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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• St. Pete Army Reservists Guard Captured Iraqi Airbase DefendAmerica.mil 18 Apr 2003 -- Less than three weeks ago, this small airfield was the site of a thundering tank and artillery battle between Iraqi loyalists and the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division forces, which was determined to grab what was one of the coalition's first strategic objectives of the war.
• Powell Welcomes NATO Takeover of ISAF in Afghanistan Washington File 18 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has welcomed the April 16 decision by NATO to take over the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
• Nighthawks return home ACCNS 18 Apr 2003 -- Five F-117 Nighthawks touched down here April 16 after supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
• Marines Fuel Coalition Forces USMC News 18 Apr 2003 -- A historic effort by Marine bulk fuelers here kept the coalition's "shock and awe" campaign from turning into "sputter and stall." Military planners tasked 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, with fueling coalition forces surging forward during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Deployed as a whole for the first time, the reserve bulk liquids-designated battalion assembled a 60-mile-long expeditionary fuel line six times longer than any other fuel line ever attempted in Marine Corps history.
• "You've Got Mail" in the middle of nowhere USMC News 18 Apr 2003 -- The last time coalition forces fought here, "e-mail" didn't exist. Twelve years later, Marines with 6th Engineer Support Battalion are providing Internet access, a secured computer network and an array of other communication services to meet Marines needs in the middle of the desert.
• Predator is headache for enemy AFPN 18 Apr 2003 -- One of the most formidable aircraft in the Operation Iraqi Freedom arsenal does not even carry a pilot. Appearing almost toy-like at a mere 27 feet long, the RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle that remains a huge headache for enemy forces.
• AFGHANISTAN: Insecurity threatening return programme, says UNHCR IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that deteriorating security in parts of Afghanistan is hampering its return programmes for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Defense Policy / Programs

• CNLFK Reservists Train for Exercise in Korea Navy NewStand 18 Apr 2003 -- Naval Reservists of Commander, U.S. Naval Logistics Forces Korea (CNLFK) continue to set the pace in joint logistical training and integrated operations.
• Supply Ship Passes Major Milestone Navy NewStand 18 Apr 2003 -- Newscasts these days are replete with images of ships launching Tomahawk missiles and jets taking off from the decks of aircraft carriers.
• Naval Reserve Intelligence: Seamless Integration with the Active Force Navy NewStand 18 Apr 2003 -- The Naval Reserve is making a notable contribution to the war on terrorism. That's because, since Sept. 11, 2001, 20,000 (cumulative) Naval Reservists have been recalled to active duty to support the fleet.
• War and Economy VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- With the allied military campaign winding down in Iraq, the Bush administration is turning its attention toward stimulating the nation's economy.
• Time-sensitive targeting adds combat flexibility AFPN 18 Apr 2003 -- An infusion of human decision making and 21st century technology has resulted in a system that has helped U.S. forces and their coalition partners dominate the battlefield in Iraq.
• Voyage Repair Team lauded by USS John C. Stennis NAVAIR 18 Apr 2003 -- The Voyage Repair Team gathers around arresting gear cylinders that they will install aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) when the carrier returns home from deployment.
• Secretary of the Navy visits Ronald Reagan Sailors Navy NewStand 18 Apr 2003 -- Eight bells, rainbow sideboys and a call of "Navy arriving," heralded the arrival of acting Secretary of the Navy, the honorable Hansford T. Johnson, aboard what will soon be the Navy's newest Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Defense Industry

• Lockheed Martin and Poland Sign Offset Agreement Valued at More Than $6 Billion Lockheed Martin 18 Apr 2003 -- The Polish Minister of Economy, Labour and Social Policy and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, a business area of Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], today signed a Master Offset Agreement valued at $6.023 billion as part of Poland's procurement of 48 F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft.
• F-35 Team Looks to Next Milestones Following Preliminary Design Review Lockheed Martin 18 Apr 2003 -- A successful Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter team looking ahead to upcoming milestones while closing out a handful of remaining PDR issues. As with all tactical aircraft programs, the most significant immediate challenge is weight reduction and control. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is a business area of Lockheed Martin Corp. [NYSE: LMT]

Other Conflicts

• INDIA/KASHMIR/VAJPAYEE VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has called for talks with Pakistan. He also held out the prospect of peace and development to the people of Indian Kashmir, in a landmark visit to the insurgency-wracked region. Kashmiri separatist groups called for a shut-down during the prime minister's visit.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Israel is maintaining tight control over the Palestinian territories this week during the holiday of Passover to guard against possible attacks by Palestinian militants. At the same time, Israel is hinting at easing restrictions and taking other measures to help boost the incoming government of newly designated Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas.
• ERITREA-SUDAN: Sudan denies sponsoring Eritrean rebels IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- Sudan has denied sponsoring Eritrean opposition groups to carry out operations inside Eritrea.
• UGANDA: Northern peace mediators call for patience IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- Northern Uganda’s Acholi religious leaders – the sole mediators between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels – have urged both sides to give peace talks more time to work.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Scores injured, some die, following air attacks - NGOs IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- A number of civilians, including children, are reported to have died this week following air attacks in western Cote d'Ivoire, according to NGO and humanitarian sources. Scores of people were evacuated and dozens were being treated in a hospital in Man, a rebel-held town 578 km northwest of the Ivorian commercial capital, Abidjan.

News Reports

• MALAYSIA / ANWAR APPEAL VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Malaysia's appeals court has upheld a nine-year prison sentence for former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Defense lawyers say they will now take their case to the highest court.
• Quality of cooperation among Black Sea countries key to achieving goals - Annan UN News Centre 18 Apr 2003 -- As Black Sea nations continue efforts to integrate into the European and global trade systems, the degree of collaboration among the countries in addressing a broad spectrum of issues will be a key factor in achieving their goals, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to a regional ministerial meeting set to open today in Armenia.
• CHINA LEADERS / SARS VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Chinese leaders are ordering health officials to improve reporting of severe acute respiratory syndrome cases, while at the same time agreeing to change the way it defines the disease. China has come under criticism for its handling of the mystery illness, which is believed to have started in southern China in November.
• ASIA / SARS VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Hong Kong's leader says his administration could have acted differently to stem the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the deadly, flu-like disease known as SARS. His comments came as the city undergoes a territory-wide scrubbing it hopes will eliminate the virus.
• NIGERIA / ELECTION PREVIEW VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Nigerians go to the polls Saturday to elect a president. If all goes well, it will be the first successful civilian-organized election in twenty years. There are fears voting irregularities or political violence could derail Nigeria's effort to firmly establish democracy.
• ZIMBABWE / INDEPENDENCE / STREET VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- Zimbabwe marked its Independence Day Friday. But because of the hard economic times, not everybody is celebrating.
• ZIMBABWE / INDEPENDENCE VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- In an Independence Day speech Friday, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe warned the opposition not to organize any more mass protests against his 23-year rule. This year's anniversary celebrations come at a time of unprecedented economic hardship for the country's people.
• Great Firewall of China VOA 18 Apr 2003 -- While some believe the Internet could be the greatest gift to free speech around the world, it certainly isn't impossible to muzzle it. Many governments around the world filter and impair the ability of the Internet to work the way it was intended. There are ways to get around filtering technologies.
• CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- In Central Asia this week another attack on an independent journalist in Kazakhstan was reported, this time by AP. The head of an independent opposition newspaper in Kazakhstan was badly beaten by unidentified attackers outside his home, his wife and colleagues said on Thursday.
• NIGERIA: Obasanjo warns rival; observers fault poll figures IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday warned his main rival in Saturday's presidential elections against inciting supporters and the security agencies to violence. The warning came as two election observer groups faulted figures released by the electoral commission on the 12 April parliamentary polls.
• GHANA: President re-imposes state of emergency in Dagbon IRIN 18 Apr 2003 -- Ghanaian President John Kufuor on Thursday extended a state of emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area, northern Ghana, two days after his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) failed to secure the required 101 votes in the 200-member parliament to do so.
• Boeing Launches Orbital Space Plane Design Boeing 18 Apr 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] engineers are designing the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) for NASA utilizing nearly 50 years of expertise in producing spacecraft.