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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• RAF Fairford gets "BUFF" USAFENS 05 Mar 2003 -- More than a dozen B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft arrived here March 3-4 from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to support the war on terrorism and possible future contingency operations.
• Minot receives deployment order ACCNS 05 Mar 2003 -- The 5th Bomb Wing will deploy troops over the next few weeks to support the global war on terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies.
• 'Harrier Carrier' On Station, Ready for Call to Action Navy NewStand 05 Mar 2003 -- After completing a major offload of nearly 1,000 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines into Kuwait, USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and Marine Aircraft Group 13, with two embarked AV-8B Harrier squadrons, are ready to support any tasking in the Arabian Gulf.
• USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group Deploys Navy NewStand 05 Mar 2003 -- More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines attached to ships and units of the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), departed from their East Coast home ports March 4.
• Iwo Jima ARG Deploys in Support of Operation Enduring Freedom Navy NewStand 05 Mar 2003 -- USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) steamed out of Norfolk March 4 for the ship's maiden deployment.
• PHILIPPINE - U-S TROOPS VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- The president of the Philippines says U-S troops will not go into combat against Islamic separatists in the southern part of the country. The president's comments came as she visited the site of a bombing on the island of Mindanao, which Philippine authorities blame on the separatists.
• Robot finds booby traps in Afghanistan Army News 05 Mar 2003 -- MATILDA, a robot, has leant it's helping hand, or more appropriately, helping claw, to law enforcement agencies for several years.
• Not Ali Baba's desert oasis; but it's the next best thing USMC News 05 Mar 2003 -- Two weeks ago, the bustling and noisy camp was just a flat piece of desert somewhere in Kuwait. With the help of local Kuwaiti contractors and Marines, the barren desert was transformed into a fully functional base camp in support of the Task Force Tarawa command element.
• MEF general visits; Inspires Marines USMC News 05 Mar 2003 -- Marines assembled here March 1 to listen to the words of Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
• Beans, bullets, and band-aids; Supporting Marines with supplies USMC News 05 Mar 2003 -- More than 400 Task Force Tarawa Marines moved over 1,000 mission-essential and recreational items from shore to Camps Ryan and Shoup in an offload recently.
• Training takes on new reality; Marines train for possible chemical attacks USMC News 05 Mar 2003 -- "Gas, gas, gas!" Normally, these words precede a gas mask drill, where Marines practice putting on their masks. For Marines deployed to an area where there is a very real possibility of a chemical or biological attack, Marines and Sailors practice NBC defense tactics on a routine basis.
• KUWAIT / SENTENCING VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- A Kuwaiti policeman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting two U-S soldiers in the Gulf state last December.
• U.S. troops better trained for chem-bio than Iraqis Army News 05 Mar 2003 -- Army chemical and biological defense experts told the Pentagon press corps that if Saddam Hussein uses weapons of mass destruction, U.S. soldiers are trained and better equipped than the Iraqis or anyone else.
• AFGHANISTAN: UN High Commissioner for Refugees inaugurates Return Commission IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Thousands of ethnic Pashtuns displaced in Afghanistan in fear of persecution were given some hope of being able to return to their homes in the north, following the inaugural meeting of the country’s Return Commission, which was attended by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, Enayatollah Nazeri, the Afghan minister for refugees and repatriation, and Afghan commanders.

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Daily Briefing White House 05 Mar 2003
• Transcript: Background Briefing On Targeting 05 Mar 2003 -- "'International law draws a clear distinction between civilians and combatants. (...) Saddam Hussein makes no such distinctions. (...) So today we are joined by a senior official from the coalition headquarters at CentCom to shed some light on how we go about striking legitimate military targets while sparing no effort to protect innocent civilians."

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld And Gen. Franks 05 Mar 2003 -- "Coalition forces have been flowing into the Persian Gulf region for a number of weeks now. And the troops are there to support the diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction -- disarmament as required now by some 17 United Nations resolutions. Those U.N. resolutions will be enforced. The president has said that time is running out. Saddam Hussein can prevent the use of force. To do so, he will have to disarm or leave. The choice will be made in Baghdad."

• White: Army Transformation dates remain unchanged Army News 05 Mar 2003 -- Even though the military is on the verge of war, the Army has no choice but to transform, said the Army's top civilian during the Association of the U.S. Army's mid-winter meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• U.S. TROOP DEPLOYMENTS VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- The Bush Administration has sent U-S troops around the world on missions it hopes will foster global security. While American forces are in the obvious places like Afghanistan and the Middle East, they are also in less obvious ones like Honduras and Thailand. Some Americans worry the U-S military is being stretched too thin. But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says American troops can fight and win a two- or even three-front war.
• Air Force discusses infrastructure budget with Senate AFPN 05 Mar 2003 -- Congressional testimony by the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics March 4 included plans for sustaining overseas facilities and support of new missions and weapons systems.
• AEF rhythm affected by current operations ACCNS 05 Mar 2003 -- In the last several weeks, ACC people have been called upon to deploy in support of national security objectives in Southwest Asia and other locations. The number of people and resources needed to fulfill these new requirements has demanded flexibility in the way we deploy our forces.
• Air Force works to smooth out AEF rough spots AMCNS 05 Mar 2003 -- The Air Force continues its quest to smooth out the rough spots in the Air and Space Expeditionary Force process as the Defense Department positions forces for a possible conflict with Iraq.
• Text: U.S. Welcomes Expansion of NATO Naval Patrols in Mediterranean Washington File 05 Mar 2003 -- The United States welcomes the March 3 decision by NATO to allow Alliance naval forces to escort Allied non-combatant traveling through the Straits of Gibraltar. This is an extension of Operation Active Endeavor, which was started in October 2001 to monitor shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
• Northern Command leader visits Hanscom AFPN 05 Mar 2003 -- Deciding when and how to use U.S. military assets during a domestic crisis are not "simple" decisions, said Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, commander of the United States' newest unified command, Northern Command.
• Strike Eagle pilots destroy targets AFPN 05 Mar 2003 -- Capt. Jonathon Breingan, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot with the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, is proud that his airframe relies on two people sitting in its seats.
• Byliner: "Defense Needs Dollars," Says Congressman Duncan Hunter Washington File 05 Mar 2003 -- This column by Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Calf.), who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was published in The Wall Street Journal March 5: "With nearly 250,000 troops deployed in the Gulf, some 16,000 in Afghanistan, and B-1 and B-52 bombers ready to depart for Guam if needed to address the North Korean threat, some in the media still think we spend too much on defense."
• Alaska Exercise Challenges Seabees Navy NewStand 05 Mar 2003 -- Seabees are busy sharpening their skills at Ammo Island, setting up a base camp in support of Northern Edge 2003.
• U.S. Embassy, Marines conduct NBC training in Kabul USMC News 04 Mar 2003 -- The Marines of Task Force Kabul, 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-terrorism) and the U.S. Embassy staff trained together in a nuclear, biological and chemical warfare drill here, Feb. 20.
• Marine Describes Chemical, Biological Defenses AFPS 05 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. military will be able to function in a chemical and biological warfare environment, a Marine specialist told The Chris Core Show on ABC radio March 4.
• GI Mail provides secure, reliable e-mail link to loved ones AMCNS 05 Mar 2003 -- With airmen deployed away from home, the opportunity to communicate with loved takes on greater importance.

• NATO SHIPS ESCORTING ALLIED SHIPPING THROUGH STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR NATO AFSOUTH 05 Mar 2003 -- On Monday 10 March 2003, NATO maritime forces began escorting Allied civilian shipping through the Strait of Gibraltar.

• EDITORIAL: THE U.S. AND AFGHANISTAN VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, met in Washington, D-C, with President George W. Bush and other U.S. officials. In a statement, Mr. Bush and Mr. Karzai reaffirmed their "common vision for an Afghanistan that is prosperous, democratic, at peace, contributing to regional stability, market friendly, and respectful of human rights."

• ZAMBIA: Government allocates funds for new military equipment IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The Zambian government has allocated Kwacha 20 billion (US $4 million) to enable the Ministry of Defence to buy new equipment, parliament heard this week.

Defense Industry

• Lockheed Martin and Boeing to Partner on Kinetic Energy Interceptor Lockheed Martin 05 Mar 2003 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] and the Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] will partner to provide the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) with a solution for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) requirement.
• Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Team to Compete for MDA's Kinetic Energy Interceptor Program Northrop Grumman 05 Mar 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) have formed a team to compete for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) program. Part of the layered missile defense architecture envisioned by MDA, the program is designed to produce interceptors capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles during their boost and ascent phases of flight.
• Boeing/DARPA Successfully Complete Major Milestone in Development of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles Boeing 05 Mar 2003 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) program has successfully completed all ground and flight objectives for the first phase of demonstrations and is ready to begin the second phase of flight demonstrations, focused on more advanced, multi-vehicle operations.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded Army CECOM Rapid Response Contract Lockheed Martin 05 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. Army Communications & Electronics Command (CECOM), Ft. Monmouth, NJ, has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for CECOM Rapid Response (CR2). Lockheed Martin is one of eight contractors awarded this Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract, which provides Federal Government Platform Managers with a unique, competitive, streamlined acquisition solution for a broad range of engineering support and services.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 05 Mar 2003
• BUSH / ISRAEL BOMBING VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- President Bush has condemned Wednesday's bombing of a bus in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa. Israeli officials say at least 15 people were killed in the blast.
• Middle East: Annan voices grave concern for steady rise in violence UN News Centre 05 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced grave and increasing concern for the steady escalation in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, urging both sides to take urgent steps to step back from such confrontations.
• Only political solution can resurrect devastated Palestinian economy - UN UN News Centre 05 Mar 2003 -- Immediate implementation of a political solution leading to two states is the only way to resurrect the devastated Palestinian economy and protect Israel from "murderous attacks," a senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today.
• ISRAEL / BLAST VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- A suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded bus in the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens of others.
• ISRAEL / BLAST VOA 04 Mar 2003 -- An explosion ripped through a crowded bus in the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa. Israeli TV says at least 11 people were killed and many more injured.

• DRC: UK grants ICRC US $4 million to help IDPs IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Britain has donated US $4 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in support of their efforts to help internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to an official from the British embassy in the DRC.
• DRC: ICRC distributes aid relief to 4,000 families in Shabunda IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed on Monday the distribution of 210 mt of relief aid to some 4,000 families in the formerly inaccessible region of Shabunda, South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: CEMAC force commander worried about too few troops IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The 303 soldiers of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) deployed for peacekeeping and other duties in the Central African Republic (CAR) are too few for the mission, according to the new force commander, Rear Adml Martin Mavoungou.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Dialogue coordination team meets rebel leaders IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The leader of the national dialogue coordination team of the Central African Republic (CAR), Bishop Paulin Pomodimo, held talks with leaders of the Coordination des patriotes centrafricains (CPC), an opposition alliance based in Paris) during a recent trip to Europe and the United States, according to Radio France International (RFI).
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Humanitarian mission recommends urgent help for towns IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Two towns in the Central African Republic (CAR) recently recaptured from rebel control by government forces urgently require intervention in the health, food and farming sectors, a joint UN-government-NGO humanitarian mission recommended in a report made public on Monday.
• UGANDA / CEASEFIRE VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- Optimism is growing that 16 years of fighting in northern Uganda may soon come to an end. Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army have declared a cease-fire and say they want to hold talks with the government of Yoweri Museveni.
• UGANDA: LRA breaks ceasefire IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group, led by Joseph Kony, broke the ceasefire it declared on Saturday by killing 10 people and abducting 50 others over the weekend, Paddy Ankunda, a Ugandan army commander told IRIN on Wednesday.
• BURUNDI: EC to aid AU launch ceasefire observer mission IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The EC decided on Tuesday to donate €1.23 million (about US $1.34 million) towards the establishment of an African Union (AU) Ceasefire Observer Mission in Burundi, according to the Commission. The mission will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreements signed at the end of 2002 between the transitional government and all but one rebel faction.
• EAST TIMOR / U-N VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- U-N officials say militia groups that fought against East Timor's independence from Indonesia remain a threat to the new nation - prompting U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan to recommend that peacekeepers remain longer in East Timor.
• SRI LANKA AMNESTY VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- Sri Lanka's Defense Ministry says it will offer a general amnesty to tens of thousands of military deserters. The move comes as the government negotiates with Tamil Tiger rebels to end the nation's two-decade long ethnic conflict.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Peace "unravelling", says Eritrea's ruling party IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Eritrea's ruling party has warned that peace with Ethiopia is "unravelling" and accused Addis Ababa of "sabotaging" implementation of an independent border ruling.
• Liberia: Security Council calls for restraint from West African neighbours UN News Centre 05 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Security Council members, deeply concerned at the humanitarian situation in Liberia, called on all West African states today to refrain from any interference in the affairs of their neighbours, particularly through the movement of arms or mercenaries.
• Annan invites Greece, Turkey and UK to meeting on Cyprus deal next week UN News Centre 05 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written to Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom inviting their leaders to be represented at The Hague next week when he meets with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot parties on a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union.
• Text: U.S. Encouraged by "Substantial Progress" in N. Ireland Talks Washington File 05 Mar 2003 -- The State Department issued the following statement March 5 expressing hope that recent efforts by Britain and the Ireland will help "move beyond the current impasse and build on the successes of the Good Friday Agreement" in Northern Ireland
• SOMALIA: Monitoring committee condemns Mogadishu fighting IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- A newly-formed committee, set up to monitor a shaky ceasefire accord between the warring sides in Somalia, has condemned the escalation of hostilities Somalia particularly the fighting which has been raging in Mogadishu's Medina district over the last five days.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Marcoussis accord signatories to meet in Ghana IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Ghana's president and current chairman of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), John Kufuor, has invited all the signatories to the Marcousis accord on Cote d'Ivoire to a meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Thursday.
• ANGOLA: Agricultural recovery crucial to post-war future IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The coming agricultural season is crucial to Angola's post-conflict future, and funding for assistance programmes for farming families is urgently required, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warened.
• RWANDA: Kagame briefs Bush on situation in Great Lakes region IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- During a visit to the White House on Tuesday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame briefed US President George W. Bush and US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on the political and security situation in Africa's Great Lakes region.
• DRC: MONUC to probe Bogoro massacre, pending security conditions IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- MONUC, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, announced on Wednesday that it would send a mission of inquiry into massacres perpetrated during fierce fighting among rebel groups last week in Bogoro, in the northeastern district of Ituri, once security conditions enabled it to do so.
• LIBERIA: Aid workers missing after border town fighting IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- Three workers of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) who were caught up in fighting in Toe Town, close to Liberia's border with Cote d'Ivoire border, were reported missing on Tuesday by the agency. Other sources said eight people who were travelling in an ADRA vehicle were killed during the fighting between Liberian government forces and rebels.
• Namibia: Focus on repatriation fears of Caprivians IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- In spite of assurances over their safety by the Namibian government, Caprivians in the Dukwe refugee camp in neighbouring Botswana remain reluctant to return home.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 05 Mar 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 05 Mar 2003
• PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPRESENTATIVE FOR GUINEA-BISSAU United Nations 05 Mar 2003
• PRESS CONFERENCE ON G-8 CONTACT GROUP ON FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA United Nations 05 Mar 2003
• White House Report, March 5: North Korea, Israel, Papal Envoy Washington File 05 Mar 2003 -- WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS POLICY ON NORTH KOREA / BUSH CONDEMNS TERROR ATTACK IN ISRAEL / BUSH WELCOMES PAPAL EMISSARY TO WHITE HOUSE
• SAF / WINNIE VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- The fraud trial of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, perhaps the most controversial politician in South Africa, is continuing in Pretoria. On Wednesday the court heard the testimony of the man who is on trial with Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela.
• US / RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday designated six nations as "countries of particular concern" for severe violations of religious freedom as required under a 1998 act of Congress. The list includes Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan, but not Saudi Arabia even though that country came under heavy criticism in a preliminary report last October.
• House Passes Bill Extending Normal Trade Relations to Serbia Washington File 05 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would extend normal trade relations, otherwise known as most-favored-nation status, to Serbia and Montenegro and make hundreds of non-controversial small changes to U.S. trade law.
• ARMENIA ELECT VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- After a tense two-week run-off campaign, Armenians are going back to the polls Wednesday to try and elect a new President. The first round failed to produce a clear winner and brought the opposition into the streets by the thousands claiming vote fraud.
• WEDNESDAY'S EDITORIALS VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- North Korea's latest military moves have temporarily at least, shifted attention in America's editorial columns from Iraq. There are also many commentaries today (Wednesday) on the capture of a leading al-Qaida terrorist, Turkey's vacillating support of a war, terrorism in the Philippines, and the 50th anniversary of Joseph Stalin.
• SERBIA / POL VOA 04 Mar 2003 -- As the parliament of the new nation of Serbia and Montenegro this week holds its first session, former Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica is out of a job and power is shifting to his rival, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
• ARMENIA ELECT VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- After a tense two-week run-off campaign, Armenians are going back to the polls Wednesday to try and elect a new President. The first round failed to produce a clear winner and brought the opposition into the streets by the thousands claiming vote fraud.
• NIGERIA / ASSASSINATION VOA 05 Mar 2003 -- Unidentified gunmen have assassinated a senior leader of the main Nigerian opposition party, raising fears of more violence ahead of April's presidential election.
• ZIMBABWE: More pressure on government needed, US IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- The US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher has slammed recent suggestions by the government of Zimbabwe and "some members of the international community" that conditions were improving in Zimbabwe as having "no basis in reality".
• BURUNDI: Opposition leader in prison despite court's release order IRIN 05 Mar 2003 -- A leading Burundi opposition politician, Charles Mukasi, is still in prison six days after a Bujumbura court ordered him to be freed, because defence lawyers have been unable to find the deputy public prosecutor to sign the release warrant, according to Net Press, a privately owned agency.