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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• 101st airborne soldiers land in Kuwait Army News 10 Mar 2003 -- The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) claimed their piece of the ground in Kuwait last week by raising their brigade banner, and they are now learning how to operate in the arid climate.
• Seabees Celebrate Birthday in Qatar Navy NewStand 10 Mar 2003 -- The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 (NMCB-3) celebrated their 61st birthday March 6 with a dinner at the 3rd United States Army dining facility here, a cake cutting ceremony at the camp cantina, 'The Oasis,' and the showing of the movie "The Fighting Seabees."
• Airmen continue to flow into RAF Fairford USAFENS 10 Mar 2003 -- Approximately 400 airmen arrived here March 7, bringing the number deployed to more than 800.
• Decon teams active;drill challenges Camp Fox units USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- With the threat of potential war looming here, the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Marines and sailors of the Marine Logistics Command stayed prepared by conducting a Mock Chemical Casualty Decontamination Drill March 5.
• AFGHANISTAN: ISAF comes under bomb attack IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The International Security Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (ISAF) has confirmed that a local interpreter had been killed and a Dutch soldier injured following an explosion on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday.
• AFGHANISTAN: Peacekeepers needed to facilitate northern disarmament, say NGOs IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Analysts and aid workers have told IRIN ongoing disarmament and demilitarisation efforts in northern Afghanistan need to be supported by a political process as well as improved security.
• PAKISTAN: Repatriations of Afghan refugees resumes IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resumed the voluntary repatriation of Afghans last week following a one-month suspension in February due to staff training. The refugee agency is concentrating on an estimated 1.5 million Afghan refugees living in some 200 camps across Pakistan for repatriation - gradually extending that effort to other parts of the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Daily Briefing White House 10 Mar 2003
• U-S TROOPS / BIOCHEMICAL GEAR VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The U-S military's preparation against possible Iraqi chemical and biological attacks includes specially-designed protective suits and masks.
• Decon teams active;drill challenges Camp Fox units USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- With the threat of potential war looming here, the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Marines and sailors of the Marine Logistics Command stayed prepared by conducting a Mock Chemical Casualty Decontamination Drill March 5.
• Pilots train for real deal: KC-130 simulator enhances flight training USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- Aircrew members of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron-152 (VMGR-152), 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, received the KC-130T Aircrew Procedures Trainer here recently.
• Marines battle cold weather: Battery strengthened through camaraderie USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- Lance Cpl. Aaron J. Ackerman is used to being in bitter cold surroundings such as the one he is in here. Before he joined the Marine Corps, the field artilleryman used to snowboard on a regular basis in his hometown of Easton, Pa.
• Teamwork plays vital role: Marines unite to accomplish mission at PIX USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- Mission accomplishment is imperative to Marines throughout the Corps, and is most obvious in training exercises where teamwork is essential.
• Medics armed with new technology AFPN 10 Mar 2003 -- When special operations forces medics returned from an Operation Enduring Freedom mission in 2002, they said they needed blood-clotting technology, according to the U.S. Special Operations Command surgeon. Now they have it.
• Roche: Academy problems are a 'corporate responsibility' AFPN 10 Mar 2003 -- Citing policies that were "clearly not smart," the Air Force's senior official acknowledged March 6 the service has a corporate responsibility for the barrage of sexual assault charges filed at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• GI Mail provides secure, reliable e-mail link to loved ones AFPN 10 Mar 2003 -- With airmen deployed away from home, the opportunity to communicate with loved ones takes on greater importance.
• Leaner Northern Edge exercise under way at Eielson PACAFNS 10 Mar 2003 -- Approximately 1,600 airmen, soldiers, sailors, Marines and coastguardsmen are participating in a scaled-down version of Northern Edge, a joint-service training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base and other Alaska military installations, as well as the port of Valdez. The exercise, which began March 3, ends March 14.
• SUSTAINING MILITARY RANGES PROTECTS MULTIPLE LIVES NAVAIR 10 Mar 2003 -- The facts are clear. We live in a changing world in uncertain times. Our freedom and security are threatened. Sept. 11 tore at the fabric of the protective mantle we had wrapped about ourselves. We rely on our military forces to successfully prevent further attacks.
• SHARP Program Enters LRIP II NAVAIR 10 Mar 2003 -- The SHAred Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP), the latest technology in tactical reconnaissance, has made its way to the fleet providing a quantum leap in capabilities for the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 program. Recent approval by Rear Admiral James B. Godwin, III, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft, gave the SHARP program the green light to enter the next phase of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
• Surface Ships Receive Battle Efficiency Awards Navy NewStand 10 Mar 2003 -- Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Vice Adm. Timothy LaFleur has named 42 surface force ships winners of the Battle Efficiency Award for 2002.
• Air Force, Army face off during Northern Edge PACAFNS 10 Mar 2003 -- An enemy airplane, played by an Eielson A-10, approached the airstrip, like a fly unknowingly flying toward a spider's web.
• Pilot survives jet crash AFPN 10 Mar 2003 -- An Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft crashed into two houses in nearby Valparaiso on March 8. The pilot ejected safely, and no one was injured on the ground.
• CSAF: One academy assault is too many AFPN 10 Mar 2003 -- Air Force leaders met with reporters here March 7 for a roundtable discussion on recent sexual assault allegations by current and former cadets.
• National Communications System Joins Homeland Security Department AFPS 10 Mar 2003 -- After a nearly 40-year relationship with the Department of Defense, the National Communications System became part of the Department of Homeland Security March 5 during ceremonies at the Defense Information System Agency's Skyline 7 auditorium here.
• CJTF-HOA and Italian counterparts trade knowledge and troops USMC News 10 Mar 2003 -- Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and the crew of USS Mount Whitney have made working with their coalition partners a prominent part of the training and operations being conducted in the Horn of Africa region during the war against terrorism. Recently, building on the relationship with their Italian counterparts, the Mount Whitney crew and task force members both hosted members from the Italian ship, Mimbelli, and visited the Italian ship March 7.

Defense Industry

• Initial Flight Data Received on Delta IV Delivery of DSCS Boeing 10 Mar 2003 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta IV rocket successfully delivered to space on Monday the DSCS III A3 communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
• Boeing Delta IV Completes First Mission for U.S. Air Force Boeing 10 Mar 2003 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta IV rocket successfully delivered to space the first satellite for the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, or EELV, program today.
• BAE SYSTEMS Pilot Direct Broadcast System Achieves Delivery Milestone BAE Systems 10 Mar 2003 -- The Pilot Direct Broadcast System (DBS), designed and supplied by BAE Systems C4ISR to support the information management needs of British Forces during expeditionary deployments, has achieved its Mid Operating Capability (MOC) following a series of successful acceptance trials.
• BAE SYSTEMS Re-aligns Its Naval Businesses BAE Systems 10 Mar 2003 -- BAE Systems announces the next steps in the ongoing re-structuring of its naval businesses. Continuing in line with the build strategies announced in January 2003, Sea Systems Group will realign around three businesses reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer - Programmes. It is intended that this realignment be completed by mid-2003.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 10 Mar 2003
• Boucher Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Middle East Roadmap Washington File 10 Mar 2003 -- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher says the President Bush is personally committed to the Middle East "roadmap" that has as its goal two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Boucher was speaking at the regular State Department noon briefing March 10.
• U-S / MIDEAST ROADMAP VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The Bush administration insisted Monday it has not delayed a so-called "roadmap" for Israeli-Palestinian peace until after the Iraq crisis is resolved. It also said any new Palestinian prime minister should be empowered to be able to negotiate, and deliver on, the terms of peace with Israel.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The Palestinian parliament has voted overwhelmingly to establish a new post of prime minister but he will only have limited power. The decision follows pressure from the international community for genuine reform and reducing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's grip on power.

• IVORY COAST/SITREP VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The U-N special representative in Ivory Coast is investigating a recent outbreak of violence in the west of the country that could endanger a power-sharing agreement reached Saturday.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Reports of clashes, killings in the west cloud new agreement IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Cote d'Ivoire's political parties and rebel groups reached agreement on Saturday, at a roundtable meeting in Ghana, on the implementation of a joint-government accord stalled for over a month, but reports of killings in the west of the country cast a shadow over the new development.
• DR of Congo: UN assessment team headed to Bunia in bid to quell violence UN News Centre 10 Mar 2003 -- As Ugandan troops and rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to struggle for control over the town of Bunia, the United Nations dispatched a mission to the area today in a bid to calm tensions and pave the way for a ceasefire.
• DRC: Access to Bunia possible, Rwanda warned to stay away IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Humanitarian access to the embattled city of Bunia in Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is once again possible following a takeover on Thursday by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) from the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) rebel group, according to humanitarian sources.
• LIBERIA: Fighting on western border IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Fierce fighting has been reported over the past few days between Liberian government troops and rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) group around the town of Bo Waterside, on the border between Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• LIBERIA: Stop using child combatants, UNICEF director urges IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- UNICEF's regional director for West and Central Africa, Rima Salah, has appealed to the Liberian government and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to stop using children as combatants.
• ANGOLA: UNITA wives fear exclusion from govt aid IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- "Everyday I watch people leave Benfica. I am afraid that one day it will just be me and my sons left here. What will happen to us then?" asked Elisa Rebeca. "I was not a fighter but my husband was. I hope the government will remember me and my children."
• ANGOLA: Rehabilitation of child soldiers critical, UNICEF IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Healing the psychological wounds of former child soldiers and children separated from their families by war was important for Angola's long-term recovery as a nation. And reunification with the family was an important part of this process, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said.
• Continued support necessary to finalize Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process - Annan UN News Centre 10 Mar 2003 -- While progress has been made, the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process is now at a critical stage and the international community should continue lending its support in order to finalize the border demarcation, according to a report by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan released today in New York.
• ETHIOPIA: Concern over food for the displaced IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The international aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has expressed concern about the general food situation in the Shawe Camp at Dolo Mena, Bale, Oromiya Regional State, where an estimated 30,000 displaced people are awaiting resettlement.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Annan recommends extending UN mission's mandate IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE) - due to expire this month - until 15 September.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Border commission accuses Ethiopia of undermining peace IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The independent boundary commission has accused Ethiopia of "appearing to undermine" the peace process with Eritrea by seeking variations to the delimited border line.
• SOMALIA: EU condemns violations of interim peace deal IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The European Union has condemned violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed by the parties at the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya.
• SOMALIA: Opposition accuses TNG of trying to sabotage peace talks IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC) has accused the Transitional National Government (TNG) of trying to scuttle the ongoing peace talks. The SRRC is a grouping of the southern-based factions opposed to the TNG.
• UGANDA: Army denies blocking peace negotiations IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) has dismissed accusations that it deliberately sabotaged efforts by the government's peace team to meet commanders from the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) last Thursday.
• Timor-Leste: Security Council hears calls for delay in UN troop cutbacks UN News Centre 10 Mar 2003 -- Sounding "a warning bell at a critical time," the top United Nations peacekeeping official urged the Security Council today to delay cutbacks in UN military and police forces in Timor-Leste and to enhance support for local authorities in the face of recent civil disturbances and the increase in the number of armed groups in rural areas.
• In The Hague, Annan holds talks on finalizing Cyprus deal UN News Centre 10 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today met with the Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulous, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, in The Hague in a last-minute bid to gain approval of a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union next month.
• SRI LANKA / CLASH VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The Sri Lankan navy has sunk a Tamil Tiger ship suspected of smuggling weapons. The clash came shortly before opposition parties staged a large rally in the capital, Colombo, to protest the government's handling of the peace process with Tamil rebels.
• BURUNDI: EU calls for independent inquiry into Itaba massacre IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The EU wants the transitional government in Burundi to set up a "neutral and independent" inquiry into the 9 September 2002 killing of civilians in Itaba Commune, Gitega Province.
• SIERRA LEONE: Impressive gains have been made, UN envoy says IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- The international community should not shift its attention away from Sierra Leone because the country has made a "dramatic transformation", the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, told reporters in New York on Thursday.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: China donates US $106,000 towards national dialogue IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- China has given the Central African Republic (CAR) 65 million francs CFA (US $106,000) towards preparing for and hold a dialogue for national reconciliation, according to the head of the dialogue coordination committee, Bishop Paulin Pomodimo.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 10 Mar 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 10 Mar 2003
• Media Coverage of Military: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly AFPS 10 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. military is the best-trained, best-led and best-equipped force in the world, a senior defense official said today, and the American taxpayers deserve to see "just how professional that force is."
• FEDERAL DEFICIT VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- With the prospect of a war with Iraq looming ever closer, several American papers are beginning to place the costs of military action in a broader perspective. They worry that the growing federal deficit, reversing a trend of federal surpluses in recent year, may seriously accelerate when the full costs of a war, and post-war rebuilding are known.
• ZIMBABWE / TRIAL VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The treason trial of Zimbabwe's opposition leader got even more complicated Monday. The state's main witness in the trial admitted in the High Court that he has been charged with beating up his wife in Canada.
• 'Islam in America' Advertising campaign VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- Many Muslims in the United States are concerned about what they consider to be a rising tide of misunderstanding of Islam worldwide. In response, some private groups have launched advertising and educational campaigns they hope will improve Islam's image.
• PALESTINIAN POLITICS VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The Palestinian Legislative Council has approved the creation of a new post of prime minister for the Palestinian Authority. The vote is part of reforms aimed at restarting the peace process.
• NAURU PRESIDENT VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru has lost its president to heart disease. Bernard Dowiyogo died at a time when his country faces financial and political turmoil.
• CHINA NPC: BANKING REFORM VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- China's banks are staggering under 400 billion of dollars in debts that are not likely to be repaid, a situation that threatens economic growth and the badly needed jobs that go with it. Reforming China's banks and other financial institutions is a top priority for the nation's new leaders who will be formally appointed during the current session of the National People's Congress.
• CHINA NPC AGRICULTURE VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- China says it will be a long, hard task to help its impoverished farmers. The government plans to speed up urban development and better protect the rights of migrant workers to raise the incomes of the rural poor.
• CHINA / LI PENG BOWS OUT VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- The man most associated with the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in China's Tiananmen Square has given his political farewell speech. China's parliament chief Li Peng stayed true to his conservative views in parting words to the National People's Congress.
• CHINA / NPC GOVERNMENT REFORM VOA 10 Mar 2003 -- China's legislature has approved a plan for restructuring government departments to trim bloated bureaucracy. The significant change is the merger of the foreign and domestic trade ministries to better handle growing commerce as a member of the World Trade Organization.
• AFRICA: Leaders launch voluntary peer-review system IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- African leaders have initiated a mechanism for assessing one another's performance in areas such as democracy and good governance. The African Peer Review Mechanism was launched on Sunday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, at a summit on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an initiative aimed at spurring development and reducing poverty on the continent.
• MALI: IMF/World Bank debt relief IRIN 10 Mar 2003 -- Mali is to benefit from debt relief amounting to approximately US $675 million under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, IMF said in a news release on Friday.