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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Marine Air Group 11 prepares for homecoming USMC News 25 Apr 2003 -- Thirty Marine Aircraft Group 11 Marines returned home from Operation Iraqi Freedom Tuesday.
• U.S. Navy's first Tomahawk shooter of Operation Iraqi Freedom returns to Pearl Harbor COMSUBPAC 25 Apr 2003 -- Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), the Navy's first ship to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned from nearly nine months at sea on April 24.
• Message provides guidance for time off after deployment ACCNS 25 Apr 2003 -- Air Combat Command's airmen returning from deployments of 12 weeks or longer will receive four days of compensatory time off, plus 10 days for recovery and reconstitution, according to the command's personnel directorate.
• Offutt crews return home after supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom ACCNS 25 Apr 2003 -- Airmen from the 55th Wing returned from an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment April 18 and 22 to cheers of joy and support from family members, co-workers, local media and community leaders.
• SMA visits Afghanistan forward bases Army News 25 Apr 2003 -- Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack Tilley visited soldiers from Coalition Task Force 82 and special operations soldiers at forward operating bases in Afghanistan April 22 to thank them for their hard work and to address any concerns the soldiers had.
• PENTAGON/AFGHANISTAN VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Two U-S servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan in a gun battle with suspected Taleban fighters near the Pakistani border.
• Enemy Attack Kills 1, Injures 5 Americans in Afghanistan AFPS 25 Apr 2003 -- One American service member was killed and five injured in an attack this morning in Afghanistan, defense officials said.
• SERVICEMEMBER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN CENTCOM 25 Apr 2003 -- One U.S. servicemember was killed and five wounded at about 11:00 a.m. today in the vicinity of a rocket launch site previously used by enemy forces east of Fire Base Shkin near the Pakistan border in Paktika Province.
• Soldiers pack up Patriot missle launchers USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- Since before the war with Iraq began, the U.S. and Turkish governments have been working diligently to plan for any support for contingency operations in Turkey. As a result of that planning, NATO sent Patriot missile batteries to protect Turkey from attacks from Iraq, in an operation dubbed "Display Deterrence."
• 86th CRG medical staff keep forces healthy USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- Members from the 86th Contingency Response Group medical team here recently deployed to open an airfield in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Defense Policy / Programs

• SECRETARY OF THE ARMY THOMAS E. WHITE RESIGNS 25 Apr 2003 -- Secretary Thomas E. White today submitted his resignation as Secretary of the Army.
• FIRST JOINT PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE FORMED 25 Apr 2003 -- The Department of Defense today announced the formation of the first ever Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD). This DoD initiative will focus on the protection of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines against the use of battlefield chemical and biological weapons.
• DARPA-Developed Device Bridges Language Divides AFPS 25 Apr 2003 -- Non-linguist U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have been able to communicate with local citizens by using a paperback-book-sized device called the phraselator.
• Blue Ridge departs Saipan, continues Tandem Thrust '03 Seventh Fleet 25 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet command ship, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), and embarked Commander, 7th Fleet staff completed a two-day port visit here April 25, and are heading back to sea for the second phase of Exercise Tandem Thrust '03.
• Atlantic Ordnance Command ORDEX-03 a Huge Success Navy NewStand 25 Apr 2003 -- Atlantic Ordnance Command (LANTORDCOM) held a comprehensive ordnance exercise, ORDEX-03, at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Yorktown, Va., April 11, 12 and 13.
• Hardened shelters replace tents in Hodja Village USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- 39th Civil Engineer Squadron Prime BEEF and 39th Services Squadron airmen were recently tasked to tear down tents in the 1100 area of Hodja Village here to make room for hardened shelters.
• FPCON BRAVO: no reason to let down guard USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- Bases within the European command returned to Force Protection Condition Bravo April 25.
• ONW, 39th ASEW shaped the way AF deploys USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- When Operation Northern Watch ended at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, so too did the mission of its lesser known counterpart, the 39th Air and Space Expeditionary Wing.
• 39th SFS gear up for surety inspection USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- In preparation for an upcoming surety inspection, the 39th Security Forces Squadron held a recapture and recovery exercise April 17 at a protective aircraft shelter on the flightline.
• Construction project transforms appearance of KMC USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- One look around the KMC will reveal concrete foundations, brick walls, new roads, green fences and construction cranes. Construction sites scattered throughout the KMC include piles of dirt, holes in the ground, bulldozers and hard hats everywhere.
• Air Force forward-operating base scales down after operation USAFE 25 Apr 2003 -- From February to April, Fairford became an anonymous "forward-deployed location" for B-52s that flew 120 missions over Iraq.
• People are the key to air power, CSAF says AFPN 25 Apr 2003 -- The men and women of the Air Force are the basis of America's air and space power, according to the Air Force chief of staff.
• Rotary-wing asset saves lives AFPN 25 Apr 2003 -- Saving lives in a combat environment means taking risks. It means going where no one else can to get the person to medical help.
• CV-22 reaches high point in history AFPN 25 Apr 2003 -- The CV-22 Osprey test program recently reached a high point in its flight test history when Osprey 7 successfully completed a terrain-following radar exercise during the multimode radar test plan segment here.
• Navy Researchers Field Test Dental Equipment For Deployment Navy NewStand 25 Apr 2003 -- It's no ordinary dental chair for deployed Marines, and there is nothing ordinary about the stool, the hand-held dental x-ray unit, the sink or the myriad of other items used to treat dental casualties on the battlefield.
• Port Hueneme Division Provides Fleet Support During Operation Iraqi Freedom NAVSEA News 25 Apr 2003 -- In support of recent operations in Iraq, a team from Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division used a form of distance support to provide technical assistance to the Fleet.
• Northrop Grumman Delivers Mustin to Navy NAVSEA News 25 Apr 2003 -- The Navy this month took delivery of its newest ship, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Mustin, (DDG 89) from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Ingalls Operation in Pascagoula, Miss.
• NAVSEA Commands Lauded for Environmental Contributions NAVSEA News 25 Apr 2003 -- Three Naval Sea Systems Command field activities were recognized this week as runners-up in the Secretary of the Navy Environmental Awards competition for 2002.
• CSS Diver Display Technology Locates Space Shuttle Debris NAVSEA News 25 Apr 2003 -- Upon encountering some of the most challenging diving conditions he'd ever experienced, Naval Sea Systems Command's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Capt. Jim Wilkins contacted Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division's Coastal Systems Station (CSS) and requested the deployment of two prototype Limpet Mine Sonar (LIMIS) systems to assist in finding the STS-107 Columbia space shuttle debris.
• FUSS Capabilities Expanding Throughout Fleet NAVSEA News 25 Apr 2003 -- Making selected surface combatants more adaptable to new roles and missions is the goal of an ongoing effort to install Flexible Universal Stowage Systems (FUSS) on Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, Spruance-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
• PACAF units make the grade after ORI PACAFNS 25 Apr 2003 -- The 7th Air Force, 51st Fighter Wing and 8th Fighter Wing lived up to their core values by earning "Excellent" ratings on the Pacific Air Forces Operational Readiness Inspection that ended April 11.
• Key leaders meet to view present and future communications assets USMC News 25 Apr 2003 -- Key Marine decision makers met in April to view a demonstration of the Data Automated Communications Terminal and discuss the future of Marine Corps communications technology used by the Ground Combat Element.
• Facilities Maintenance - keeping the Depot running smoothly, problem free USMC News 25 Apr 2003 -- Life aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, runs like clockwork thanks to a team of Marines and civilians who maintain the day-to-day operations.
• Power Plants: Marines who keep the Corps flying USMC News 25 Apr 2003 -- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to a job where you are responsible for the maintenance and efficiency of the $2 million engines that keep F/A-18 Hornet and KC-130 pilots safely flying their missions worldwide?

• Powell Discusses NATO, Coalition Efforts in Iraq With Latvia TV Washington File 25 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is "quite confident" the United States will approve NATO membership for Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
• Powell Discusses Asian Support for U.S. Foreign Policy Washington File 25 Apr 2003 -- Following is a transcript of Secretary of State Colin Powell's April 24 remarks to the United States Asia Pacific Council Symposium on the support Asian countries have provided with regard to Operation Iraqi Freedom, anti-terrorism efforts, the North Korean situation, and other foreign policy issues

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS Awarded Flight Control Upgrade For U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III BAE Systems 25 Apr 2003 -- JOHNSON CITY, New York -- Future U.S. Air Force C-17 transports will get a major flight control upgrade following the award of two development programs to BAE Systems.
• EADS INTEGRATES U.S. ACTIVITIES INTO EADS NORTH AMERICA EADS 25 Apr 2003 -- EADS, the world’s second largest aerospace and defense company, announced on Friday the formation of EADS North America and integration of the Company’s wholly owned U.S. operating units into EADS North America, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
• General Dynamics Awarded $31.5 Million Contract for Intelligent Munitions System General Dynamics 25 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. Army's TACOM-ARDEC Picatinny Center for Contracting and Commerce, on behalf of the U.S. Army's Office of the Program Manager for Close Combat Systems (OPM/CCS) at Picatinny Arsenal, has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $31.5 million contract for the Increment I Technology Development phase of the Intelligent Munitions System (IMS) program.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 25 Apr 2003
• DRC-UGANDA: Withdrawal of Ugandan troops hits snag IRIN 25 Apr 2003 -- The withdrawal of Ugandan troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffered a setback on Thursday when one of three airplanes due to fly back the troops made an emergency landing at Bunia's tiny airport.
• DRC: Hundreds flee fighting in Uvira IRIN 25 Apr 2003 -- Close to 1,000 people fled Uvira, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Friday after fighting broke out between rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Goma (RCD-Goma) forces who control the town, and Mayi Mayi militia, local sources told IRIN.
• BUSH / MIDDLE EAST VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says he believes the Middle East will move closer to peace now that Palestinian authorities have agreed on a new prime minister. Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit the region next week in hopes of ending the violence.
• Bush Says He is Pushing for Middle East Reform Washington File 25 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says he is pushing for reform in the Middle East, including the setting up of a democratic government in Iraq and acceleration of the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
• EDITORIAL: A PALESTINIAN CABINET VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Palestinian Prime Minister-Designate Abu Mazen has proposed a cabinet. The names will be submitted for approval to the Palestinian Legislative Council. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that the U.S. welcomes the step

• Security Council must not lose sight of urgent need for solution to Liberian conflict - Annan UN News Centre 26 Apr 2003 -- Amid reports of brazen mercenary activities, political finger pointing and failing social services, the security situation has deteriorated so badly in Liberia that it is virtually impossible to reach desperate refugees and internally displaced persons, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report out today.
• UN envoy gets first-hand look at volatile western Côte d'Ivoire UN News Centre 26 Apr 2003 -- Continuing an eight-day mission to evaluate the current humanitarian conditions in Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations envoy for the crisis today left Abidjan to visit the volatile western part of the country, where tens of thousands of internally displaced people are sheltered.
• Annan asks for 1-year extension of UN mission in Timor-Leste UN News Centre 26 Apr 2003 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed to the Security Council to extend for another year the mandate of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste, where he says the security environment continues to deteriorate.
• INDIA/KASHMIR BOMBING VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Three people were killed and 34 others injured Friday when a suspected bomb exploded at a courthouse in Indian-administered Kashmir. Eleven others in Kashmir also died Friday in a series of violent encounters.
• RWANDA: Annan's list of ICTR nominee judges one short of the required number IRIN 25 Apr 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has submitted to the Security Council a list of 35 judges to be nominated to serve as short-term judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), UN News reported on Thursday.
• NIGER: Sahelian country celebrates eight years of peace IRIN 25 Apr 2003 -- The Republic of Niger this week celebrated eight years of peace which began on 24 April 1995 with the signing of the first of a series of agreements that ended a rebellion by Tuareg nomads in the north of the Sahelian country.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 25 Apr 2003
• SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 25 Apr 2003

• State Department Issues SARS-Related Advisory on International Travel Washington File 25 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. State Department issued an announcement April 24 advising the public of international restrictions travelers may encounter because of concerns about the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The announcement warns that some countries may bar travelers arriving from SARS-affected areas and may require mandatory health screening of passengers.
• SARS-TORONTO VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Canadian officials are blasting the bulletin by the World Health Organization warning against travel to Toronto. In a surprise move, the W-H-O has cautioned against travel to Toronto because of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which has killed at least 18 people in Canada so far. Toronto municipal officials are worried about the economic impact on the city's convention and tourism industry.
• CHINA/SARS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Chinese officials trying to stem the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome say they are not isolating the capital, Beijing. But city officials have extended a quarantine on people exposed to SARS, including cordoning off a second hospital.
• ASIA/SARS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- China is setting up roadblocks around major cities to check people for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. In Taiwan, angry health workers protested their confinement in a hospital treating SARS patients. And Singapore is proposing to jail people who break the SARS quarantine.
• HONG KONG / LIVING WITH SARS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Six weeks into the outbreak, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS has changed life in Hong Kong. The city has been hit hard by the disease, which is responsible for the deaths of more than of 100 people.

• Bush Commends Armenians, Turks for "Spirit of Reconciliation" Washington File 25 Apr 2003 -- In a statement issued for Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24, President Bush commended "our wise and bold friends from Armenia and Turkey who are coming together in a spirit of reconciliation" in considering the significance of the events of 1915 when Armenians were killed or forced into exile during the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
• S-A-F / WINNIE VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- One of South Africa's most controversial and flamboyant politicians, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has been sentenced to prison following her conviction on dozens of charges of fraud and theft. However, the judge granted her leave to appeal the sentence.
• AFRICA / MALARIA VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- To mark Africa Malaria Day, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund are calling for urgent action to combat the disease. The agencies say malaria kills about one-million people a year, nearly all of them children under age five in sub-Saharan Africa. The U-N agencies say it is possible to drastically reduce the death rate.
• U-N / RIGHTS COMMISSION VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Human Rights groups are giving mixed reviews to the annual meeting of the United Nations' Human Rights Commission, which ended Friday in Geneva.
• ZIMBABWE / POLITICS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Zimbabwe police raided the national offices of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Friday, the last day of a three-day general strike.
• EDITORIAL: SERBIA CRACKS DOWN ON CRIMINALS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Following the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic [ZO-rahn JIN-jitch] on March 12th, the Serbian government imposed a state of emergency and initiated a campaign against organized crime. The Serbian police detained more than ten-thousand people for questioning, and about three-thousand two-hundred remain in custody. The state of emergency was lifted on April 22nd.
• VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- A U-S based human rights group is reporting a new government crackdown on the Montagnard people of central Vietnam. The alleged crackdown would be part of a long history of persecution of the Montagnards.
• INDONESIA / VIETNAM BOAT PEOPLE VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Indonesian authorities have located one of two ships carrying illegal Vietnamese migrants headed for Australia. The 31 passengers are now in custody, again highlighting the problem of people smuggling, just days ahead of a key regional conference.
• SERBIA / MILOSEVIC VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- Serbian authorities have filed charges against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in connection with the killing of former Serbian President Ivan Stamoblic nearly three years ago. Mr. Milosevic is currently on trial on war crimes charges at the United Nations tribunal in The Hague.
• EDITORIAL: REPRESSION CONTINUES IN BURMA VOA 25 Apr 2003 -- For nearly fifteen years, Burma's military rulers have promised to respect the rights of the Burmese people and permit a return to democracy. They have done neither.
• UN agencies call for urgent increase in funds to fight malaria UN News Centre 26 Apr 2003 -- Noting that the death toll from malaria remains "outrageously high," killing more than 3,000 African children every day, two leading United Nations agencies challenged the global community today to urgently increase funds to provide new effective treatment to those most at risk.
• ORBITAL SET TO LAUNCH NASA'S GALEX SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 25 Apr 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that it is in final preparations to launch the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite aboard the company's Pegasus® rocket.
• CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 25 Apr 2003 -- This week in Central Asia, Uzbek President Islam Karimov warned neighbouring nations against underestimating the threat posed to the region by extremist Islamic groups. According to the Associated Press (AP), he said on Tuesday that the recent increased activity of the radical Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan was the result of the underestimation by those governments of the danger of religious fundamentalism, warning that this might have "tragic consequences".