28 February 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group to Begin Deployment Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines attached with the USS Iwo Jima (LHA 7) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) will begin a scheduled deployment March 4. The ships include the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHA 7), the amphibious transport dock ship USS Nashville (LPD 13), and the Little Creek-based amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50).
USS Nimitz Carrier Battle Group to Deploy Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- More than 8,000 Pacific Fleet Sailors assigned to the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Battle Group (CVBG), led by Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 5, Rear Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, will deploy March 3 to the Arabian Gulf in support of the global war on terrorism.
PENTAGON / PHILIPPINES VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- -S plans to dispatch more than one thousand combat troops to the Philippines for joint anti-terrorist operations against the Abu Sayyaf rebels have been put on hold. Word emerged Friday following talks in Washington between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Philippines Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes.
USS Abraham Lincoln Helps Prepare to Send News to the World Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) recently invited several news organizations to participate in a cooperative "tech assist visit," which saw media bringing aboard their state-of-the-art communications equipment for an initial installation and trial run, before official embedding begins in the event the United States goes to war with Iraq.
1/4 comes ashore USMC 28 Feb 2003 -- Living Support Area 1, Kuwait- Marines with 1st Battalion, 4th Marines recently came ashore Monday at Living Area Support 1 in northern Kuwait.
Can you hear me now? 40th Signal Bn. keeps CJTF-HOA communications up and running USMC 28 Feb 2003 -- Since it was constituted in 1942, the Army's 40th Signal Battalion has played an integral role in numerous military operations. Keeping up that tradition for Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa are the soldiers of A Company, 40th Signal Bn. from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Air Force helps Army with airdrops AFPN 28 Feb 2003 -- Two aircrews from the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and two from the 774th EAS conducted a heavy equipment combat airdrop in south central Afghanistan Feb. 17, and a container delivery system airdrop Feb. 23.
Seabees Stand Up and Make History Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- Navy Seabee Reservists from the 1st Naval Construction Regiment (1st NCR) have been called to active duty service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, marking the first time that a Reserve regiment has been "stood-up" since Operation Desert Storm.
Transcript: Coalition News Briefing on Humanitarian Assistance 28 Feb 2003 -- "The commitment of our allies and partners has shown that we are not alone in this defense of freedom and justice and peace, nor are we alone in understanding that the threat posed by the connection between terrorist networks and states that possess weapons of mass terror presents us with a danger of a catastrophe that could be orders of magnitude worse than what we experienced on September 11th. As evidence of this, these nations, represented here by their outstanding military officers, and many others are part of a large coalition of the willing who have risen to the defense of freedom."

Defense Policy / Programs

White House Daily Briefing White House 28 Feb 2003
Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 28 Feb 2003 -- " I had a meeting with -- goodness, it must have been 15 or 20 of the liaison -- military liaison people that are at the Central Command. They were in the Pentagon visiting. And had a chance to shake hands with them and visit with them and thank each of them -- they must have represented 15 or 20 different countries -- thank each of them for the wonderful relationship we have with their countries. They came from every continent on earth and are here for some intensive discussions and sessions. Second, we just completed a lunch a bit earlier with the minister of defense -- secretary of defense of the Philippines, Mr. Reyes. We had a very good discussion."
DOD RELEASES DRAFT MILITARY COMMISSION INSTRUCTION 28 Feb 2003 -- The General Counsel of the Department of Defense (DoD) today released a draft military commission instruction entitled "Crimes and Elements for Trials by Military Commission." This instruction lists and defines certain violations of the laws of war and other offenses triable by military commission.
Air Force designates new aircraft AFPN 28 Feb 2003 -- The Air Force recently designated its new multisensor command and control aircraft the E-10A.
PENTAGON / TRIBUNALS VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- The Pentagon has released a draft list of criminal charges be used in prosecuting al-Qaida terrorist suspects before special military tribunals. But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the charges could also be used to prosecute Iraqi authorities for war crimes in the event of a new conflict.
Defense acquisition system due for change AFPN 28 Feb 2003 -- America produces the world's best military aerospace hardware but other nations are pulling ahead, the Air Force senior executive told lawmakers Feb. 27.
Roche: 'We must not commission any criminal' AFPN 28 Feb 2003 -- The Air Force is committed to rid the Air Force Academy of anyone who would sexually assault another, the service's secretary told members of the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 27.
Navy, Marine Corps leaders to Congress: We Are Ready Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- When the top leaders from the Navy and Marine Corps recently testified on Capitol Hill, their message to Congress was loud and clear: their team is combat ready.
Rumsfeld Says U.S. Wants to Further Aid Philippine Terrorist Hunt Washington File 28 Feb 2003 -- Following a February 28 meeting with Philippine Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers both said the United States wants "to be helpful" to Manila's ongoing effort to combat terrorism within its borders.
Bush, Afghan President Affirm "Ironclad" Partnership Washington File 28 Feb 2003 -- President Bush and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai issued a joint statement in Washington February 27 detailing the commitment of both nations to rebuilding Afghanistan.
U.S., Philippines Discuss Balikatan 2003 AFPS 28 Feb 2003 -- There will be a "Balikatan" activity in the Philippines this year, but the shape and size of the activity remain to be worked out, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon today.
CBT helps survival students AMCNS 28 Feb 2003 -- The 336th Training Support Squadron's newly completed computer-based training laboratory is up and running now for students to complete lessons and tests.
Pentagon employees get gas masks Army News 28 Feb 2003 -- Distribution of gas masks began this week inside the Pentagon to military, civilian and contract employees as part of an effort to protect them from potential acts of terrorism.
MH-60 Romeo Records Firsts at Undersea Test Range Navy NewStand 28 Feb 2003 -- Two MH-60R helicopters recently got a break from the cold weather at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Patuxent River, Md., and spent three successful weeks in the Caribbean as part of its developmental test phase.
K-Bay Marines leave for HCAX USMC 28 Feb 2003 -- Once again, Marines and Sailors from MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, have deployed to the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii, to conduct realistic combined arms training recently.
Camp Smith BEQs get the new home feel USMC 28 Feb 2003 -- Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Camp H. M. Smith, bachelor enlisted quarters built in 1970 are more than halfway near complete interior renovation.
Shipyard Lays Keel, Begins Construction on Mesa Verde NAVSEA News 28 Feb 2003 -- Shipyard workers at Northrop Grumann Ship Systems (NGSS) Ingalls Operation laid the keel for Mesa Verde (LPD 19) during a small ceremony on February 25 at the Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard.
Salvor Leads Navy Team During Salvage Operation of Sunken WWII War Memorial NAVSEA News 28 Feb 2003 -- It was a ship that did not want to be forgotten. After taking a fatal strike from an Imperial Japanese Kaiten suicide torpedo in November 1944, the World War II oil tanker USS Mississinewa (AO 59) had not been found for more than 56 years.
Navy Salvage and Diving Teams Assist in Shuttle Columbia Recovery NAVSEA News 28 Feb 2003 -- As the search for remnants of the Space Shuttle Columbia continue, Navy salvage and dive teams, under the direction of Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Diving and Salvage, are now on scene to provide assistance searching several lakes in this region of Texas that are normally known only to avid fishermen. The Navy's presence in this extensive effort could aide in finding clues that could bring closure to this national tragedy.
Lincoln's Engineering Team Keeps Carrier in the Fight NAVSEA News 28 Feb 2003 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was beginning its voyage home in December 2002 to Everett, Wash., following a routine six-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. When it returned, it would head to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for post-deployment maintenance and repairs. Instead, the aircraft carrier received orders to turn around and return to the Gulf, as part of a buildup of U.S. forces to support possible operations in the region.
MOBI Safety Device Approved for Fleet Implementation NAVSEA News 28 Feb 2003 -- A lifesaving device that will revolutionize the way the Navy handles man overboard situations is coming to a ship near you.

Defense Industry

Propulsion System in Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter Wins Collier Trophy Lockheed Martin 28 Feb 2003 -- The unique propulsion system that enables one of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, a business area of Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], Joint Strike Fighter variants to hover, travel at supersonic speeds and land vertically, has won the prestigious Collier Trophy.

Other Conflicts

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 28 Feb 2003

DRC: Government, NGOs open inquiry into Mbuji-Mayi mining deaths IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- A commission of inquiry consisting of members of human rights NGOs and the Human Rights Ministry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was convened on Thursday in the city of Mbuji-Mayi, Kasai Oriental Province, to investigate the deaths of some 25 miners who died on 21 February under suspicious circumstances in the mines of the Miniere de Bakwanga (Miba), the national mining company.
DRC: Ituri ceasefire to be signed on 10 March, says UPC's Lubanga IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- The signing of a ceasefire for the Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will take place on 10 March, Thomas Lubanga, leader of the Bunia-based Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) rebel movement, told IRIN on Friday.
DRC: French minister calls on foreign militants to accept repatriation IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- French Minister for Cooperation Pierre-Andre Wiltzer ended his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday with a call on all foreign armed groups to accept repatriation.
DRC: Fighting near Bunia prompts thousands to flee, many feared dead IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- At least 2,000 people have fled fighting that has erupted in the region between Bunia, in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the border of neighbouring Uganda, Thomas Lubanga, the leader of the Union des patriotes congolais rebel group controlling the city, told IRIN on Friday.

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agree to meet Annan again for final talks UN News Centre 28 Feb 2003 -- The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders today agreed to an invitation by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to meet on 10 March in The Hague to give him a definitive response to a plan that would enable a reunited Cyprus to join the European Union (EU) later this year.
U.S. Supports Annan's Revised Plan for Cyprus Settlement Washington File 28 Feb 2003 -- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said February 28 that the United States supports U.N. Secretary General Annan's revised proposal for a comprehensive Cyprus settlement and is encouraged that the leaders of the two communities on the island will meet with Annan in The Hague on March 10.
CYPRUS/UN VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- -N Secretary General Kofi Annan left Cyprus Friday, after Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders promised to give him a final answer soon on his plan to reunite the divided island.
U-S / CYPRUS VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- The United States has put its weight behind what U-N Secretary-General Kofi Annan says is a last ditch effort to resolve the Cyprus issue. Mr. Annan wants the Greek and Turkish communities on Cyprus to put his peace plan to a vote at the end of March, and says otherwise he'll abandon his settlement efforts.
BUSH / MIDEAST VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- Newspaper editorial writers in the United States are commenting on President Bush's Wednesday evening speech, in which he laid out his vision for the Middle East.
Annan calls on Somali factions to end hostilities, recommit to peace UN News Centre 28 Feb 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report issued today, calls on Somalia's faction-ridden leadership to cease "serious hostilities" and urges international donors to contribute generously and speedily to humanitarian and peace-building programmes there.
SOMALIA: Monitoring committee meets after heavy fighting in Mogadishu IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- A newly-formed committee, set up to monitor a shaky ceasefire accord between the warring sides in Somalia, met on Thursday following clashes between rival warlords in Mogadishu.

IVORY COAST VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- A debate is raging in Ivory Coast over alleged human rights abuses.
COTE D'IVOIRE: Amnesty exposes rebel atrocities, calls for end to impunity IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- Cote d'Ivoire's main rebel group, the Mouvement patriotique de Cote d'Ivoire (MPCI), executed dozens of gendarmes (paramilitary policemen) and some of their children in the central town of Bouake in October 2002, Amnesty International reported this week. The report was denied by the MPCI, which called it a political diversion.

Liberian conflict could engulf all West Africa in crisis, Annan warns UN News Centre 28 Feb 2003 -- Liberia is at a critical crossroads between peace and conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today, warning that continued support for Liberian rebels could engulf the whole of West Africa in an economic and humanitarian crisis.
UN envoy calls for sustained international support for post-conflict Sierra Leone UN News Centre 28 Feb 2003 -- At the conclusion of his weeklong visit to Sierra Leone, a United Nations envoy today called on the international community to continue supporting the country in order to strengthen and sustain gains made in the rehabilitation and protection of children after a decade of conflict.
WESTERN SAHARA: 100 Moroccan prisoners repatriated IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- One hundred Moroccan prisoners, who were released earlier this month by the armed Polisario Front, were repatriated on Wednesday to Morocco under the auspices of the International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC). The prisoners, all men, had been held as a result of a long-standing territorial dispute between Morocco and Polisario.
BURUNDI: Increasing attacks on civilians worries Human Rights Watch IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- The United Nations should encourage peacekeepers due to be sent to Burundi by the African Union (AU) to make the protection of civilians their priority, says Human Rights Watch (HRW).
UGANDA: Donors respond to northern emergency IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- Donors have responded positively with funds in response to northern Uganda's humanitarian crisis resulting from renewed attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, a senior government official has said.
NIGERIA: Militia violence threatens elections, says rights group IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- Violence by ethnic militias and vigilante groups across Nigeria remains a threat to security ahead of general elections due in April and May, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

News Reports

SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 28 Feb 2003
SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 28 Feb 2003
I-A-E-A/NIGERIA INVESTIGATION VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- Nigeria has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate the disappearance of radioactive material in the country. The I-A-E-A sent an emergency team to the West African nation but says it does not know what happened to the missing material.
WARTIME ROLE OF MEDIA VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- Many around the world have criticized the U-S media for "beating the drums of war" and failing to ask tough questions of the Bush administration's policy towards Iraq. What is the role of media when the government is preparing for war? Have they been even-handed or not?
Evans Discusses Iraq, U.S.-Bulgarian Economic Ties in TV Interview Washington File 28 Feb 2003 -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans said during a television interview in Sofia, Bulgaria February 28 that the U.S. interest in disarming Iraq and seeing a regime change there is about "protecting individual freedoms, which we have defended for over 200 years in our country."
PAKISTAN / U-S SHOOTING VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- In Pakistan, two policemen have been killed and six people wounded in a gun attack outside the American consulate in the southern port city of Karachi.
CZECH / POL VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- The Czech Parliament has elected former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus as the country's new president. Mr. Klaus will replace Vaclav Havel, the former dissident playwright who led the so-called Velvet Revolution that forced out the Communist government in 1989.
FRANCE/ALGERIA VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- French President Jacques Chirac leaves for Algeria Sunday for his first official visit as head of state to France's former North African colony. The three-day trip is intended to strengthen bilateral relations that suffered during Algeria's civil war in the 1990s.
ZIMBABWE / ARRESTS VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- In Zimbabwe, 21 clergymen were arrested Friday, when they tried to deliver a letter to the commissioner of police protesting the harassment and arrest of fellow clergymen and the disruption of religious gatherings by the police. The churchmen were arrested Friday morning. Some were charged and released by late afternoon.
OPEC/OIL SUPPLY VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries says it has spare capacity of four-million barrels of oil per day that could be released to make up a shortfall, in the event of a U-S-led attack on Iraq. The comments come as oil prices surged to nearly 40-dollars a barrel in New York.
U.S. Concerned about Security, Political Conditions for Chechnya Vote Washington File 28 Feb 2003 -- The United States is concerned about the security and political conditions for the March 23 referendum in Chechnya, U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE told the Permanent Council in Vienna February 27.
CHINA/DISSIDENT VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- A Chinese court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of U-S-based democracy activist Wang Bingzhang. The ruling ends the appeals process for Mr. Wang, but it is possible he will not have to serve his entire term.
U-N / LANDMINES VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- Four years ago tomorrow (March 1), a treaty calling for a total ban on landmines came into effect in many countries around the world. Since then almost 30-million mines have been destroyed. Its backers consider a runaway success -- the International Convention to Ban Landmines.
ISRAEL / POLITICS VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- A new Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has officially taken office. It is a hawkish, right-of-center coalition, and Sonja Pace reports from Jerusalem, some say that could spell trouble between Israel and the United States down the road.
INDONESIA / TIMOR INDICTMENTS VOA 28 Feb 2003 -- U-N prosecutors working for an East Timor human rights court have issued another indictment this week against a high-ranking member of the Indonesian security forces. But East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao says bringing alleged war criminals to trial is not in East Timor's interest.
CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- The mountainous state of Kyrgyzstan this week expressed concern over another border incident with its powerful neighbour Uzbekistan. On Wednesday in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov summoned Uzbek Ambassador Alisher Salahitdinov, following a landmine explosion which killed one man in the south of the country.
TOGO: Opposition party withdraws from coalition IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- One of Togo's main opposition parties, the Union des Forces du Changement (UFC-Union of the Forces for Change), has announced its withdrawal for a coalition which groups all of the country's opposition parties.
ERITREA: President says electoral process to be implemented IRIN 28 Feb 2003 -- President Isayas Afewerki of Eritrea has said the electoral process is ongoing and will be "seriously implemented".

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