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Military


14 February 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • EDITORIAL: THE U.S. AND AFGHANISTAN VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- After years of Soviet occupation and Taleban misrule, Afghanistan is on the road to recovery. Children are being immunized against disease. Schools are being built. Agriculture is being restarted. Health care is being improved.
  • MSSG-24 conducts wash down and maintenance USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- All professionals share some common understandings. An important one is that cleaning tools and equipment is the first step in their proper care and maintenance. Another is that the best way to be sure your equipment works the next time you need it is to make sure it works before you put it away. The professional warfighters of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are no different in this regard.
  • 4th Force Recon, 1st Radio ship out USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- Approximately 220 Marines from the 1st Radio Battalion, and 30 Reserve Marines from 4th Force Reconnaissance Co., departed here for the Central Command area of operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Feb. 9.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • White House Daily Briefing White House 14 Feb 2003
  • AF nominates Desert Hawk for Collier Trophy AFPN 14 Feb 2003 -- The Air Force has nominated the "Desert Hawk" unmanned aerial vehicle for the National Aeronautic Association's Robert J. Collier Trophy.
  • K-Bay tightens security USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- For the first time since the notorious Sept. 11 attacks, MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, has called upon reinforcements to help secure the base in case of any terrorist threats.
  • Anti-terrorism Handbook keeps K-Bay aware USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- With publication of the MCB Hawaii Anti-Terrorism Protection Handbook, Marines, Sailors and their families now have a guide that helps keep them from falling victim to acts of terrorism or violent crime.
  • Oahu prepares for terrorism USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- A group of Marines, federal workers and National guardsmen from Hawaii Army National Guard's 93rd Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) participated in a mass destruction response exercise aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Feb. 3 - 6.
  • Stuttgart Marines host Russian Counterparts USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- cold air crackled with pops of gunfire that reverberated off the structures of Panzer Kaserne's pre-World War II firing range. Between the booms and bangs that shook snow from tree branches came shouts and laughter.
  • SOTG schools 13th MEU TRAP Team for deployment USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- Two AH-1W Super Cobras make several passes above the simulated crash site before giving the CH-53E Super Stallion carrying Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel Marines the go-ahead to descend. As the loud-thundering blades of the Super Stallion lifts debris from the ground, its rear hatch opens and the mission of the TRAP Force begins.
  • BLT 1/1 Marines scale Assault Climbers Course USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- Raw hands are clear evidence of the intense training Marines went through to complete the five-week Assault Climbers Course, one of the most physically challenging courses the Marine Corps has to offer.
  • NATO Forces in Mediterranean for Annual Anti-Submarine Exercise Washington File 14 Feb 2003 -- NATO forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Canada, Greece, Germany and France will gather in the Mediterranean Sea between February 20 and March 5 to conduct the alliance's largest annual anti-submarine warfare exercise.
  • Use common sense when posting to Internet, officials say AFPN 14 Feb 2003 -- Recent advances in technology have Air Force officials urging airmen to use common sense and remember operations security when posting on the Internet.
  • War and Transformation: The U.S. Military's Story AFPS 14 Feb 2003 -- Transformation of the U.S. armed forces is at the heart of the president's fiscal 2004 defense budget request. Yet at the same time, America must fight a global war on terrorism.
  • Nuclear hazards - a flash of insight USMC News 14 Feb 2003 -- With the recent build up of service members in the Middle East, it is important for military members to be educated on what they should do in case of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack.
  • BUSH / TURKEY VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- President Bush met Friday with Turkish Foreign Minister Yasir Yakis to discuss Turkey's request for NATO assistance if there is war in neighboring Iraq. France, Germany and Belgium oppose the move because they say it would make it harder to find a peaceful solution to the dispute over Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction.
  • NATO Dispute VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- NATO had to deal this week with a serious disagreement that led to questions about the future of the North Atlantic alliance. At issue was the United States' request for NATO to begin planning to defend Turkey in case of war with Iraq. Three other members -- France, Germany and Belgium -- moved to block that request.
  • DoD Confirms Current Method of Handling Remains AFPS 14 Feb 2003 -- The current method of handling the remains of U.S. service members will remain in place, DoD officials said today.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 14 Feb 2003

  • Annan believes settlement of Cyprus problem by deadline possible - UN envoy UN News Centre 14 Feb 2003 -- Following consultations this week in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, returned to the island today in time to host a meeting of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Glafcos Clerides.
  • CYPRUS / ELECTIONS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Greek Cypriots will vote in presidential elections Sunday, 12 days before a United Nations-imposed deadline for Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reach a deal on reunifying the island so that both sides can join the European Union next year.

  • PALESTINIANS / POLITICAL VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has agreed to appoint a prime minister as part of a political reform process demanded by much of the international community.

  • LIBERIA / REBELS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Liberian officials say government forces have retaken control of a key coastal town, following an attack by rebels this week.
  • LIBERIA: Sierra Leonean Kamajors fighting with LURD, government says IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Liberia's government said on Thursday that former Kamajor militiamen from Sierra Leone were fighting alongside the rebel Liberians United Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) in the western part of the country.

  • IVORY COAST VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Ivory Coast's new prime minister is in Ghana for talks with Ivorian rebels. The prime minister, who is putting together a new coalition government for Ivory Coast, is trying to determine what role the insurgents will have in the new administration.
  • France Key to Peace in Cote d'Ivoire, U.S. Official Says Washington File 14 Feb 2003 -- Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner told Congress February 12 that widespread bloodshed was averted in the recent rebellion in Cote d'Ivoire thanks to French intervention. Moreover, chances for a lasting peace had been heightened by a French-sponsored agreement signed by the warring parties in Marcoussis January 24.
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: Follow-up discussions on Paris accord continue IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Ivorian Prime Minister Seydou Diarra and a three-member delegation of the rebel Mouvement Patriotique de Cote d'Ivoire (MPCI) met in Accra, Ghana, on Friday to discuss the implementation of an agreement under which the rebels are to be included in a new government of national reconciliation (GNR).
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: More displacement predicted IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- If the current situation in Cote d'Ivoire prevails, half a million more people could be displaced over the next two months, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.

  • BURUNDI-DRC: EC gives €24 million for Burundian and Congolese refugees IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Tanzania is scheduled to receive €24 million (US $26 million) from the EC this year to help meet the humanitarian needs of Burundian and Congolese refugees in the country, according to the EC Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).
  • BURUNDI-DRC: UNHCR moves refugees to safety IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Concerned for their security, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday moved 406 Congolese refugees in Burundi farther away from the border with the "volatile" Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It reported on Thursday that the refugees had left Rugombo, a refugee reception centre located three kilometres from the border, for Cishemeye I transit centre.
  • BURUNDI: FDD, FNL rebel leaders return from exile IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Following years of exile, Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurikiye, leader of a faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie/Force pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) rebel group, and Alain Mugabarabona, leader of a faction of the Parti pour la liberation du peuple hutu/Forces nationales de liberation (Palipehutu-FNL) rebel group, returned to Burundi on Thursday night to take part in the implementation of the ceasefire accord signed with the government in October 2002, according to the state-owned ABP news agency.
  • DRC: UN official warns of "culture of impunity" as obstacle to peace IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno has warned the Security Council that a "culture of impunity" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is obstructing the restoration of peace in the country, according to UN News.

  • ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Man killed in mine blast IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- A man has been killed by a mine in the 25 km buffer zone which separates Ethiopia and Eritrea, the UN said on Friday.
  • U.S. Welcomes Release of Moroccan Prisoners by Polisario Front Washington File 14 Feb 2003 -- Following is a statement from State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher February 14 welcoming the release of Moroccan prisoners by the Polisario Front
  • Armitage Says U.S., Other Nations Have Role in Ending Sri Lankan Conflict Washington File 14 Feb 2003 -- Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage says the United States and other nations have a role to play in settling the conflict in Sri Lanka.
  • THE U-S TAKES SIDES IN COLOMBIA'S WAR VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Since January, U-S Special Forces have been in Colombia on a new counter insurgency training mission. The training aims to improve the Colombian troops' ability to fight the various factions involved in the South American nation's civil conflict. For several years, the U-S military has been working with Colombian troops on anti-narcotic efforts, but this is the first time U-S troops have trained government troops for action in Colombia's long-simmering war.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 14 Feb 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 14 Feb 2003
  • Fact Sheet: U.S. Humanitarian Demining Programs in the Caucasus Washington File 14 Feb 2003 -- The State Department issued the following fact sheet February 13 outlining U.S. humanitarian demining assistance for the Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
  • BOLIVIA-RIOTS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Cities across Bolivia have suffered 48 hours of the worst riots and killings seen since the country's return to democracy 21 years ago. At least 26 people were killed, and dozens wounded. A tense calm was restored Friday, but President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada's new government will struggle to recover its credibility.
  • FOCUS: MIDDLE EAST WATER CRISIS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Nations have gone to war over oil, but an even more scarce commodity is causing major conflict: water. Nowhere is this more true than in the Middle East. Analysts say the effects of water scarcity in the region may be to the new millennium what oil price shocks were to the 1970s -- a source of intense international conflict.
  • ZIMBABWE / DEMONSTRATIONS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- About 45 women have been arrested in Zimbabwe's two main cities as they were participating Friday in a demonstration to call for peace and an end to political violence. The women are members of an organization called Women of Zimbabwe Arise, which called for demonstrations in several cities on Valentine's Day, describing their protest as a march for love.
  • ZIMBABWE / TRIAL VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- The judge in the treason trial of Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has ruled for the second time since the trail began that the state's key witness cannot leave Zimbabwe.
  • LIBERIA/REFUGEES VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says Ivory Coast's neighbors are refusing to allow thousands of Liberian refugees stranded in Ivory Coast to reach safety.
  • ROSEMARY HOLLIS VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Friday he has decided to appoint a prime minister -- a key reform demanded by international bodies trying to end violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Arafat made the announcement after meeting with diplomats from the European Union, United Nations and Russia. Mr. Arafat did not say who would be named prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, when the appointment would take place or what powers the prime minister would have.
  • EDITORIAL: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION VOA 14 Feb 2003 -- This month, activists from across Africa gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an international conference on female genital mutilation, entitled "Zero Tolerance to F-G-M." The conference adopted an agenda to intensify the campaign against F-G-M and identify programs to end this practice. The painful procedure involves partially cutting or totally removing the female genitalia for cultural rather than medical reasons. It is generally performed without anesthesia.
  • Annan welcomes Arafat's intention to appoint Prime Minister UN News Centre 14 Feb 2003 -- The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today welcomed the announcement by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat that he intends to appoint a Prime Minister and also that he fully embraces the so-called road map of the diplomatic Quartet.
  • CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- International condemnation over the imprisonment of Kazakh journalist Sergei Duvanov continued this week. On Thursday, the European Parliament called on Astana to free the journalist, jailed on disputed rape charges, and urged the Central Asian state to respect human rights, international news agencies reported.
  • COMOROS: Coup attempt foiled IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Comorian officials on Friday confirmed the arrest of a dozen soldiers and two local ministers linked to a failed coup aimed at overthrowing the fledgling union government of President Azali Assoumani.
  • DRC-UGANDA: Museveni convenes cabinet to discuss DRC inquiry report IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni convened a special cabinet meeting on Friday in the capital, Kampala, to discuss a report on allegations that Ugandan army officers were involved in looting natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to The New Vision government-owned newspaper.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-CHAD: Chadian president, French minister due in Bangui on Saturday IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- President Idriss Deby of Chad was expected to arrive on Saturday in Bangui, capital of the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR), CAR Foreign Minister Martial Beti Marace announced on government-controlled Radio Centrafrique on Friday.
  • ZIMBABWE: EU decision on sanctions imminent IRIN 14 Feb 2003 -- The European Union (EU) is expected to make a formal decision next week on whether to keep or lift the sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwe last year.



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