called for the United States to use military force if necessary to maintain its position as the only remaining superpower. Furthermore, when collective action wasn't possible, it said the United States would act independently and preemptively against states suspected of developing weapons of mass destruction.
  • NATO RIFT GROWS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The U-S press is largely critical of the decision by France, Germany and Belgium to block NATO plans to fortify Turkish defenses in case of a war in Iraq. The concern voiced in editorial columns is over what they see as the growing rift between key members of NATO.
  • PENTAGON / BASES VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The Pentagon is studying possible base closures and troop redeployments in Germany and elsewhere worldwide. But senior officials say the reassessment has nothing to do with the current dispute between the United States and Germany over a possible war with Iraq.
  • Vaccines Shield People from Germs, Keep Them Healthy, Help Military Mission AFPS 11 Feb 2003 -- Noting that DoD's anthrax and smallpox vaccination plans are part of the global war on terrorism, Army Col. John D. Grabenstein said vaccines shield people from dangerous germs, keep them healthy so they can live better lives, and help them do their military missions and return home healthy.
  • CJTF-HOA commander hosts Second Fleet commander USMC News 11 Feb 2003 -- Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) commander, Maj. Gen. John F. Sattler hosted a visit by Vice Adm. J. Cutler Dawson, Jr., commander of the Norfolk, Va.-based U.S. Second Fleet and NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic today at the CJTF-HOA headquarters in the Gulf of Aden.
  • NBC Leathernecks keep Marines, Sailors safe USMC News 11 Feb 2003 -- They look like something from another planet - large, misshapen eyes, unusually round heads and stiff upper torsos. Each breath sounds forced as the outside air is converted into a safe, breathable mixture. They walk in lumbering strides, crossing the desert landscape, looking back and forth from one to another.
  • NATO / IRAQ VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- NATO ambassadors will meet again Wednesday after failing for the second day in a row to break an impasse over whether the alliance should begin planning for the defense of Turkey in the event of a war in Iraq. NATO officials are calling the deadlock one of the worst crises in the history of the 54-year-old alliance.
  • Powell-Turkey-Nato VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday he's hopeful of an early end to the deadlock in NATO over military support to Turkey in the event of war with Iraq. He also told senators the U-N Security Council is approaching a "moment of truth" over Iraq's failure to account for weapons of mass destruction.
  • BUSH / IRAQ / NATO VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The White House says President Bush still believes he will win support from NATO allies and U-N members for a second Security Council resolution on Iraq. (Permanent Security Council members) Russia, China and France want to give more time to U-N inspectors in Iraq.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Israeli soldiers shot and killed at least three Palestinians, including an eight-year old boy Tuesday, as fresh violence spread across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Late Tuesday, Palestinian gunmen also killed an Israeli in Bethlehem.
  • ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS / TALKS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- High-level talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials on a proposed cease-fire agreement are scheduled to resume (resumed) late Tuesday.
  • ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The Israeli army, citing a spate of warnings of planned terror attacks, has imposed a complete closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

  • ANGOLA: Cabinda separatists confirm "exploratory" talks with government IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Separatists in Angola's northern Cabinda province on Tuesday confirmed reports there have been "exploratory" talks with the government over the future of the oil-rich enclave.
  • ANGOLA: Economic, political and social recovery is key, Annan IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Angola is firmly on a path to political, social and economic recovery following the end of one of the longest-running armed conflicts in Africa, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a new report to the Security Council.

  • IVORY COAST VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Ivory Coast's new prime minister has begun work to form a new coalition government, as part of a deal to end a nearly five-month war in the West African country.
  • PHILIPPINES/ANTI-REBEL OPS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered a halt to a military offensive against Muslim separatist rebels accused of hiding kidnappers. Fierce fighting erupted Tuesday after several days of tension in the area.
  • ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia denies massing troops on border IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Ethiopia on Tuesday dismissed claims by Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki that it is massing troops on the common border.
  • DRC-UGANDA: Kabila, Museveni reaffirm commitment to Luanda accord IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Presidents Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda ended their two-day summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Monday with a pledge to abide by the Luanda accord of 6 September 2002.
  • ERITREA: Eritreans reapplying for refugee status in Sudan IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Tens of thousands of Eritreans are reapplying for refugee status in Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
  • KENYA-UGANDA: Registration of former rebels completed IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, has registered 588 adults wishing to take advantage of an amnesty offered to former rebels by the Ugandan government. This brings to a close the registration process which began on 20 January.
  • SUDAN: Report says civilians targeted by gov't and affiliated militias IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Civilians in Western Upper Nile (Wahdah State), southern Sudan, including women and children, have been targeted by the Government of Sudan and allied militia groups in a series of attacks since the new year, a new report has said.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 11 Feb 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 11 Feb 2003
  • Text: Uncertainty on Iraq Limits Economic Growth, Greenspan Says Washington File 11 Feb 2003 -- The near-term outlook for the U.S. economy depends to a large degree on the resolution of uncertainties over a possible war with Iraq, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says.
  • RUSSIA / OIL DEAL VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- British Petroleum, one of the world's largest oil companies, Tuesday announced a major investment in Russia.
  • CONGRESS/UNITED NATIONS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The U-S House of Representatives is due to approve a resolution condemning the selection (last month) of Libya to chair the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
  • ZIMBABWE / SANCTIONS VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- The leader of Nigeria has called for an end to Commonwealth sanctions against Zimbabwe. The plan is outlined in a letter from Nigeria's president, made public on Tuesday.
  • TED GALEN CARPENTER, CATO INST VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- NATO ambassadors have been holding informal talks in Brussels as they seek to resolve a deadlock over military support to Turkey in the event of a war in Iraq. Alliance officials Tuesday repeatedly postponed a scheduled formal meeting of NATO's decision-making North Atlantic Council, as the ambassadors continued their informal discussions.
  • CAMBODIA MEDIA FREEDOM VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- International human rights groups are saying that Cambodia's detention of two journalists for their alleged roles in recent riots threatens freedom of speech as the country prepares for national elections.
  • THAILAND - CAMBODIA ROYALTY VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Thailand's king has called on the government to mend relations with Cambodia, which were nearly severed after recent anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. As Ron Corben reports in Bangkok, the request came after King Bhumipol Adulyadej (PRONO: poo-MEE-puhn ah-DONE-yeh-deht) received a message from Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk.
  • SAUDI/HAJJ VOA 11 Feb 2003 -- Muslims throughout the world celebrated Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, the last stage of the annual Hajj. The day was greeted by two-million pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, with the throwing of stones at a pillar representing the devil and with the ritual slaughter of animals.
  • ZAMBIA: Uproar over "national unity" government IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Controversy has erupted over President Levy Mwanawasa's decision to appoint key opposition members of parliament (MPs) to his cabinet, a move that critics say is a breach of Zambian law and designed to weaken his opponents.
  • ETHIOPIA: Interview with UN Country Representative Sam Nyambi IRIN 11 Feb 2003 -- Sam Nyambi is the United Nations Country Representative for Ethiopia, arriving in 1998 and heading the largest UN country team in Africa. He tells IRIN about radical changes underway to prevent future emergencies in Ethiopia.



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