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Military


28 April 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • 24th MEU (SOC) prepares to go home; conducts wash down in Kuwait USMC News 28 Apr 2003 -- After more than eight months deployed, the Marines and Sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are finally making preparations to head home.
  • Navy's First Tomahawk Shooter of Operation Iraqi Freedom Returns to Pearl Harbor Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), one of the Navy's first ships to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned from nearly nine months at sea April 24.
  • USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group to return from war Seventh Fleet 28 Apr 2003 -- USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) will return to Yokosuka, Japan, from her deployment to the Persian Gulf on May 6. Returning with the carrier will be USS Cowpens (CG 63) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56). Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 aircraft will return to Naval Air Facility Atsugi on May 1.
  • AFGHANISTAN: UN reports serious rights violations in northwest IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) announced on Sunday that serious human rights violations had taken place in Bala Morghab District in the northwestern province of Badghis, resulting from clashes a month ago between a coalition of factions and those of a local commander, Juman Khan.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • U.S. Using Its Power Responsibly, Powell Says Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an April 21 interview with U.S. News and World Report, said that the Bush administration knows its use of power generates both respect and resentment among other nations but that it would not be true to American values if it did not attempt to use its power for good.

  • Transformation, War on Terror Top Special Ops Command's 2004 Request AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- Fighting global terrorism and transforming were atop the message list from a top combatant command official to a Senate subcommittee recently.

  • Number of U.S. Forces in Gulf Will Decline, Rumsfeld Says AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- The number of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region will drop as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

  • U.S. Urges Serious Consequences For Non-Proliferation Treaty Violators Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- A leading U.S. government nuclear nonproliferation official urged "serious consequences for those who violate their NPT commitments" and described Iran's nuclear program as a "fundamental challenge" at an international conference in Geneva April 28.

  • TRANSCRIPT OF TOWN HALL WITH TROOPS CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- "Well, about six weeks ago, the Secretary of Defense outlined military objectives, as a matter of fact, he outlined eight of them for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today the coalition has achieved a great many of these objectives, and the people in Iraq have begun a transition to independence."
  • First CONUS expeditionary AE squadron stands up AMCNS 28 Apr 2003 -- The 775th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, the first of its kind in the continental United States, stood up operations here April 7. The squadron is attached to Scott's 375th Airlift Wing and its mission is to return injured servicemembers to their home unit inside the United States for further care.
  • H-1 Program shelves tradition to rush new FLIR to war NAVAIR 28 Apr 2003 -- Shelving traditional (and time consuming) fleet introduction procedures to help the Warfighter, NAVAIR/HMX-1 Marines and the UH-1N Huey engineering test team here recently deployed a new UH-1N navigational thermal imaging system for a true test - in combat.
  • Executive Order: Amendment to Executive Order 10448, Establishing the National Defense Service Medal White House 28 Apr 2003
  • 15TH SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE MARINE CORPS NAMED 28 Apr 2003 -- Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Michael W. Hagee today announced that Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada has been selected to be the 15th sergeant major of the Marine Corps.
  • Rumsfeld Thanks CENTCOM Forward for Its Service AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked the service members and civilians of U.S. Central Command here for the jobs they did as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • FUTURE COMBAT SYSTEMS PASSES ANOTHER KEY PROGRAM MILESTONE Army News Release 28 Apr 2003 -- This week, the Army took another step forward to begin fielding its Objective Force by the end of the decade when the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) approved the FCS Operational Requirements Document (ORD); validated the seven FCS Key Performance Parameters (KPPs); delegated non-KPP ORD approval authority to the Chief of Staff of the Army; and approved the Army's plan for iterative JROC program review and KPP updates. Additionally, the JROC assigned the Joint Potential Designator "Joint", ensuring interoperability, to the FCS Program.
  • 'Iraqi Freedom' proves Transformation concepts Army News 28 Apr 2003 -- While "Operation Iraqi Freedom" shouldn't be considered a model for future warfare, it has validated several Transformation concepts, an Army official said.
  • Naval Reserve Stop Loss Policy Effective Immediately Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- To meet the needs of the Navy, certain drilling Reserve hospital corpsmen are under a "stop loss" policy effective immediately.
  • Sailors Go In-Depth With the DC Zone Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- Zone inspections are not a new thing to shipboard Sailors, but now USS Kitty Hawk's (CV 63) Sailors have a new damage control zone inspection program to help them ensure a high state of damage control (DC) readiness.
  • USNH Okinawa First Overseas MTF to Perform Bed Expansion Drill Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- After more than a year of careful planning and preparations, U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Okinawa became the first overseas Navy Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) to execute a real world contingency plan for a bed expansion exercise.
  • Higgins, Benfold Crews Complete First Arleigh Burke Crew Swap Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- In a break with tradition, Cmdr. Randy Hill relieved Cmdr. Mike Gilday as commanding officer of USS Higgins (DDG 76) during an otherwise traditional ceremony April 24 - and brought his entire crew with him. That new crew took Higgins to sea April 28, when the ship departed here to continue its anything but traditional deployment, marking a key milestone and historic first during the second phase of the Navy's "Sea Swap" experiment.
  • 7th Fleet Steers Tandem Thrust '03 Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- More than 8,000 personnel are participating in one of the largest joint military exercises in the Western Pacific Marianas Island training area April 14 - May 5.

  • Tajikistan: Russia, Other CIS Countries To Set Up Joint Military Command RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- The leaders of Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Armenia ended a meeting in Dushanbe today by agreeing to establish a joint military command for a regional rapid reaction force.

  • EDITORIAL: NATO'S NEW ROLE VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was originally created to defend Western Europe from the threat posed by the Soviet Union. But with the end of the Cold War, NATO has been opening its membership to former Soviet-bloc countries. It has also run successful peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo. Now, as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, NATO is taking on a new assignment

Defense Industry

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 28 Apr 2003

  • Powell "Encouraged" by Transformation Within Palestinian Authority Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said he is encouraged by "the transformation within the Palestinian Authority that will allow the Palestinian people to have a prime minister who can be a responsible partner" in moving forward to the goal of a Palestinian state within three years.
  • POWELL-JORDAN-MIDEAST VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell met Jordan's Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher Monday as the Bush administration prepared to formally launch the "road map" to an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. The plan, drafted by the four-party international "quartet" on the Middle East, is due for release as soon as the new Palestinian cabinet of prime minister designate Mahmoud Abbas gets legislative approval, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
  • Powell, Jordanian Minister Discuss Iraq, Middle East Peace Process AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- The way forward in Iraq and in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict were the two main topics of discussion today in a meeting between Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Jordanian counterpart.
  • Palestinians Agree on a New Government VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his new prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, have agreed on a new cabinet for the governing Palestinian Authority. The agreement was announced Wednesday at Mister Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.A compromise was reached after an intense dispute between the Palestinian leader and his new reformist prime minister. They disagreed on how much power to share and who would be in the new cabinet. And they could not agree on who would be head of security. Mister Abbas wanted former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan in the position. Mister Arafat did not.
  • POWELL/JORDAN/MIDEAST VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell met Jordan's Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher Monday, as the Bush administration prepared to formally launch the "roadmap" to an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. The plan, drafted by the four-party international "quartet" on the Middle East, is due for release as soon as the new Palestinian Cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas gets legislative approval, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
  • PALESTINIANS / ISRAEL / REFORM VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- For the first time in two years, Israel is permitting all members of the Palestinian parliament to attend a meeting to approve a new government. U-S officials have said they will not issue a road map for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict until the Palestinian legislature has approved a new government.

  • IVORY COAST VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Rebels in Ivory Coast say the leader of one of their three factions has been killed in an ambush in the west of the country. The rebels are blaming fighters from Sierra Leone who oppose a peace plan to end the seven-month civil war.
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: Protection becoming the central issue - McAskie IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Protection of refugees, displaced persons and Ivorian civilians in general is becoming the central issue around the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, the UN Humanitarian Envoy for the Crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, Carolyn McAskie on Friday said.

  • LIBERIA: Keep looking for a solution - Annan IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed on Friday to the Security Council not to lose sight of the need for an early solution to the conflict in Liberia.
  • LIBERIA: New rebel group pushes closer to capital IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- A new rebel group, Movement for Democracy in Liberia (M0DEL) has attacked the strategic southeast Liberian coastal town of Greenville, while an older rebel group hit Tappita in the northeastern county of Nimba.

  • Security Council hears calls for slower pullout of UN troops from Timor-Leste UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- The head of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste told the Security Council today that a new timetable for the gradual withdrawal of UN peacekeepers was critically important in addressing the criminally and politically motivated threats to security in that country.
  • INDONESIA / ACEH PEACE VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- The Indonesian government says it wants separatist rebels in Aceh Province to formally drop demands for independence. It is the only way the government says it will return to the negotiating table in order to try to salvage Aceh's peace plan.
  • DRC-UGANDA: So far, 1650 Ugandan troops return home IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Uganda had by Sunday withdrawn 1,650 troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza told IRIN on Monday. The first group was flown out on Friday.
  • ANGOLA: Interview with Douglas Steinberg, CARE country director IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Food security, for both rural and urban populations, is key for post-conflict Angola as it transitions from humanitarian aid to a development agenda. IRIN spoke to CARE Country Director Douglas Steinberg on the new challenges confronting the government, development agencies and the donor community.
  • DRC: RCD-Goma rebel delegation arrives in Kinshasa IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Leaders of the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement arrived in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after more than four years of war.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 28 Apr 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary Analysis SHAPE 28 Apr 2003

  • SARS Overview VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- The Virus known as SARS continues to spread around the world. At last check, a dozen countries had reported cases. So far, the official death toll from SARS around the world is over 230 people. The United States has remained relatively unscathed, with no fatalities so far. But just north of the U-S border in Toronto, Ontario the number of SARS infections has grown to 140 (check before airing) and 16 deaths (also confirm this stat) making Canada the most infected country outside Asia. The World Health Organization even issued a warning against travel to Toronto, slowing tourism and forcing the cancellation of several business conferences.
  • Viet Nam becomes first country to be removed from WHO's SARS list UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- Viet Nam, where Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was first identified, today became the first nation to be removed from the list of countries with local transmission of the deadly new disease, the United Nations health agency announced.
  • WHO/ SARS / VIETNAM VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- The World Health Organization says the government of Vietnam's aggressive response to the SARS epidemic has successfully contained the mysterious flu-like illness. The W-H-O has declared Vietnam the first SARS-infected country to be free of the deadly virus.
  • SARS VIETNAM CONTAINED VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Vietnam may be the first country to halt the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. International health experts say the country has not seen any new SARS infections in 20 days. A decision by doctors and nurses to seal the hospital where the outbreak began helped contain the disease.
  • ASIA SARS WRAP VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- A World Health Organization official says SARS outbreaks in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Canada have peaked, but the worst is yet to come in China.
  • CHINA SARS VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- World Health Organization experts in China say there is still much they do not know in the fight against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. They say China needs to take many basic steps before the situation starts to improve.
  • SARS ASEAN VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Asian leaders will soon gather in Bangkok to find a united way to combat the spread of SARS. As Ron Corben reports, they aim to restore confidence in a region hard hit economically by the respiratory virus.

  • Ashcroft Outlines Efforts to Promote Rule of Law in the Americas Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- The rule of law is an essential foundation for democracy, human rights and open markets, and the U.S. Department of Justice is actively engaged in promoting the rule of law in Latin America, says U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
  • Assembly's information committee urged to send message that 'UN matters' UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- A top United Nations official today urged the UN's Committee on Information to send a strong message to the General Assembly and the world that the Organization mattered and its voice must be heard at a time of increasing divisions between peoples and cultures.
  • UN human rights chief calls for expanded definition of torture UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- Declaring the current definition of torture in international conventions too vague, the top United Nations human rights official said today his office would submit an expanded definition that would show how to draw a line - a red line - that made clear that certain acts were not acceptable.
  • POWELL/CUBA VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell says the Bush administration is reviewing all aspects of U-S policy toward Cuba, in light of the crackdown on dissent there. In comments to reporters Monday, Mr. Powell called Fidel Castro's communist government an "aberration" in the Western Hemisphere.
  • YEMEN / ELECTION VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Millions of Yemeni citizens voted Sunday to elect a new parliament, but not without violence.
  • OECD MEETING VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- With a largely disappointing short-term economic forecast to discuss, finance and trade ministers from the world's richest countries are to meet Tuesday in Paris.
  • DRC: Military Order Court abolished; 70 prisoners granted amnesty IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced on Friday that the Cour d'ordre militaire (COM - Military Order Court) had ceased to exist.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bozize to step down after transitional period IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Central African Republic (CAR) leader Francois Bozize announced on Friday that he would step down as president after a transition period of between 18 and 30 months.
  • ORBITAL’S PEGASUS ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES NASA’S GALEX SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 28 Apr 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced that earlier today, it successfully launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite into its targeted orbit aboard the company’s Pegasus® rocket.



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