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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• More Miramar Marines deploy in support of OIF USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- The Marines Corps did not obtain a reputation as "America's 911 force" easily; it has been earned more than 200 years of successful last-minute operations and deployments to protect freedom around the world.
• Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16; The unsung heroes, keeping the helos in the air USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- To understand how Marine Corps Air Station Miramar's Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 Marines function, you have to think of the airplanes mysterious "Black Box," according to Maj. Tim Herington, officer-in-charge aviation logistics division, MALS-16.
• Errant Bomb Kills 11 Afghan Civilians AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- A tragic accident in Afghanistan today killed 11 civilians and wounded one, said Combined Task Force 180 officials.
• General speaks about space role in Iraq Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- Army Space Forces are actively engaged in current operations in Iraq and globally.
• Afghans killed when coalition bomb misses target Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- Eleven Afghan civilians were killed and one was wounded this morning when a bomb, dropped by coalition aircraft, landed on a house on the outskirts of Shkin, near the Pakistani border
• AFGHANISTAN/CIVILIANS VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- A bombing raid by coalition forces in Afghanistan has killed 11 Afghan civilians.
• AFGHANISTAN/CIVILIANS VOA 09 Apr 2003-- U-S military officials say that 11 Afghan civilians have died in a bombing by coalition forces in Afghanistan
• AFGHANISTAN: Heavy toll on civilians in years of war IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- Almost a quarter of a century of war in Afghanistan has taken a heavy toll of the population, estimated at 25 million. Still locked in abject poverty, millions of Afghans have been killed, maimed, displaced or forced to leave their country in a series of some of the most gruesome conflicts of modern times.
• AFGHANISTAN: Women want new constitution to reflect their needs IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- As tentative steps are taken towards nation building in Afghanistan, women are calling for full participation in the formulation of the nation's new constitution.

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Press Briefing White House 09 Apr 2003
• Nuclear forces transform to meet requirements AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- The Air Force is modernizing its strategic systems even as the nation reduces its nuclear stockpile, the director of Air Force nuclear operations said April 8.
• Army to merge PERSCOM, Army Reserve Personnel Command Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- The Army announced today that it will create a single command to perform the functions of the current U.S. Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Va., and U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Command in St. Louis, Mo.
• ARMY INTEGRATES PERSCOM AND AR-PERSCOM Army Release 09 Apr 2003 -- The Department of the Army announced today it would create a single command to perform the functions of the current U.S. Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Va. and U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Command, in St Louis, Mo.
• Maintainers prepare F-15s for wild blue yonder ACCNS 09 Apr 2003 -- Senior Airman Jon Wilcox stands before the hulking mass of gray metal filled with jet fuel, reaches up and pats the jet's nose.
• Fabrication flight builds new tent prototype, saves thousands ACCNS 09 Apr 2003 -- The 33rd Maintenance Squadron fabrication flight stepped up to the challenge when asked to construct a prototype large capacity collective protection liner.
• Reservist testifies about mobilization AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- Television viewers who tuned into C-SPAN on April 3 may have seen an Air Force reservist from here testifying before a House Armed Services subcommittee.
• CENTAF command chief addresses issues AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- As Air Force operations continue in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the service's senior enlisted member in Southwest Asia says the exact future of operations has yet to be determined.
• Congress interested in reserve issues AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- Congress has increased its focus on helping the reserve components since more than 200,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve have been mobilized for the war on terrorism.
• New concept stands up in war USAFENS 09 Apr 2003 -- A new munitions tracking program here has faced the true test and made the transition from a contingency tool to a wartime plan of operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Rhein-Main sets AMC airlift record USAFENS 09 Apr 2003 -- There is little rest at the busiest base in the Air Force. The 362nd Aerospace Expeditionary Group at Rhein-Main Air Base can make this claim after setting an Air Mobility Command record with 758 C-17 departures in March.
• SGLI provides war-related coverage AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- Military members covered by the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance are covered in the event of death in a military conflict. But surviving family members of those who choose commercial life-insurance policies instead of SGLI coverage may not be so lucky.
• Munitions tool passes wartime test AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- A new munitions-tracking program has passed the wartime test at a forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• B-52 dons new upgrade AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- Aircrews flying the Air Force's oldest aircraft can now better verify targets and pick them themselves thanks to experts integrating a targeting pod on the B-52 Stratofortress.
• Scrubbing pads join cluster bombs in crucial fight USAFENS 09 Apr 2003 -- To the arsenal of Air Force cluster bombs, joint direct-attack munitions and Maverick missiles, add scrubbing pads, towels and pressure washers.
• AF members build friendships, bridges in Romania USAFENS 09 Apr 2003 -- They've been waiting for Americans to arrive for nearly 60 years. When World War II ended, many Romanians thought the Americans would next liberate their country from the Soviets' communist rule. But it would be another five decades of world-changing history, and a war in the Middle East, before the American military would land irmy Space Forces are actively engaged in current operations in Iraq and globally.
• Units extend helping hand USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- Selected units from 3rd Marine Division recently participated in a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) within the training area here.
• Airfield management providing clear runway AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- An increased operations tempo means busier traffic on the runways used by the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location. But thanks to the 380th Operations Support Squadron's airfield management team, the airfield environment remains clear and safe for base people.
• NAVY TO COMMISSION NEW GUIDED-MISSILE DESTROYER MASON 09 Apr 2003 -- The newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Mason, will be commissioned on Saturday, April 12, 2003, during an 11 a.m. ceremony in Port Canaveral, Fla. She will be homeported in Norfolk, Va., with a crew of 365 officers and enlisted personnel. Cmdr. David Gale of Lebanon, N.Y., will become Mason's first commanding officer.
• Fleet Hospital 8 Opens Larger Hospital Navy NewStand 09 Apr 2003 -- Fleet Hospital (FH) 8, currently deployed to Naval Station (NAVSTA), Rota, Spain, continues to receive more casualties from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom while new staff members construct a larger 250-bed field hospital.
• U.S. Missile Defense Program "On Track," Agency Director Says Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. missile defense program "is on track" and "we have the confidence to proceed with plans for an initial defense capability," says Lieutenant General Ronald Kadish, director of the Missile Defense Agency.

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS To Revolutionise Electronic Warfare For DARPA'S WolfPack Programme BAE Systems 09 Apr 2003 -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected BAE Systems to develop miniaturised, unattended ground sensors capable of detecting, identifying and jamming communications and radar threat signals for the "WolfPack" programme.
• Boeing, CSCs DynCorp Technical Services Create New Joint Venture for Military Support Boeing 09 Apr 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and DynCorp Technical Services LLC, a Computer Sciences Corporation [NYSE:CSC] company, have created Aviation Technical Services LLC, a wholly and jointly owned company to offer support services to the U.S. military.
• General Dynamics Awarded $24.2 Million Contract for Bradley Transmissions and Turret Drive Systems General Dynamics 09 Apr 2003 -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $24.2 million contract by United Defense for 138 Bradley HMPT 500-3ECB transmission assemblies and 138 turret drive systems. These components are used in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle M2A3 product improvement program.
• Lockheed Martin's SPY-1F Radar Achieves Live Track Lockheed Martin 09 Apr 2003 -- Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated the first live track with the first production SPY-1F radar system, by detecting and tracking live air targets. The SPY-1F radar is the newest member of Lockheed Martin's SPY-1 family of radars to enter into production.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded LANTIRN Spares Contract Lockheed Martin 09 Apr 2003 -- Lockheed Martin was awarded a $13.7 million firm-fixed-price contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide spare parts for the AAQ-13/14 Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system. This effort supports U.S. Air Force requirements as well as Foreign Military Sales to Greece and Israel.
• ATK Propulsion and Composite Technologies Support Launch of Military Satellite Aboard Titan IV B Rocket ATK 09 Apr 2003 -- ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE:ATK) solid propulsion and composite technologies supported the successful launch yesterday of a Lockheed Martin Titan IV B rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. that successfully placed into orbit a Department of Defense Milstar II communications satellite.
• Viper Strike Munition Released From Hunter UAV Scores Direct Hits In U.S. Army-Northrop Grumman Tests Northrop Grumman 09 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. Army's new Viper Strike precision munition, supplied by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and dispensed from its Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), scored seven direct hits in nine attempts against targets in demonstrations conducted March 29 and 30. Targets ranged from compact pickup trucks to multiple rocket and missile launchers to a countermeasured tank.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 09 Apr 2003
• CONGRESS CONFLICT DIAMONDS VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The U-S Senate is expected to follow the House of Representatives and pass legislation this week aimed at banning international trade in uncut diamonds that fund rebel activities in Africa.

• Annan deeply concerned by Israel's air attack in Gaza neighbourhood UN News Centre 09 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today voiced his deep concern about Israel's air attack last night in Gaza, which left seven Palestinians dead and dozens more wounded, and repeated earlier calls for an end to violence by all sides and a return to the negotiating table.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- An explosion in a Palestinian high school near the West Bank city of Jenin has injured at least 20 students, several of them seriously. A radical Jewish group claimed responsibility, but Israeli police say they cannot confirm who was behind the incident.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 09 Apr 2003-- Israeli forces have killed at least six Palestinians, including a military leader of Hamas, in an air strike in the Gaza Strip

• CONGO/FIGHTING VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- U-N officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the death toll from last week's alleged massacre of villagers by ethnic militias is much lower than what was earlier reported.
• DRC: Rebels declare Kabila's inauguration "invalid" IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- The rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma)on Tuesday declared as "invalid" the swearing-in on Monday of Joseph Kabila as interim president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• DRC: UN warns Ituri massacre perpetrators may face international court IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, warned on Tuesday that those behind last week's massacre in the Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be charged before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• SAF/GREAT LAKES VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for a U-N investigation into last week's massacre in eastern Congo. The call came after talks between five African leaders in the latest bid to bring peace to the troubled country.
• SAF / GREAT LAKES VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Five African leaders are meeting (have met) in Cape Town to discuss threats to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The summit comes after the signing of a peace deal coupled with a series of setbacks.
• Rice, State's Haass Brief on Iraq, Russia, N. Ireland Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- Establishing an interim authority in Iraq depends in large part on circumstances on the ground as coalition forces continue to secure areas, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said April 8, adding she does not think anyone "is making a hasty decision" on when to set it up.

• EAST TIMOR INDICTMENTS VOA 09 Apr 2003-- Prosecutors in East Timor have indicted 16 more people, including eight Indonesian military officers, on charges of crimes against humanity. The indictment alleges that the military participated in a massacre at a church days after East Timor voted to break free of Indonesian rule in 1999
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: CEMAC forces in CAR to number 350 IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- The strength of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) force which will remain in the Central African Republic (CAR), has been set at 350, CEMAC said on Tuesday.
• SOMALIA: Mandate of UN arms embargo panel extended IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- The UN Security Council has ordered an extension of the mandate of the UN panel of experts investigating violations of the arms embargo against Somalia for a further six months.
• SUDAN: Problems and progress with civilian protection IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- Sudan's is Africa's longest running civil war. It is controversial not only because the humanitarian community has faced severe problems in securing free and unhindered access to affected populations but also because of persistent reports of the deliberate military targeting of non-combatants.
• NIGERIA: Act on Delta violence, HRW tells government, oil companies IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday called on the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies to take immediate measures to prevent further violence and abuses around the southern town of Warri, located in the Niger Delta.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 09 Apr 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 09 Apr 2003

• NIGERIA/ELECTIONS VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Efforts to distribute voter registration cards in Nigeria appear to be off to a slow start before elections later this month.

• SARS VIRUS VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- New reseach provides evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS is caused by a new virus related to two common cold viruses.
• Emergence of SARS Shows Danger of Becoming Complacent Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- More needs to done to defend against a deadly virus, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), April 7. "The emergence of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) has reminded us yet again that we must not become complacent."
• U.S. Infectious Disease Experts Work to Find SARS Vaccine Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has been working to develop a vaccine to prevent infection from the virus causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension April 7, Fauci also said a diagnostics test to confirm SARS cases is being researched.
• ASIA / PNEUMONIA CHINA VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- World Health Organization experts say they want to expand their investigation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome into Beijing and other parts of China. The comments follow allegations the Chinese government has covered up the extent of infections in Beijing.
• ASIA PNEUMONIA VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- In Hong Kong, fears are growing that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is spreading from one housing complex to another. Around Asia, fear of the disease has pushed many governments to consider bans on visitors from infected areas.