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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• FH Pensacola Deploys in Support of 'Operation Enduring Freedom' Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- Fleet Hospital (FH) Pensacola, the contingency arm of Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., received orders and has now deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Soldiers hone skills on Desert Storm battlefield Army News 18 Mar 2003 -- While the United States grows closer to war with Iraq, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., sharpen their skills on what was once the battlefield of Operation Desert Storm.
• Patriot crews ready to defend desert sites Army News 18 Mar 2003 -- What seemed routine a few months ago can now mean the difference between life and death for air defenders deployed to the Persian Gulf region to aid in Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Afghan Rockets Miss U.S. Troops; More Leaflets Fall as Iraq Countdown Wanes AFPS 18 Mar 2003 -- While much of the nation's focus has been on the prospect of war with Iraq, U.S. military forces in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom are still the target of hostilities.
• Kitty Hawk Sailors Practice Good OPSEC Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- As USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) operates in the Arabian Gulf, operational security, or OPSEC, becomes more vital for the safety of the ship, its crew and its mission.
• Incirlik CES readies for possible contingency USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- It is taking a total team of permanent party and deployed U.S. Air Force members, plus military members from sister services and civilian contractors to complete multiple construction projects throughout the base here in preparation for a possible contingency operation.
• Desert Storm Warriors reunite USMC News 18 Mar 2003 -- It's been said, "it's a small world." Twelve years ago, they lived in underground holes on the Saudi and Kuwait border as young lieutenants. Not only did they come from different sides of the globe, cultures and religions; but also belonged to different military services.
• 'Black Knights' lift off as 26th MEU's ACE USMC News 18 Mar 2003 -- Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-264 departed New River, March 5, as the Aviation Combat Element of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable).

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Daily Briefing White House 18 Mar 2003
• Korean exercises kick off AFPN 18 Mar 2003 -- Forces from all U.S. services started arriving here March 11 for the peninsula's largest exercises.
• Team provides forces to commanders ACCNS 18 Mar 2003 -- Behind several layers of security here, the inner workings of Air Combat Command come together at the Contingency Action Team.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Roadmap Report 18 Mar 2003 -- This document will help guide the department, services and agencies in the development and use of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles for the next 25 years. Today I'd like to provide you a short summary of the contents of the roadmap, how it was developed, and some of the key highlights.
• NAVAIR Depot Makes Fleet Readiness Top Priority Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- In the fast-moving world of naval aviation, time can mean the difference between being ready to fight the battle when it must be fought or being less than ready to face the enemy from the strongest position.
• Getting Comfortable on Comfort Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) has added approximately 800 Sailors to the crew who have been on the ship since its departure from Baltimore in January, bringing Comfort to its full operating status. The ship is now able to care for 1,000 patients at a time.
• Alaskan Scouts Guard Anchorage Airfield AFPS 18 Mar 2003 -- An Alaska Army National Guard infantry scout who has more heart than body has proven to himself and his older brother that he has what it takes to help keep America safe from terrorists and anyone else who would do it harm.
• Pentagon Plans Heavy Investment in UAV Development AFPS 18 Mar 2003 -- The Defense Department today unveiled a billion dollar roadmap for unmanned aerial vehicles during the next 25 years. Plans call for developing joint interoperable UAVs that are capable of everything from surveillance to air strike.
• Post office delivers piece of home AFPN 18 Mar 2003 -- In a three-word phrase, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks summarized what could make or break a good day for airmen deployed to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing -- "You've got mail."
• E-8 promotion rates up; critical skills even higher AFPN 18 Mar 2003 -- The 1,612 master sergeants picked for promotion this year were selected using the chronic critical skills program for the first time.
• Task Force Uniform (TFU) to Make Changes to The Navy "Seabag" Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- Task Force Uniform (TFU) met in Washington March 18 to begin laying the groundwork for an assessement of Navy uniforms and to discuss options for implementing a more professional, sensible, cost-effective set of uniforms for the fleet.
• PersCo team crucial in deployed roll call USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- It's time to take the roll call. However, playing hooky from this attendance list will mean more than a mark in a teacher's book. It could mean a lost mission, a lost battle or worse.
• 'Total force' showing strength throughout USAFE, Air Force USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- The 'total force' muscle is showing it's strength throughout U.S. Air Forces in Europe as Air Force Reservists and Air National Guardsman answer the call of duty along side their active-duty counterparts, preparing for a possible war with Iraq.
• ANG provides installation entry control support USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- Approximately 100 soldiers from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard began training here March 11 as security forces augmentees.
• Forward Deployed - Forward Thinking: Navy Afloat Trauma System Takes Shape Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- The Arabian Gulf is brimming with U.S. Navy and coalition warships these days, all ready to carry out the missions they have trained for in preparation for future contingencies.
• Warriors train in the skills of close-combat USMC News 18 Mar 2003 -- Members of the Marine Air Ground Task Force-38 at the Philippine Interoperability Exchange Exercise here have recently absorbed new fighting techniques of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, which involves the use of knives, blades, swords, daggers, and anything which can be used in close-combat fighting.
• Advanced Technologies Program Is on the Battlefield AFPS 18 Mar 2003 -- U.S. military planners cannot allow chemical or biological attacks to stop operations.
• EUCOM Changes Force Protection Posture EUCOM 18 Mar 2003 -- The commander, U.S. European Command directed a EUCOM-wide force protection posture change today as a prudent measure to ensure the security and safety of our soldiers, sailors, airman, Marines, civilians, their families and our resources.
• Hawk/5 Team Supports Operation Southern Watch Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- In the middle of the Arabian Gulf, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) recently joined the international effort to patrol Iraq's southern no-fly zone.
• Tanker town: Deployed aircrews merge into largest CAF-North unit USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- Ask any business owner about the most important rule of economics and they will tell when demand exceeds supply, business is good. Ask the same question to a tanker crew when their demand far outweighs their supply and they will tell you business is booming. Literally.
• Historic meeting brings world leaders to Lajes USAFENS 18 Mar 2003 -- President George W. Bush flew here March 16 for a summit with three allies marking an historical chapter in Lajes history on the eve of a possible war with Iraq.
• Environment Top Priority for NAF Key West Pollution Prevention Team Navy NewStand 18 Mar 2003 -- Three Naval Air Facility (NAF) Key West employees were recently selected winners of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) 2002 Environmental Award for Pollution Prevention in the team category.
• USS Pasadena (SSN 752) Deploys COMSUBPAC 18 Mar 2003 -- USS Pasadena (SSN 752) left for a six-month deployment Mar. 17. The Los Angeles Class attack submarine and its crew of 130 men will be conducting missions in support of the Global War on Terrorism or possible contingencies elsewhere in the world.
• U.S. Air Force Uses New Tools to Minimize Civilian Casualties Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- The art and science of minimizing both civilian casualties and the destruction of cultural sites, homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and other non-military assets in warfare has come a remarkably long way in little more than half a century, especially in the area of air warfare.

• NATO to End Operation Allied Harmony in Macedonia Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- NATO has announced that as of March 31 it will end Operation Allied Harmony in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as the European Union commences a successor operation in that country.

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS Digital Autopilot System Selected For U.S. Navy P-3 Programme BAE Systems 18 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. Navy has selected BAE Systems Digital Autopilot System for select configurations of its P-3 patrol aircraft. The product was selected based on its suitability for long-range maritime patrol missions.
• Army Orders Vehicles for Third Stryker Brigade from General Dynamics General Dynamics 18 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. Army today began ordering a third brigade of Stryker wheeled combat vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). The order, for 113 of 309 vehicles, is valued at $156.2 million. Deliveries of the vehicles will occur between February and June 2004. The vehicles are part of a $4 billion order awarded in November 2000 to equip the Army’s six new Stryker Brigade Combat Teams with 2,131 Stryker armored vehicles.
• General Dynamics Looks Forward to Additional A-12 Proceedings General Dynamics 18 Mar 2003 -- On March 17, 2003, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated the U.S. Court of Federal Claims’ judgment in favor of the government in the A-12 case and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court misapplied the controlling legal standard in concluding that the termination for default could be sustained solely on the basis of the contractors’ inability to complete the first flight of the first test aircraft by December 1991. Rather, the Court of Appeals held that in order to uphold a termination for default the trial court would have to determine that there was no reasonable likelihood that the contractors could perform the entire contract effort within the time remaining for performance.
• Lockheed Martin Adds Vindicator as Security Solution Partner Lockheed Martin 18 Mar 2003 -- Lockheed Martin today announced it has signed an agreement with Vindicator Technologies to resell Vindicator's physical security systems.
• Pratt & Whitney's Field Support and Training System for F119 Engine Receives Operational Approval from USAF Pratt & Whitney 18 Mar 2003 -- Pratt & Whitney’s (P&W) F119-PW-100 engine powering the F/A-22 Raptor fighter aircraft has received Support System Release (SSR) approval from the U.S. Air Force, signifying that the engine’s field support program is ready for operational service.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 18 Mar 2003
• U.S. Condemns Seizure of Power in Central African Republic Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- The United States March 18 condemned the attack and seizure of power that has taken place in the Central African Republic.
• C-A-R/COUP VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- The rebels who have taken over the Central African Republic are trying to stop widespread looting.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: New leader consolidates power, France sends troops IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- The leader of the coup in the Central African Republic (CAR), Francois Bozize, met army and police chiefs on Monday in an attempt to impose law and order in the capital.
• DR of Congo: parties in Ituri region sign ceasefire under UN auspices UN News Centre 18 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today announced the signing of a local-level ceasefire in the country's north-eastern Ituri region, ending weeks of spiralling violence and escalating tensions.
• DRC: Ituri ceasefire deal signed IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Delegates of the Ugandan and Congolese government, different rebel groups, and ethnic militia operating in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed a ceasefire accord on Tuesday in Bunia, the principal city in Ituri District of Orientale Province.
• DRC-TANZANIA: MONUC now channelling supplies through Dar es Salaam IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- In a bid to reduce costs and increase efficiency, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) is now using Tanzania as the staging post for transporting supplies to its peacekeepers in the east of the DRC, according to MONUC officials.
• Liberia: 15,000 more flee fighting in northeast, UN reduces staff in border areas UN News Centre 18 Mar 2003 -- A further 15,000 people have fled fighting between government and rebel forces in north-eastern Liberia, swelling the number of internal refugees there to 75,000, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires (OCHA) said Tuesday.
• LIBERIA: Fighting escalates 15,000 displaced IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Escalating fighting between Liberian government forces and rebels has displaced at least 15,000 people from Gbarnga, 150 km north of the Liberia's capital, Monrovia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday.
• PRESS BRIEFING ON CAMBODIA BY UN LEGAL COUNSEL United Nations 18 Mar 2003
• RWANDA WAR CRIMES VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Leading international judges say, despite a late start and lack of resources, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has been successful in bringing justice to victims of Rwanda's genocide. The judges came to the United Nations in Geneva to attend a special ceremony held to honor the tribunal's accomplishments.
• ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian militant were killed in overnight violence in a village near the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The latest deaths come amid intensifying security sweeps by Israeli troops in the Palestinian territories.
• SRI LANKA TALKS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- The government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels have opened four days of peace talks in Japan aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running civil wars. The meeting comes nine days after a deadly naval clash between the two sides.
• UGANDA: Eight killed in LRA attack IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) killed eight people on Monday during an ambush on a truck in Mucwini, Kitgum district, in the north of the country, according to the Ugandan army.
• AFRICA: Sahelo-Saharan states agree on conflict resolution mechanism IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Member countries of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States [CEN-SAD]) have agreed to set up a mechanism for preventing, managing and settling conflicts within the 18-member community. A protocol to this effect was adopted at the fifth annual summit of the CEN-SAD [in French, Communauté des Etats sahélo-sahariens], held on 14-15 March 2003 in Niamey, Niger.
• CONGO: Government, rebels reafirm commitment to peace IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Ninja rebels and the government of the Republic of Congo (ROC) have entered into a new commitment to restore peace in the crisis-torn Pool region.
• SOMALIA: Talks to start on provisional government IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- The Kenyan chairman of the Somali peace talks, Bethwel Kiplagat, said on Tuesday the conference would soon start work on setting up a provisional, broad-based federal government for Somalia, but appealed for guidance on how this should be done.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 18 Mar 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 18 Mar 2003
• INFECTIONS / VULNERABLITY VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- U-S public health experts say the world is inadequately prepared to fight infectious diseases such as the pneumonia-like illness emerging from Asia. A panel that studied the issue for the U-S National Academy of Sciences says the United States should do more to increase the global capacity to respond to disease outbreaks.
• U.S. Disease Center "Working Around the Clock" on Fast-Moving Illness Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- Health researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are "working around the clock" to identify the cause and nature of a rapidly-spreading illness, according to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.
• ASIA PNEUMONIA VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Cases of a new deadly strain of pneumonia that originated in Asia are increasing and spreading around the world. In Hong Kong, one of the worst affected cities, the outbreak has forced one hospital to partially close. The World Health Organization is putting more resources behind tracing the origin of the illness.
• Security Council calls for West African cooperation to curb small arms trafficking UN News Centre 18 Mar 2003 -- Voicing deep concern at the effect the spread of small arms and light weapons, as well as mercenary activities, has had on peace and security in West Africa, the United Nations Security Council today called on countries there to strengthen their cooperation in order to identify individuals and entities engaged in the trafficking of such weapons and who support mercenary activities.
• Annan urges global help for West Africa to stem flood of small arms UN News Centre 18 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the international community to spare no effort to help rein in the phenomenon of mercenary activity that drives the uncontrolled spread of small arms in West Africa.
• UN / AFRICA / ARMS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- The U-N Security Council took a break from the looming war against Iraq Tuesday, and passed a resolution aimed at combating the illegal proliferation of small arms and the use of mercenaries in West Africa.
• ZIMBABWE / STRIKE VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Zimbabweans have gone on strike in massive numbers, and many businesses have closed to join the protest, following a call by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. A police spokesman says more than 50 opposition activists were arrested and three policemen were injured in various incidents in and around Harare.
• U-N / U-S HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- The United States and other countries have strongly criticized the choice of Libya to lead the U-N Human Rights Commission. But U-S delegate Jeanne Kirkpatrick, surprised the commission by what she did not say in an address during its meeting in Geneva
• Oil Prices Down VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Financial markets were again mostly higher Tuesday and oil prices fell very sharply for the second straight day. Traders are anticipating a short and successful U-S military campaign against Iraq.
• SERBIA/POLITICS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Serbia's parliament has elected the successor of the assassinated Prime Minister Zoran Djindic. Zoran Zivkovic was elected amid news that hundreds of people have been arrested as the hunt for the killers continues.
• PALESTINIANS / REFORM VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- The Palestinian parliament today (Tuesday) approved a bill defining the powers of the new post of prime minister.
• Human Rights Must be Protected by Rule of Law, Kirkpatrick Says Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- Human rights must be protected by the rule of law or they will be trampled by despots, says Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva.
• U.N. Commission on Human Rights Opens Six-Week Session Washington File 18 Mar 2003 -- The 59th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights began in Geneva March 17 and will continue until April 25, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva announced.
• ZIMBABWE / STRIKE VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Zimbabweans have gone on strike in massive numbers, and many businesses have closed to join the protest called by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The main cities and towns shut down in the biggest strike in the country's history.
• EGYPT / TRIAL VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Egypt's highest court has acquitted an Egyptian-American human-rights activist following his third trial on charges of tarnishing Egypt's image. Judges ordered the full acquittal of Saadeddin Ibrahim in a case that had strained ties between Egypt and the United States.\
• CHINA / NPC CLOSE VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- China's new president is promising to rejuvenate the nation, as he takes power in the country's smoothest leadership transition in more than half a century
• ARGENTINA / POLITICS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Next Month, on April 27, voters will go to the polls in Argentina to elect a new president. The campaign comes at a time when Argentines are worried about a war in the Persian Gulf and shaken by an economic crisis at home. The candidates who will contest the election are, for the most part, familiar faces.
• PAKISTAN HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 18 Mar 2003 -- Human-rights activists in Pakistan are warning they believe a U-S led military action against Iraq is likely to fuel extremism and repression in Pakistan.
• GHANA: Rawlings asked to respond to torture allegations IRIN 18 Mar 2003 -- Ghana's National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) has asked former president Jerry Rawlings to answer allegations that he witnessed the torture and murder of political activists in 1984, while he was head of state.
• SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM HOLDS FIRST SUMMIT Lockheed Martin 18 Mar 2003 -- The Space Shuttle Program will hold the first of what will be an annual Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Summit March 19 and 20 at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La.