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Military


14 May 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • 101st providing safe environment in northern Iraq Army News Service 14 May 2003-- After fighting its way across about 1,200 kilometers from where it entered Iraq two months ago, the 101st Air Assault Division (Screaming Eagles) has shifted operations to providing a safe and secure environment for Iraqis and hunting for weapons of mass destruction in northern Iraq, said 101st commanding general Gen. Dave Petraeus.
  • USNS Bob Hope in Kuwait Port Near Namesake's 100th Birthday Navy Newsstand 14 May 2003-- USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR 300), a 949-foot long, 63,000 ton ship capable of carrying enough equipment, vehicles and supplies for an entire U.S. Army task force, steamed out of a Kuwaiti port May 13 after off-loading cargo for troops serving in Iraq.
  • Boxer Crowned with Green Navy Newsstand 14 May 2003-- From March 18 to April 24, USS Boxer (LHD 4) assumed the Greencrown title for Commander, Task Force 51, which was in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • V CORPS MILITARY POLICE HELPING IRAQIS RESTORE LAW AND ORDER V Corps Release 14 May 2003-- The first efforts to restore law and order to post-regime Iraq began May 9 when Iraqi police and U.S. military police soldiers under the command of V Corps' 18th Military Police Brigade conducted joint patrols in the war-torn streets here.
  • AMC warriors in action over the skies of Iraq Air Mobility Command News 14 May 2003-- Travis deployed troops returned from overseas duty last week, the community here resoundingly welcomed them as heroes. Not too many in the adoring crowd truly realized the monumental deeds our men and women accomplished in support of the war effort.
  • Iron Soldiers move to Camp Pennsylvania US Army Europe Release 14 May 2003-- At first glance, Camp Pennsylvania looks like a barren desert expanse surrounded by concertina wire with a few tents, vehicles and shipping containers inside. But a deeper look shows that there is a community inside that wire. And inside the larger community, there are several little communities.
  • Coast Guard cutters "mission complete" in Arabian Gulf USCG Release 14 May 2003-- Coast Guard cutters Boutwell, a 378-foot high endurance cutter homeported in Alameda, Calif., and Walnut, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu, began heading home today after completing their missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
  • Boston cutter heads to Mediterranean USCG Release 14 May 2003-- The Boston-based Coast Guard Cutter Spencer received orders recently to deploy overseas at the request of the Department of Defense (DOD) to support Operation Enduring Freedom. This deployment is part of the Coast Guard's longstanding, annual commitment to DOD security cooperation initiatives and fosters continued interoperability between the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard.

  • PAKISTAN: Non-Afghan refugees given right to work IRIN 14 May 2003 -- For the first time ever, non-Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been given the chance to work legally.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • House Armed Services Committee APPROVES Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Authorization BILL House Armed Serveices Committee 14 May 2003 -- Legislation Builds on Initial Lessons of Operation Iraqi Freedom and War on Terrorism, Supports Military Personnel and Their Families, Provides Defense Spending to Meet Today's Threats and Prepare for Tomorrow's Challenges
  • Rumsfeld Says Iraq War Illustrates the U.S. Military of the Future Washington File 14 May 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the rapid military operations over a three-week period in Iraq, coupled with the defeat of the regime of Saddam Hussein, clearly illustrate how the U.S. armed forces should work in the future.
  • Protection Equipment Demonstration: Something for Everyone AFPS 14 May 2003 -- One passenger riding the shuttle bus to the main entrance said the line of people waiting to get in stretched for what seemed like a mile. Another said he had waited at least an hour the day before to get through the gate. However, neither seemed to mind the inconvenience.
  • DOD NEW ACQUISITION POLICIES INSTITUTED 14 May 2003 -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has signed new acquisition policies consistent with the Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's goal of transforming the Defense Department's business practices as well as its warfighting capabilities.
  • PENTAGON/MISSILE VOA 14 May 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has revealed U-S forces in Iraq used -- for the first time -- a new, small missile capable of striking enemy forces hidden in bunkers and other hardened complexes.
  • USS Thach finishes port visit to Darwin, Australia 7th Fleet News 14 May 2003-- After participating in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and following more than 60 straight days underway, USS Thach (FFG 43) Sailors made a port in "The Land Down Under" at Darwin, Australia, April 30 - May 8.
  • FTI-II Revolutionizes Network-Centric Warfare NAVAIR Release 14 May 2003-- Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD -- Up until few months ago, having the capability of transmitting images to, from, and among all aircraft during combat missions was just a vision in the F/A-18 community. Today, this vision is brought to reality with Fast Tactical Imagery (FTI-II), a photo reconnaissance intelligence strike module. FTI-II greatly improves the F/A-18F Super Hornet's aircraft weapon system by enabling the aircrew to capture, view, send, and receive critical strike information in near-real time. This project is initiated by PMA265 and had its first operational flight from aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) over Iraq during Iraqi Freedom on April 3, 2003.
  • Hybrid Ultra Large Aircraft R&D Project NAVAIR Release 14 May 2003-- NAVAIR Patuxent River, Md., will be host an industry day conference June 5 to discuss new technologies in the area of Hybrid Ultra Large Aircraft (HULA). This conference will be a forum to inform interested companies and individuals of the government's intent to explore hybrid aircraft technology for various military missions, especially for transglobal heavy life. The envisioned product of this effort is a family of HULA with a 30 to 1,000 ton payload capability which can transport outsized cargo between areas which lack prepared reception facilities, including operations from water.

Defense Industry

  • Boeing Delivers First CF-18 Aircraft from Modernization Project Boeing 14 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] officials delivered the first production aircraft from the Canadian Forces CF-18 Modernization Program, Phase 1, to the Department of National Defence in a ceremony held today at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. Accepting on behalf of the department was the Honourable John MacCallum, Minister of National Defence.
  • Boeing, General Atomics Sign Agreement To Collaborate On Systems Integration Boeing 14 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow the two companies to discuss cooperation in the areas of unmanned systems, network-centric operations and other large-scale systems integration efforts.
  • General Dynamics Receives $24 Million Add-on Contract for Comanche Turreted Gun System General Dynamics 14 May 2003 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has received a $24.2 million add-on contract from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of Stratford, Conn., for the Comanche Turreted Gun System (TGS) engineering manufacturing development. This contract award extends the development work through 2008, bringing the contract value since 2000 to $52.2 million.
  • Marine Corps Approves Initial Production of General Dynamics Combat Operations Centers General Dynamics 14 May 2003 -- General Dynamics Decision Systems, a business unit in the General Dynamics Information Systems and Technology group, has been authorized to begin low-rate initial production of Unit Operations Centers (UOCs) for the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., under a five-year contract initially awarded in April 2002.
  • Lockheed Martin Selects Two International Vendors For F-35 JSF Aircraft Training System Lockheed Martin 14 May 2003 -- Awards to two Canadian firms for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft's Instructional System Development (ISD) tools signal a continued international presence on the Lockheed Martin-led team to produce an initial 22 aircraft in the program's System Development and Demonstration phase.
  • IZAR Joins LCS Team Led by Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin 14 May 2003 -- Spanish shipbuilder IZAR will bring its mission development expertise to the Sea Blade, Littoral Combat Ship solution under development by the Lockheed Martin-led team. LCS is a key element of the Navy's Sea Power 21 strategic vision. It is a ship that will provide the ability to approach and control the shallow waters surrounding an enemy's shores - one of the greatest challenges facing the Navy. The Navy considers LCS its most transformational effort and number one budget priority.
  • Lockheed Martin Selects Two International Vendors For F-35 JSF Aircraft Training System Lockheed Martin 14 May 2003 -- Awards to two Canadian firms for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft's Instructional System Development (ISD) tools signal a continued international presence on the Lockheed Martin-led team to produce an initial 22 aircraft in the program's System Development and Demonstration phase.
  • Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon Team Awarded $215 Million for E-10A Weapon System Integration Contract Northrop Grumman 14 May 2003 -- The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A) team has received a pre-system development and demonstration contract, with a total value of $215 million, for Weapon System Integration (WSI) of the U.S. Air Force's new E-10A aircraft.

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 14 May 2003

  • U.N. Special Representative Hopeful Era of Child-Soldiers Is Over Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Paying special tribute to the United States for its leadership and support of international programs aiding and rehabilitating child combatants and their victims, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara A. Otunnu, delivered an impassioned speech to the May 7 Department of Labor-sponsored conference on child soldiers, "Children in the Crossfire: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers."

  • World Bank Urges More Efforts to Prevent Civil Wars Washington File 14 May 2003 -- The international community should do more to prevent civil wars in poor countries, the World Bank says.

  • Powell Sees "a Time of Promise" in the Middle East Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, at a roundtable discussion with Arab journalists in Cairo on May 12, said he sees the current period in the Middle East as "a time of promise."
  • ISRAEL / QATAR VOA 14 May 2003 -- The foreign ministers of Israel and Qatar held a landmark meeting in Paris Wednesday, amid new efforts to rekindle the Middle East peace process.
  • ROAD MAP FOR PEACE VOA 14 May 2003 -- A road map to peace has been presented to Israel and the Palestinians. Drawn up by the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, the road map calls on the Palestinian Authority and Israel to meet a series of requirements that would lead to peaceful coexistence.
  • ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 14 May 2003 -- Security officials in the Palestinian territories say Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians and wounded more than 20 others during raids in the Gaza Strip. The raids followed a mortar bomb attack in Gaza the day before that wounded 10 Israeli soldiers.

  • PRESS BRIEFING BY DEPUTY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO United Nations 14 May 2003
  • As fighting continues in Bunia, DR of Congo, UN fears humanitarian catastrophe UN News Centre 14 May 2003 -- As heavy fighting continues to rage in the town of Bunia in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a top United Nations relief official today voiced fear of a looming humanitarian disaster in the area and warned of ethnic tensions that conjured up "shades of Rwanda in 1994."
  • UN rights chief 'gravely concerned' at reports of killings, ethnic violence in DR of Congo UN News Centre 14 May 2003 -- Gravely concerned by reports of indiscriminate killings and ethnic violence in the war-riven town of Bunia, the top United Nations human rights official today called on countries to heed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's request for an international response to help bring peace to the troubled northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • D-R-C / VIOLENCE VOA 14 May 2003 -- Bodies lay in the streets of the eastern Congolese town of Bunia on Wednesday as fighting between tribal militias continued for an 8th day. World leaders are trying to put together an international peacekeeping force to avert possible genocide.
  • DRC: Fighting resumes in Bunia IRIN 14 May 2003 -- Fighting broke out again on Tuesday afternoon in Bunia, the principal town of Ituri region in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following its capture on Monday by the ethnic Hema rebel Union des patriotes congolais (UPC), and an allied rebel group, Patricia Tome, spokeswoman for the UN Mission to the DRC, MONUC, told IRIN.
  • DRC: Movement around Bunia "impossible" IRIN 14 May 2003 -- As renewed fighting erupted on Tuesday in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), humanitarian officials said movement around the town was almost "impossible" although the UN Mission in the country, MONUC, was reported to have secured the remaining limited humanitarian aid supplies.

  • LIBERIA: Lubbers says the situation is getting worse IRIN 14 May 2003 -- Ruud Lubbers, the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said on Wednesday that the humanitarian situation in war-torn Liberia was getting from bad to worse.
  • LIBERIA: Peace talks scheduled for June 2 in Ghana IRIN 14 May 2003 -- Liberian President Charles Taylor said on Wednesday he would attend peace talks with rebel movements to be convened by the International Contact Group on Liberia in Accra, Ghana, on 2 June.

  • COTE D'IVOIRE: Curfew reimposed in west after fresh killings IRIN 14 May 2003 -- The government of Cote d'Ivoire has reimposed a curfew on two districts in the west of the country where 68 villagers were killed in fresh outbreaks of violence towards the end of last week.
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: (CORRECTED) Security Council creates UN military mission IRIN 14 May 2003 -- Note to subscribers: IRIN's story of May 14 headlined "COTE D'IVOIRE - UN cuts size of military mission to 26" erroneously stated that the size of the UN military mission to Cote d'Ivoire had been cut to 26 officers from a planned 75. The corrected story makes clear that although 26 military personnel would be sent to Cote d'Ivoire in the first instance, the Security Council resolution allowed for the dispatch of up to 50 more, should this be considered necessary)

  • Annan extends UN office 1 year to support peace-building efforts in Tajikistan UN News Centre 14 May 2003 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to continue for another year the activities of the United Nations office in Tajikistan in order to support the country's post-conflict peace-building efforts, particularly in light of the various problems that contribute to a "fragile political equilibrium."
  • Security Council Mission to West Africa Postponed Washington File 14 May 2003 -- The Security Council mission to West Africa has been postponed for several weeks to allow council members to concentrate on a draft resolution on Iraq, the president of the council announced May 13.
  • INDONESIA/ACEH VOA 14 May 2003 -- The chances of salvaging the peace process in Indonesia's Aceh Province seemed more remote Wednesday, as international ceasefire monitors began leaving the country. The move came just before a government decision on whether to resume military action against separatist rebels in Aceh, and to declare martial law there.
  • SRI LANKA / U-S VOA 14 May 2003 -- A senior U-S diplomat says political infighting in Sri Lanka should not jeopardize the peace process there. The diplomat also says future aid to Sri Lanka will be tied to respect for human rights.
  • BOSNIA / WAR CRIMES VOA 14 May 2003 -- Three former commanders in the Bosnian-Serb army are on trial in The Hague for their roles in the killings of thousands of Muslims at Srebrenica in Bosnia-Hezegovina. The killings, which took place in 1995, are considered Europe's worst mass execution since World War II.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bozize appoints provincial military commanders IRIN 14 May 2003 -- In efforts to improve security across the Central African Republic (CAR), new CAR leader Francois Bozize on Tuesday appointed commanders for the seven military regions in the country, government-run Radio Centrafrique reported.
  • NIGERIA: 25 die in political clashes in Warri IRIN 14 May 2003 -- At least 25 people have been killed in a fresh outbreak of political violence in the volatile southern oil town of Warri, residents and officials said on Wednesday.
  • UGANDA: Refugee influx could worsen cholera epidemic IRIN 14 May 2003 -- A cholera epidemic, which has affected parts of western Uganda since January, is persisting amid fears that a fresh influx of refugees from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo could exacerbate the situation.
  • BURUNDI: Feature: Civilians losing the war IRIN 14 May 2003 -- As evening falls, and the hills that loom over the town disappear with the last of the evening light, an unusual scene begins to unfold in Ruyigi, a provincial town trapped in one of the most violent corners of Burundi's bloody civil war.
  • RWANDA: Government re-arrests 787 genocide suspects IRIN 14 May 2003 -- A total of 787 genocide suspects who were recently provisionally released by the Rwandan government have been re-arrested after fresh crimes were reported against them, an official in the Justice Ministry told IRIN on Tuesday.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 14 May 2003
  • SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 14 May 2003

  • SARS and US Colleges VOA 14 May 2003 -- The SARS epidemic in Asia is raising concerns for college administrators here in the United States. Educators are worried that foreign exchange students from countries still battling this infectious disease could pose a serious public health risk on campus.
  • SARS TREATMENT VOA 14 May 2003 -- German researchers say an experimental drug developed to treat the common cold might also help in the fight the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. But scientists warn a SARS drug might not be available to the general public for a long time.
  • ASIA SARS VOA 14 May 2003 -- A mental hospital in Singapore has isolated 27 people in what may be a new outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Taiwan continues to report large jumps in new SARS infections. But in Hong Kong scientists say the outbreak is fading fast.
  • SARS Need Not Close U.S. Doors to Visitors, Health Officials Say Washington File 14 May 2003 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging American businesses and universities not to allow severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to disrupt regular commercial and academic activities involving international travelers.

  • MENEM QUITS VOA 14 May 2003 -- The presidential race in Argentina has been decided. One of the countries' most well known politicians has abandoned his candidacy, making way for a political unknown to take office.
  • EU: 'Aux Barricades!' What Can Be Done To Resolve Europe's Pension Crisis? (Part 2) RFE/L 14 May 2003 -- The European Union countries, with their rapidly aging populations, are facing a crisis over funding of retirement pensions. As the so-called "baby-boomers" of the 1940s and '50s retire, the costs to governments of providing pensions will skyrocket. Reform is inevitable, but workers are resisting so strongly that governments are in some cases at risk of being toppled.
  • CONGRESS CUBA VOA 14 May 2003 -- A group of bi-partisan U-S lawmakers has introduced a bill calling for an end to the U-S ban on travel by Americans to Cuba. In the wake of a recent crackdown on dissidents in Cuba, the lawmakers argue that engagement, rather than isolation, is the best way to bring change to the Communist-ruled Caribbean nation.
  • EUROPE / ANTISEMITISM VOA 14 May 2003 -- Hate acts against Jews in Europe are increasing, according to experts meeting in Paris.
  • SAF/BRITAIN/ZIMBABWE VOA 14 May 2003 -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is in South Africa to meet with President Thabo Mbeki, and the crisis in Zimbabwe is likely to be a key point in their conversation. Mr. Straw has dismissed allegations that the British and South African policies toward Zimbabwe are incompatible.
  • CAMBODIA U-N VOA 14 May 2003 -- The Cambodian government says it will be months before a genocide tribunal approved by the United Nations hears its first case. The tribunal will attempt to bring justice to leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.
  • ZIMBABWE / ECONOMY VOA 14 May 2003 -- Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence 23 years ago. Basic commodities and fuel are in short supply. But there is no shortage of imported goods in the supermarkets for those with money.
  • Bugs Bunny to Help Warn Cambodians on Risks From Landmines Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Following is the text of the Department of State May 14 media note on Warner Brothers cartoon characters to be deployed in U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Initiative



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