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Military


07 March 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • CJTF-HOA armorers play vital role in war against terrorism USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- Marine Reserve Sgt. Rusty R. Parker and Cpl. Alex. P. Bradbury are assigned as armorers for the Command Logistics Element, Marine Central Command in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa whose mission is to assist in the war against terrorism.
  • Joint STARS takes off for second deployment AFPN 07 Mar 2003 -- Two E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft and several dozen airmen here answered the call of duty March 5 as they headed to a forward-operating location to support operations in Southwest Asia.
  • Regional Commander Impressed by Seabees Navy NewStand 07 Mar 2003 -- Brown had just finished a tour of facilities within the base and was remarking on the ability to meet and exceed the Chief of Naval Operations' primary focus for his commanding officers - mission accomplishment. She emphasized that as of late, NCBC Gulfport (Seabees in particular) were certainly fulfilling their mission requirements.
  • Black Knights saddle up for deployment AFPN 07 Mar 2003 -- A jet engine mechanic with the 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here, Hughes is among a number of 19th Air Refueling Group airmen who received deployment orders recently.
  • West Coast ships offload in Kuwait Army News 07 Mar 2003 -- A joint-service, multi-national force has been offloading combat equipment from seven ships at Camp Patriot, Kuwait.
  • Mine Watch: The First Line of Defense Navy NewStand 07 Mar 2003 -- Since the Revolutionary War, naval warships have sailed in fear of an "unseen" weapon. As technologically advanced as the Navy is today, it still haunts the oceans and seas, lurking below the water's surface, quietly waiting for just the right time to strike.
  • Fox weathers storm; near 70-mph gusts recorded USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- Fourteen Marines sustained minor injuries and more than 109 billeting and work tents were blown down here following a wind storm last night. The storm left some wondering what happened and others joining together to rebuild.
  • Deploying with MAG-13 unique experience for British pilot USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- For one member of Marine Aircraft Group-13 from Yuma, Ariz., the opportunity to deploy aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom is a unique one.
  • Ordnance drills for success, VMA-211 Marines adapting to ship exercises USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- Ordnance Marines aboard USS Bonhomme Richard began loading and offloading drills with BDU-45 practice bombs Feb. 13. The Marines, part of Marine Aircraft Group-13 from Yuma, Ariz., are part of a seven-ship amphibious task force deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
  • EDITORIAL: COALITION ASSISTING AFGHANISTAN VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Since September 2001, the United States has provided nearly nine-hundred-million dollars for Afghan relief and reconstruction. But while the U.S. remains the leading provider of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, more than forty other coalition countries are active there as well.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Bomb explosion next to WFP compound IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- The World Food Programme (WFP), reported a bomb explosion next to its compound in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • White House Daily Briefing White House 07 Mar 2003
  • Rumsfeld Talks of Shifting U.S. Troops in Korea AFPS 07 Mar 2003 -- The United States will work with its Korean allies to "rebalance" U.S. forces in the country, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said March 6.
  • CMSAF urges Congress to beef up education benefits AFPN 07 Mar 2003 -- The service's senior enlisted airman told members of Congress on March 6 that, while quality-of-life issues have gotten better in recent years, there are still about 57,000 airmen without veteran's education benefits.
  • SECAF lays out case for tanker upgrade AFPN 07 Mar 2003 -- America's primary aerial refueling platform is so old it is becoming too cost-prohibitive to keep, the secretary of the Air Force told lawmakers recently.
  • Sheppard unit will train ALC maintainers AFPN 07 Mar 2003 -- The 982nd Training Group, the Air Force's advanced maintenance training unit, joined with Air Force Materiel Command to tackle a critical need in the world of aircraft systems maintenance.
  • Rumsfeld Gives Students the Pentagon's Perspective on Terrorism, Iraq AFPS 07 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today shared the Pentagon's perspective on the war against terrorism and Iraq with more than 100 visiting high school students.
  • UNIVERSITIES SELECTED FOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION FUNDING 07 Mar 2003 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced plans to award $27 million to academic institutions to support the purchase of research instrumentation. The awards will be made under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).
  • New Project Management Approach Pays Off at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard NAVSEA News 07 Mar 2003 -- A unique approach to managing submarine maintenance projects is bringing positive results at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (NS&IMF).
  • VAST Offers Sailors Surface Fire Support Training Virtually Anywhere NAVSEA News 07 Mar 2003 -- In the wake of the Navy's decision to abandon Vieques as a training range by May, the effectiveness of a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) program called Virtual At Sea Training (VAST) is receiving increasing attention.
  • NAVSEA Maintaining Navy's Culture of Readiness NAVSEA News 07 Mar 2003 -- The Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, in his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 25, said the Navy is making readiness a key element of its culture.
  • NAVSEA Commands Team to Rapidly Support Deployed Warfighters NAVSEA News 07 Mar 2003 -- Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) and the Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA) in Indian Head recently combined efforts with Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division in Indiana, to rapidly provide 30 titanium EOD disrupters to select EOD units deployed to terrorist threat locations around the globe.
  • Bridging the gap USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- With the morning sun blaring down on them, they waited, staring at each other from 25 meters apart: two teams going head to head in a friendly competition.
  • Bridging the gap USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- With the morning sun blaring down on them, they waited, staring at each other from 25 meters apart: two teams going head to head in a friendly competition.
  • Litterbugs infest station ranges USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- Station environmental department personnel have discovered that a large amount of rubbish has been deposited within the confines of the western portion of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, and it's a problem that will cost the Marine Corps and taxpayers money.
  • BLT begins NBC training, prepares for possible chemical attacks USMC News 07 Mar 2003 -- It is the night before Christmas, and all through the town, not a creature is stirring, except for the hounds. On a security patrol, a pack of devil dogs move in silence, darting between buildings and shadows, making sure they are not followed.
  • MCPON Testifies Before Congress Navy NewStand 07 Mar 2003 -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, MCPON (SS/AW) Terry Scott, testified on behalf of Sailors to the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) March 5.
  • 'Safety First' is Real for NAS Jacksonville Navy NewStand 07 Mar 2003 -- From the first day service members arrive at boot camp, they hear the words "safety first." During the recent Navy Inspector General's Safety Inspection, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville has shown those words can cause an impact at the job site.
  • Navy MWR Programs and Sevices Help Meet Fleet Support Challenge Navy NewStand 07 Mar 2003 -- With increased operational tempo and a long fight against terrorism ahead, it's more important than ever for the Navy's Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs and services to help meet the special needs of Sailors deployed around the world.
  • OLYMPIA steps forward, earns Battle "E" COMSUBPAC 07 Mar 2003 -- USS Olympia (SSN 717) earned the 2002 Commander, Submarine Squadron Three Battle Efficiency "E" and the 2002 Commander, Submarine Squadron Three Deck Seamanship White "D."

Defense Industry

  • General Dynamics Unit Awarded $9.8 Million Order General Dynamics 07 Mar 2003 -- General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), on Wednesday was awarded a $9.8 million modification to its multi-year Common Hardware/Software II (CHS-2) contract for common hardware and software items for the Project Manager Army Tactical Operations Centers/Air and Missile Defense Command and Control Systems.

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 07 Mar 2003

  • Annan heading to The Hague for Cyprus meeting, launch of new war crimes tribunal UN News Centre 07 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to travel to The Hague this weekend for meetings with senior officials of the Netherlands, as well as the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union later this year.

  • ISRAEL SHOOTING VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Palestinian gunmen infiltrated a Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, killing three Israelis and wounding at least six others. Two gunmen were also killed in the attack.
  • PALESTINIAN REFORMS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has named his longtime deputy to fill the new post of prime minister. The announcement came just two days before a key meeting (Saturday) in the West Bank city of Ramallah where Palestinian political reforms will be discussed.
  • ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Israeli tanks have taken up positions in the northern Gaza Strip, some of them near a refugee camp where an Israeli military operation Thursday left 11 Palestinians dead. The latest series of raids follows a Palestinian suicide bombing Wednesday in Haifa that killed 15 Israelis.

  • Annan 'pleased' at agreement on DR of Congo, warns against continued fighting UN News Centre 07 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said he was pleased to learn that the parties to the inter-Congolese dialogue reached agreement on all outstanding issues relating to the draft transitional constitution, but warned that recent power struggles in part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could result in a new round of inter-ethnic violence.
  • CONGO TALKS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Representatives of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the major rebel groups have approved proposals for a two-year transitional period leading to democratic elections in the war-torn country. AThe agreement was reached in Pretoria at peace talks aimed at ending four years of civil war in Congo.
  • DRC-UGANDA: Ugandan MP asks government to explain UPDF’s role in Ituri IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- A Ugandan Member of Parliament has asked the government to clarify allegations that the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) participated in massacres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri District, according to The New Vision government-owned newspaper.
  • DRC-UGANDA: Red Cross helps thousands fleeing fighting in DRC IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- The survival of thousands of people who have fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into Uganda's northwestern Nebbi District is at stake "if aid does not reach them immediately", according to the International Federation of the Red Cross.
  • DRC: Belligerents agree on constitution, unified national army IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- Parties to the inter-Congolese dialogue (ICD) agreed on Thursday to a programme for the drafting of a constitution and for a future unified army for a period of a national transitional government eventually leading to national democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following 11 days of discussions held in Pretoria, South Africa.
  • DRC: Food aid reaches Ankoro IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- A 13-ship convoy carrying 626.4 mt of food aid has arrived in Ankoro, Katanga Province, in south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) told IRIN on Friday. World Vision International (WVI) will organise the delivery of the food to recipients.
  • DRC-UGANDA: Kampala, Kinshasa say UPC claims of Bunia massacres "are false" IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- The Uganda People's Defence Forces and the Kinshasa government have dismissed claims by the leader of the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC), Thomas Lubanga, that they massacred residents of Bunia in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the Ugandan military and allied Lendu militias drove out the UPC from the city on Thursday.

  • IVORY COAST / TALKS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- There has been significant progress at Ivory Coast peace talks being held in Ghana. The rebels have agreed to abandon their claim on two key cabinet posts in the new unity government. But the deadlock is not entirely broken.
  • Kosovo: UN to begin phased transfer of responsibilities to local government UN News Centre 07 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations moved a step closer today to handing over substantial responsibilities for autonomy in Kosovo to the local government with the establishment of a transfer council.
  • BOSNIA / SREBRENICA VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- A human rights court in Bosnia-Herzegovina has ordered Serb authorities in Bosnia to pay millions of dollars to relatives of thousands of Muslims killed by Serb forces in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995. The court order came Friday as NATO-led peacekeepers announced they were closing in on Radovan Karadzic, who was the leader of the Bosnian Serb republic during the war in Bosnia.
  • SUDAN: Government accused of violating ceasefire agreement IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- The Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group (ICG) has accused the Sudanese government of violating a key agreement on the cessation of hostilities, signed with the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/A) last October.
  • BOTSWANA-NAMIBIA: Governments reach new border settlement IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- The governments of Botswana and Namibia have agreed on the demarcation of a border between the two countries along the Kwando, Linyanti and Chobe river.
  • UGANDA: MP says LRA leader committed to ceasefire IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- A member of parliament in Uganda's northern Gulu district, Norbert Mao, has said the leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony, has committed himself to a ceasefire.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Calm returns to southwest after MLC, army standoff IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- Calm returned on Thursday to the southern Central African Republic (CAR) town of Mongoumba and nearby villages, after a five-day standoff between government troops and their Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) allies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 07 Mar 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 07 Mar 2003
  • AFRICA URANIUM VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- The head of the U-N nuclear agency says allegations that Iraq recently attempted to import uranium from Niger are unfounded.
  • MALTA / E-U VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Tiny Malta goes to the polls on Saturday in the first of a wave of referendums in countries that have been invited to join the European Union next year. The Maltese referendum is expected to be close because it is bound up with the political polarization that characterizes the tiny three-island archipelago. But it is unlikely to influence similar referendums on the E-U that will be held later in the year in former communist countries.
  • State Dept.'s Larson Warns Venezuela on Oil Reliability Washington File 07 Mar 2003 -- Conflict in Venezuela has damaged its reputation as a reliable oil supplier, and all parties to the ongoing political turmoil there must work together to restore confidence, stability and rule of law, U.S. Under Secretary of State Alan Larson says.
  • U-S / PUBLIC DIPLOMACY VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Even as the United States prepares for a possible war with Iraq, some key members of Congress are warning that unilateral military action could make it more difficult to blunt a rising tide of anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world.
  • U-S-Zimbabwe Sanctions VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- President Bush has imposed financial sanctions against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and 76 close associates including his wife, elder sister, and senior members of his government. The measures, including a freeze on any U-S assets the Zimbabwean figures may have in the United States, parallel action already taken by the European Union.
  • U-S / HAITI / TRADE VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- A bipartisan group of U-S lawmakers has crafted a package of trade benefits for Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas. The goal is to boost Haiti's moribund economy, improve living conditions, and thereby reduce the impetus for illegal immigration to the United States.
  • CZECH INAUGURATION VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Former Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus has been sworn in as the country's new president. Mr. Klaus succeeds the most famous politician in the republic, Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright turned politician.
  • FRANCE / AFRICAN WOMEN VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Since the beginning of February, a group of ethnic African and North African women has staged demonstrations across France to highlight discrimination and violence they face in many parts of the country. The campaign arrives in Paris Saturday -- with a march coinciding with International Women's Day.
  • TURKMENISTAN / HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- A coalition of human rights organizations has appealed to the United Nations for help in pressing for the release of an environmental activist imprisoned in Turkmenistan.
  • TURKEY / ERDOGAN VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- Turkey's leading politician, once barred from taking office for his Islamist views, is set to return to political office with an expected victory in a parliamentary by-election on Sunday. Most observers believe he will soon thereafter become prime minister. The latest move by Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes at a crucial time for both Turkey and his ruling Justice and Development Party.
  • Text: U.S. "Deeply Disappointed" by Electoral Irregularities in Armenia Washington File 07 Mar 2003 -- The United States is "deeply disappointed by the electoral irregularities that have been reported" by international observers monitoring the March 5 Armenian presidential election, according to State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker.
  • Text: U.S. Moves Against Balkan War Criminal Karadzic's Support Network Washington File 07 Mar 2003 -- The United States has designated two men, an oil company, and a bank for providing financial and material support to Radovan Karadzic, who was indicted in July 1994 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for war crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity.
  • EDITORIAL: DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- If the Arab world is to progress, it needs to address the region's widespread limitations on personal and political freedom. That is the conclusion of the Arab Human Development report, written by thirty Arab intellectuals and issued in July 2002 by the United Nations Development Program. The report says that remedying this "freedom deficit" requires more political and economic liberty, respect for the rule of law and basic rights, the empowerment of women, and better education. The United States believes that many in the Arab world support these views.
  • U-N / INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations observed International Women's Day today (Friday) at U-N headquarters with a conference on gender equality and development.
  • EDITORIAL: FREE CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONERS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- The past few years in Cuba have been particularly difficult for those who oppose Fidel Castro's Communist regime. The dictator has arrested hundreds of dissidents whose only crimes were to call for democracy and human rights for the Cuban people.
  • CHINA JOBS VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- As China's National People's Congress convenes in Beijing, one of the biggest problems facing new leaders is widespread unemployment caused by mass failures of state-owned enterprises. The government has pledged to create millions of new jobs this year, but China's future job growth will come largely from the private sector.
  • CHINA/DEBT BURDEN VOA 07 Mar 2003 -- The Chinese government's public spending is exploding, and there is increasing concern about its record budget deficits and debt-burdened state banks. The government is bringing in less than it is spending to create new jobs, stimulate growth, and ensure social stability.
  • CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 07 Mar 2003 -- In Central Asia this week, Turkmen authorities on Wednesday condemned a wave of criticism of its poor human rights record in the wake of a visit by the chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE ). According to a foreign ministry statement, talks between President Saparmyrat Niyazov and Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer were highly productive, with De Hoop Scheffer praising Turkmenistan’s “readiness for dialogue and cooperation”.



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