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Military


24 February 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Tarawa ARG Makes Singapore Port Visit Navy NewStand 24 Feb 2003 -- The towering skyscrapers of Singapore's world famous skyline greeted the Sailors and Marines from the USS Tarawa (LHA 1) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), as the trio of San Diego-based amphibious warships made a two-day port visit there recently. It was the first port call for the Tarawa ARG since the six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean began Jan. 6.
  • Navy's Top Leaders Visit USS Abraham Lincoln Navy NewStand 24 Feb 2003 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hosted two of the Navy's top leaders recently, as it began its eighth month of deployment.
  • The "Eagle of the Sea" Lands Marines in Kuwait Navy NewStand 24 Feb 2003 -- USS Tarawa (LHA 1) arrived off the coast of Kuwait in the North Arabian Gulf recently, adding approximately 4,000 more Sailors and Marines to the rapidly growing American force in the region.
  • Exercise under way in Thailand AFPN 24 Feb 2003 -- More than 400 U.S. airmen and Marines and 600 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore are flying air-to-air and air-to-ground missions as part of the annual multi-lateral exercise Cope Tiger 2003.
  • New medevac copters deploy to Afghanistan Army News 24 Feb 2003 -- Earlier this month, a California National Guard pilot flew an HH-60L helicopter right off a stateside factory's lot on the first leg of its journey to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
  • Latest stop-loss freezes soldiers in deploying units Army News 24 Feb 2003 -- Mirroring the Reserve-Component stop-loss measure designed to keep deploying units manned with soldiers who have trained and worked together as a team, the Army is implementing a unit stop-loss for the active force.
  • Involuntary Foreign Service Tour Extension Affects More Than 2800 Soldiers in Korea 8th Army News Release 24 Feb 2003 -- Release #10-20030224 - Effective immediately, more than 2800 soldiers and warrant officers in the 8th U.S. Army will not move on normal assignment instructions from Korea if their departure dates range from Mar. 1, 2003 to May 31, 2003.
  • U.S. Army Trains Free Iraqi Forces in Hungary AFPS 24 Feb 2003 -- U.S. soldiers are training Iraqi exiles and expatriates at a Hungarian air base to aid U.S. forces should an invasion of Iraq become necessary.

  • Immediate security improvements needed in Afghanistan, Security Council told UN News Centre 24 Feb 2003 -- Citing "recent and worrying trends," the top United Nations peacekeeping official today called for immediate measures to improve security in Afghanistan, where international assistance agencies have come under threat of kidnapping and other hostile action.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • White House Daily Briefing White House 24 Feb 2003
  • PAX AMERICANA VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- The United States today is the only truly global power. Its military reach extends to every corner of the world. Its economic achievements fuel international trade and industry. Its political and cultural traditions and values appeal to people around the world. And while no one questions America's paramount position, many raise the issue of how the United States is trying to transform this unique power into sustainable influence.
  • New intel course trains Al Qaeda interrogation Army News 24 Feb 2003 -- A new course at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center began last month to train soldiers how to extract intelligence from Al Qaeda detainees.
  • Westover bridges airlift effort to Southwest Asia AMCNS 24 Feb 2003 -- Westover's Air Force Reserve assets again stands at the critical junction of an air bridge across the Atlantic.
  • V-22 INTEGRATED TEST TEAM COMPLETES PARA-DROP DETACHMENT NAVAIR 24 Feb 2003 -- The V-22 Integrated Test Team recently completed a series of tests designed to prove the Osprey's utility as an aerial delivery platform. The ITT took Osprey No. 21 on the road for the "para-drop" detachment, using the ranges around Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and, over the course of three weeks, added to the program's string of successes since the platform's return to flight last May.
  • NNSY returns USS Hyman G. Rickover early to the Fleet NAVSEA News 24 Feb 2003 -- Norfolk Naval Shipyard has completed a 40-thousand-manday Interim Drydocking Availability (IDD) on USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) ahead of schedule, and under the shipyard's budget for this project.
  • PHD NSWC UNREP provides Key Support in Making USS Saipan (LHA 2) Combat-ready NAVSEA News 24 Feb 2003 -- The ingenuity and support provided by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) Underway Replenishment (UNREP) Department was key in enabling the assault ship, USS Saipan (LHA 2), to depart combat-ready on a recent mission, likely to join other U.S. forces moving into the Middle East. Saipan, homeported in Norfolk, VA was one of three amphibious warships that received short-notice orders to deploy and got underway within hours.
  • Teamwork and Trust, Key to PSNS Success on Stennis NAVSEA News 24 Feb 2003 -- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard completed another successful Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in San Diego when USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) finished ahead of schedule in what has become a long line of superbly executed carrier availabilities by the Shipyard.
  • Vaccinations at the 'Tip of the Spear' Navy NewStand 24 Feb 2003 -- As the threat of biological, radiological and chemical warfare becomes significant throughout the world today, USS Constellation (CV 64) has begun to take action.

  • TURKEY/IRAQ/US VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Turkey's government says it will present a motion to parliament recommending the deployment of thousands of U-S ground forces on Turkish soil in preparation for a possible war against Iraq.

  • SOUTH KOREA U-S RELATIONS VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- As U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives in Seoul, many South Koreans are saying he needs to listen closely to their government's views on the crisis with North Korea and the presence of U-S troops. Many people say their country should change its relationship with the United States.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 24 Feb 2003

  • U.S. Concerned by Civilian Casualties from Israeli Military Action Washington File 24 Feb 2003 -- The United States is "seriously concerned" about civilian casualties resulting from Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and has urged the Israeli government to facilitate moving humanitarian personnel and supplies into these areas, said State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker.

  • In Turkey, Annan says time is short but Cyprus deal still possible UN News Centre 24 Feb 2003 -- Despite the short time left, a deal still could be reached to enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union later this year, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Turkey, where he is kicking off a tour of the region in a late push to finalize such an accord before a Friday deadline.
  • GREECE / CYPRUS DEAL VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- A U-N-brokered deal to reunite the island of Cyprus appeared headed for failure today (Monday) after the Greek prime minister dismissed chances of a settlement. U-N Secretary-General Kofi Annan, currently visiting Turkey, said the United Nations may extend the current deadline for a settlement by one week.
  • TURKEY / CYPRUS VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- U-N Secretary-General Kofi Annan held talks in Ankara Monday to lobby support for a plan to reunite the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Amid signs that Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders would not meet a Friday deadline to agree on a re-unification deal, the U-N chief said he favored an extension.

  • U-S-IVORY COAST VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- The United States Monday condemned political murders and disappearances in Ivory Coast, including the killing earlier this month of Yerefe Camara, a well-known actor and opposition activist. The State Department is calling on authorities in Abidjan to take immediate steps to end such activity.
  • IVORY COAST VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Political tensions are rising in Ivory Coast, as senior officials discuss how to bring rebel representatives into a national unity government.
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: UN multi-disciplinary mission arrives IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- A UN multi-disciplinary mission arrived in Abidjan over the weekend to examine various options for a further UN role in restoring peace and stability to Cote d'Ivoire. It includes the departments of political affairs, peacekeeping operations, High Commissioner for Refugees and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

  • SOMALIA: Faction leaders want Kenya to run peace talks alone IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- Faction leaders attending the Somali peace talks in Kenya have condemned the slow pace of the conference and accused Somalia's neighbours - the so-called frontline states - of working for their own interests.
  • SOMALIA: No government of "warring faction leaders", rights activists say IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- Somali human rights activists have stressed that the outcome of the ongoing Somali peace conference in Kenya should not be a "government of warring faction leaders".

  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: IDPs return home despite insecurity IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Bozoum (384 km northwest of the capital, Bangui) have started going home after government and allied forces recaptured the town on 13 February, government-owned Radio Centrafrique reported on 22 February.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Son of rebel leader arrested IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- Security agents in the Central African Republic (CAR) arrested on Friday Socrate Bozize, the son of former army chief of staff turned rebel leader Francois Bozize. The younger Bozize is being held at the national intelligence office in the capital, Bangui.

  • DRC: Annan pushes peace agenda with regional leaders IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in Paris to attend the Africa-France summit, met on Friday Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to discuss ways of advancing the peace process in the DRC, UN News reported.
  • DRC: RCD-Goma renews call for independent inquiry into Ankoro "massacres" IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Goma (RCD-Goma) rebel movement has renewed its call for an independent inquiry into the November 2002 killings in Ankoro, a village in the southeastern Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • DRC: UN mission says "urgent need" to assist 2.7 million IDPs IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- A UN inter-agency mission has said there is an "urgent need" to extend humanitarian support to an estimated 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday.

  • LIBERIA: Fighting threatens planned talks, warns civil society IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The Civil Society Movement of Liberia has warned that renewed armed hostilities between rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and government troops in the west of the country threatens to mar planned peace talks.
  • LIBERIA: Protect Liberian refugees, government urges Cote d'Ivoire IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The Liberian government on Friday again expressed its concern about a reportedly increasing wave of brutalities and inhumane treatment against Liberian refugees in Cote d'Ivoire.

  • BURUNDI: Suspension of talks threatens peace process IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The suspension of ceasefire talks between Burundi’s transitional government and the main Hutu rebel group is an "acutely negative" development that might lead to a "serious deadlock", an analyst told IRIN on Monday.
  • UGANDA: Military protocol with Sudan extended IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The Sudanese and Ugandan governments have extended the duration of the validity of a military protocol they signed in March last year, thereby allowing the Ugandan army to continue pursuing the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in southern Sudan.
  • SIERRA LEONE: Visit of UN Special Representative for children IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu is visiting Sierra Leone from 22-28 February to assess the status of war-affected children in the post-conflict, peace-building phase.
  • ETHIOPIA: New camp identified for frightened Sudanese refugees IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The Ethiopian government has identified a new camp for Sudanese refugees in the country after over 100 Sudanese were killed in violent ethnic attacks over the last five months.
  • SUDAN: Amnesty urges probe on security situation in Darfur IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- The United Kingdom-based human rights organisation Amnesty International (AI) has expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where armed bandits have in the past few months intensified attacks on civilians.
  • CENTRAL AFRICA: Belgium vows to keep region on international agenda IRIN 24 Feb 2003 -- In a joint declaration signed in Brussels on Saturday with the leaders of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Rwanda, Belgium pledged to bring pressure to bear on the international community against forgetting about the Great Lakes region of Africa, particularly in light of the looming threat of war against Iraq, the official Belga news agency reported.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 24 Feb 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 24 Feb 2003
  • U-S-VENEZUELA VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- The U-S government is criticizing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for what it terms "inflammatory" remarks aimed at leaders of the two-month general strike against his government. Two key strike leaders are facing criminal charges, including treason and rebellion.
  • ZAMBIA / CORRUPTION VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Police in Zambia have arrested former President Frederick Chiluba on charges of theft. The charges are connected to alleged corruption during Mr. Chiluba's 10 years in office.
  • KUWAIT / ARRESTS VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Security forces in Kuwait have arrested three men for allegedly plotting attacks against U-S troops deployed in the Gulf state.
  • WHO/AFRICA/FLU VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- The World Health Organization says the world's health care system is not ready for another influenza pandemic, which could kill a large number of people, particularly in developing countries.
  • KENYA CORRUPTION VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Kenya's president has named a commission to probe one of the country's biggest financial scandals during the era of former president Daniel Arap Moi.
  • Pakistan: Annan urges justice for perpetrators of mosque attack UN News Centre 24 Feb 2003 -- Appalled by Saturday's attack on a Shiite mosque in Pakistan, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged government authorities in that country to make every effort to bring those responsible to justice.
  • Timor-Leste: UN helping in probe of deadly attack on minibus UN News Centre 24 Feb 2003 -- United Nations police and peacekeepers are helping authorities in Timor-Leste investigate an attack on vehicles near the border with West Timor today that left one passenger dead and three seriously injured.
  • CONGRESS / ANTI-AMERICAN VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Two key U-S Senate Democrats are expressing concern about a rise in anti-American sentiment around the world as the United States prepares for possible war against Iraq.
  • CHINA / QUAKE VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- A devastating earthquake has struck northwestern China - killing at least 242 people and injuring more than a thousand others. Rescue crews and soldiers are searching for survivors.
  • PAKISTAN/AFGHAN/CRASH VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- A chartered Cessna aircraft carrying an Afghan minister and seven other people has crashed in southern Pakistan. All the people on board are believed to have died..
  • SOKOR SUBWAY ARRESTS VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Police in South Korea (Monday) have arrested at least seven people in connection with last week's fatal subway fire. Most of those arrested work for the subway company.
  • ISRAEL POLITICS VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has signed an agreement with the centrist Shinui Party that paves the way for the creation of a new government, almost one month after national elections. The new coalition will have a slim one-seat majority in parliament.
  • BANK OF JAPAN GOVERNOR VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has selected a policy conservative and career central banker to be the next governor of the Bank of Japan. The choice is likely to raise questions about Mr. Koizumi's reputation as a reformer and the country's commitment to battling deflation.
  • SERBIA WAR CRIMES VOA 24 Feb 2003 -- Serbian ultra-nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj has surrendered to the U-N war crimes tribunal in the Hague. He faces charges of atrocities and crimes against humanity from the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.



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