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Military


05 June 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Transcript: Background Briefing on IAEA Nuclear Safeguards and the Tuwaitha Facility 05 Jun 2003 -- Background briefing on the upcoming IAEA nuclear safeguards inspection and the Tuwaitha Nuclear Facility in Iraq

  • Bush Praises Coalition Troops During Qatar Visit AFPS 05 Jun 2003 -- President Bush thanked coalition service members for enlarging "the realm of liberty" during a stop in Qatar today.
  • AFGHANISTAN/TALEBAN VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- In Afghanistan, officials say at least 40 suspected Taleban and seven government troops have been killed in a clash in the southeast of the country.

  • RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 2, Number 19 05 Jun 2003 -- IS AFGHAN-TAJIK HEROIN SMUGGLING INCREASING / WARLORD REFUSES TO ABIDE BY PLEDGE TO AFGHAN LEADER / AFGHAN DAILY LAUDS APPOINTMENT OF DOSTUM AS ADVISER / AFGHAN LEADER VISITS GHAZNI / AFGHAN MINISTER CRITICIZES U.S. FOR CALLING AN END TO WAR ON TERROR... / ...AS EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT CALLS FOR MORE ATTENTION TO AFGHANISTAN / FOUR AFGHANS DIE IN BATTLE BETWEEN RIVALS / U.S. BODYGUARD OF AFGHAN LEADER REPORTEDLY KILLED / U.S. MILITARY VEHICLE ATTACKED NEAR AFGHAN-PAKISTANI BORDER... / ...AND COALITION BASE IS HIT IN PAKTIA / U.S. RESUMES MILITARY OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN'S SHAHI KOT MOUNTAINS... / ...ARRESTING FOUR PEOPLE... / ...AND LOSING A HELICOPTER IN A CRASH / GERMAN TECHNICAL GROUP'S OFFICE BOMBED IN KANDAHAR / GERMAN SOLDIER KILLED BY MINE BLAST IN AFGHANISTAN / GERMAN CHANCELLOR SETS CONDITIONS FOR EXPANSION OF MILITARY MANDATE IN AFGHANISTAN / LAST CONSTITUTIONAL-REVIEW OFFICE OPENS IN AFGHANISTAN... / ...AS VIOLENCE OVERSHADOWS CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE... / ...AND UN CALLS FOR OPEN DEBATE ON THE CONSTITUTION / SECURITY, WARLORDISM SEEN AS AFGHANISTAN'S BIGGEST CHALLENGES, ONE YEAR AFTER LOYA JIRGA / FLOODING IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN TAKES MORE THAN 100 LIVES / MAJOR CUTS AT AFGHAN WOMEN'S AFFAIRS MINISTRY / DISABLED AFGHANS RENEW PROTESTS / AFGHAN LEADER APPOINTS NEW SPOKESMAN / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY
  • AFGHANISTAN / BRITAIN VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, has held talks in London with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on his country's efforts to rebuild, after more than two decades of war.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Focus on the new national army IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- Pte Rahman Jan, aged 24, sweats as he is drilled under the bright sun on the dusty parade ground of the Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC). "I will fight to my last breath to defend my country," he told IRIN in the capital, Kabul.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • SOKOR U-S TROOPS VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- U-S troops in South Korea will be moved farther south, away from the tense border with North Korea. The United States says the plan is part of an effort to create a more flexible, modern force on the Korean Peninsula.

  • Bolton Says Some Weapons Transfers Continue in OSCE States Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- Despite positive efforts by members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to control the spread of weapons of mass destruction, serious problems remain and threatening transfers continue to occur, says the State Department's top arms control official.
  • Bunker Hill Makes Revolutionary Return Navy Newsstand 05 Jun 2003-- Like the Revolutionary War battle it was named after, USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) might now be considered the 21st century warship that helped define another country's revolution.
  • Indian Head Innovation Enhances Safety of Sparrow Missiles NAVAIR News 05 Jun 2003-- NAVAIR's H-46 Program Office (PMA-226) formally presented a T58-GE-16A Engine Reliability Improvement Program (ERIP) engine to the fleet in a ceremony held May 21 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.
  • OSPREY REACHES 500 FLIGHT HOURS NAVAIR News 05 Jun 2003-- Osprey No. 7 pushed the V-22 Integrated Test Team over the 500-flight hour milestone while conducting a test flight out of Edwards Air Force Base on May 30, a year and a day after the program returned to flight.
  • Squadrons return, welcomed home Marine Corps News 05 Jun 2003-- Marines of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Air Control Squadron 1 and Marine Air Group 11 Headquarters returned home after being deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom June 1-2.
  • White Knights back in saddle again HMM-165 renews operational status in support of OIF Marine Corps News 05 Jun 2003-- After supporting aviation operations in Iraq since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marines and Sailors of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 moved from a forward aviation operating base in Iraq to the USS Boxer and then to the desert of Kuwait recently.
  • VMGR-352 home again Marine Corps News 05 Jun 2003-- Approximately 64 Marines from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 returned here May 18.
  • MACG-38 returns Marine Corps News 05 Jun 2003-- Approximately 292 Marines of Marine Air Control Group 38 returned here May 27. The unit was deployed in several waves in late January and early February in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • Marines and Sailors keep on rolling home from OIF Marine Corps News 05 Jun 2003-- Elements of Marine Aircraft Group 16 Headquarters, Marine Wing Support Group 37, MAG 39 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 373 returned to Miramar May 17.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 05 Jun 2003

  • U-N/AFRICAN REFUGEES VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it is concerned about rising hostility among ethnic and national groups in Africa. The agency says African governments are becoming increasingly reluctant to give asylum to refugees.

  • Security Council ends ban on import of Sierra Leone rough diamonds UN News Centre 05 Jun 2003 -- Citing the Government of Sierra Leone's increased efforts to control its diamond mining areas and industry, the United Nations Security Council today dropped its ban on precious stones from the West African country imposed in a bid to prevent illicitly traded rough diamonds being used to finance armed conflict.

  • UN Assembly's administrative committee approves $2.17 billion peacekeeping budget UN News Centre 05 Jun 2003 -- As the fiscal year for United Nations peacekeeping operations heads to a close, the world body's administrative and budgetary committee has approved some $2.17 billion to finance 11 active peacekeeping missions for the next 12 months.

  • MIDEAST SUMMIT/AQABA VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- President Bush's summit with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers in Aqaba, Jordan, ended with vows from all parties to work toward peace. That has given hope to some, stirred anger among others and left still others doubting that words can be translated into deeds.
  • AQABA SUMMIT VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- As President Bush completes a whirlwind diplomatic tour of Europe and the Middle East, papers around the world are expressing cautious optimism that progress has been made in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  • Middle East: Israelis, Palestinians Renew Peace Process, But Tough Road Remains RFE/L 05 Jun 2003 -- The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is officially back on track after yesterday's summit in Aqaba, Jordan, where Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised to uproot some settlements and his Palestinian counterpart promised to end armed violence. The summit, brokered by U.S. President George W. Bush, underlined Washington's intention to press both sides to follow a "road map" for peace, which envisions a Palestinian state in 2005.
  • MIDEAST SUMMIT / ARAB REACT VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Many Arabs say they are skeptical that the negotiations which took place earlier this week at Sharm el-Sheikh and Aqaba will actually result in real steps toward peace in the Middle East.

  • ACEH / SCHOOL BURNING VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- It has been more than two weeks since Indonesia began military operations in Aceh, following the breakdown of peace talks in Japan in May. More than 100-thousand students and their parents have been affected by the renewed conflict in the restive province.
  • ACEH / PEACE VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The historic peace accord signed by the Indonesian government and separatists in Aceh Province was widely hailed as the main chance for both sides to end nearly three decades of fighting. But last month, as peace seemed within reach - the plan collapsed and the Indonesian government imposed martial law on the province.
  • ACEH / EAST TIMOR VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Indonesia's northern province of Aceh is the country's second breakaway region permitted international assistance for ending a long-running separatist conflict. But unlike East Timor - which gained independence from Indonesia three years ago - the Aceh movement collapsed and the government imposed martial law.
  • INDONESIA / EAST TIMOR VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- An Indonesian prosecutor has withdrawn charges against a general accused of committing crimes against humanity in East Timor. The twist in the case against Major General Adam Damiri comes near the end of his trial before a special human rights court.

  • U-N COURT / TAYLOR VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- A U-N backed court in Sierra Leone has expressed its regret that Liberian President Charles Taylor was not arrested while he attended the start of Liberian peace talks in Ghana. The court indicted Mr. Taylor Wednesday, when he was in Accra, for crimes against humanity for his support of rebels in Sierra Leone's civil war. But the court did not give Ghana any warning that the indictment was coming.
  • LIBERIA: Roundtable deliberations start at Ghana talks IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- The Liberian government and one of two rebel movements fighting to overthrow President Charles Taylor began talks on ending the country's four-year-old civil war in the Ghanaian town of Akuse on Thursday.
  • LIBERIA: Vice President quits as Taylor claims coup attempt IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- A day after his indictment by a UN-backed Special Court for war crimes, Liberian President Charles Taylor told reporters in the capital, Monrovia, that he had foiled a coup attempt, accepted the resignation of the Vice President and would ask his entire cabinet to resign next week.
  • Sierra Leone: prosecutor of UN-backed court disappointed Taylor evades arrest UN News Centre 05 Jun 2003 -- Voicing disappointment at the international community for letting Liberian President Charles Taylor evade arrest while in Ghana, the prosecutor of the United Nations-backed tribunal that indicted him for war crimes in Sierra Leone vowed today to continue the fight until the fugitive leader was brought to justice.

  • EU: UN-Backed Military Force To Help Quell Congo Massacres RFE/L 05 Jun 2003 -- Alarming reports have been flooding out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where interethnic violence continues to rage despite last year's official resolution of a four-year civil conflict that claimed some 3 million lives. The international community, stung by its failure to prevent the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, is taking steps to stop the bloodletting in one Congolese province that has seen constant clashes since the late 1990s.
  • DRC: EU ambassadors approve deployment of multinational force IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- European Union ambassadors approved on Wednesday the deployment of EU peace enforcement troops to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • DRC: Rebel factions battle for control of Mbingi, North Kivu Province IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- Heavy fighting between two rebel factions for control of the area of Mbingi in North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been taking place since the weekend of 31 May - 1 June, the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUC, confirmed on Wednesday.
  • DRC: Bunia "stabilising but still precarious", says MONUC IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- The security and humanitarian situation in Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was "stabilising but still precarious" on Wednesday, the UN peacekeeping mission there, known as MONUC, reported.
  • DRC: Annan picks envoys to push formation of unified national army IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed two special envoys to help with the formation of a unified national army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the director of public information for the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

  • Security Council demands immediate release of UN hostages in Georgia UN News Centre 05 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council today demanded the immediate, unconditional release of four personnel from the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) taken hostage earlier in the day by unknown armed elements.
  • Georgia: UN Observers Kidnapped In Kodori Gorge RFE/L 05 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations today said that three UN observers monitoring the truce between Georgia and the breakaway republic of Abkhazia have been kidnapped with their translator in a mountainous area in the region.

  • Russia: Suicide Bombing Kills 15 On Russian Military Bus RFE/L 05 Jun 2003 -- Russian officials say a female suicide bomber set off an explosion beside a bus carrying air force personnel near Chechnya, killing 15 people.
  • RUSSIA / BLAST VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- In Russia, a female suicide bomber has blown up a bus carrying Russian Air Force pilots and some civilians near the break-away republic of Chechnya. Russian officials say at least 16 people are dead.

  • CYPRUS / E-U VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- A solution to the Cyprus issue seems further away, following two developments this week.
  • ERITREA: Decision to send deminers away causes concern IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- A decision by the Eritrean government earlier this week to order the largest international landmine-clearing organisation operating in Eritrea, Halo Trust of the United Kingdom, to leave the country has caused some concern. Phil Lewis, who heads the UN’s Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) in Eritrea, said on Thursday that cutting the numbers of skilled de-miners could slow down clearance.
  • BURUNDI-TANZANIA: 15,000 refugees return home due to "hard life" in camps IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- About 15,000 Burundian refugees who had been living in camps in western Tanzania returned home in May due to what they said was a "hard life" in the camps, an official from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Thursday.
  • ANGOLA: Mine awareness programme launched IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- A mine-awareness programme has been launched by the Angola Red Cross in two of the country's worst affected provinces, Bié and Benguela.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 05 Jun 2003 -- Belgium finds nerve gas ingredient in letters / NATO awaits "dark horse" to join race for top job / Czech PM names choice of new defence minister / EU to send troops to Congo in first mission outside continent without NATO / Three Serbs die in worst Kosovo attack since 2001 / Russia to back NATO in Afghanistan, but no troops / Report: Son of late Shah predicts protests in Iran in July
  • SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 05 Jun 2003 -- NATO opens retraining center for Russian soldiers / Political leaders resisting U.S. plan to govern Iraq / Ukraine to send about 1,800 peacekeepers to Iraq / EU Foreign Policy chief Solana to present dogma in June EU summit / Military mission to Africa is first for EU

  • U.S. Reports Signs of Deliberate Attack on Burmese Activist's Motorcade Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- U.S. officials have found indications that a motorcade carrying Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi May 30 was hit in a "premeditated ambush," and that the individuals carrying out the assault on her group were affiliated with Burma's ruling authority, according to a June 5 statement by Deputy State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker.
  • House Members Decry Crackdown on Democracy Advocates in Burma Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- The recent crackdown on democracy advocates in Burma has generated strong criticism for the Rangoon regime in the House of Representatives as well as legislation that, if passed, would sanction supporters and members of the junta.
  • Lantos Introduces House Bill to Sanction Burmese Regime Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- The co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus introduced a bill in the House of Representatives June 4 that would sanction Burma's ruling military junta, and would authorize the President to "use all available resources to assist Burmese democracy activists dedicated to nonviolent opposition to the regime in their efforts to promote freedom, democracy, and human rights" in that country.
  • U.S. to Review Ban Against Direct Aid to Palestinian Leadership Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- The Bush administration plans to examine the prohibition against sending direct financial support to the leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and could soon approach the U.S. Congress to seek changes, according to a senior administration official.
  • Senators Express Concern For Burmese Democracy Leader Suu Kyi Washington File 05 Jun 2003 -- Leading Republican senators have expressed their concern over the last several days about the welfare and whereabouts of Aung San Suu Kyi, and have condemned the crackdown on her and other democracy activists by Burma's ruling military junta.
  • US / ZIMBABWE VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- There was more U-S criticism Thursday of the Zimbabwe government's handling of opposition demonstrations and work stoppages. The State Department appealed for an urgent and unconditional dialogue between President Robert Mugabe's ruling party and the opposition for an end to the country's political and economic crisis.
  • POWELL / LATAM VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell begins a three-day Latin American trip on Sunday. He flies to the Chilean capital, Santiago to attend a meeting of Organization of American States foreign Ministers, and he visits Buenos Aires for talks with Argentine officials including newly-inaugurated President Nestor Kirchner.
  • US / BURMA VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The United States renewed its call on Burmese military authorities Thursday to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her political party detained after a clash with government supporters last Friday. The State Department says U-S policy towards Burma is under review in light of the latest events there.
  • BRITAIN/EURO VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The British government is scheduled to announce Monday (June 9) whether Britain is ready to join the common European currency, the euro.
  • CONGRESS / BURMA VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- U-S lawmakers have introduced legislation tightening sanctions against Burma, after that country's military government detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week.
  • POLAND'S NEW WORLD ROLE VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- More than a dozen years after securing its freedom from the Soviet Union and paving the way for the freedom of other Eastern European countries, Poland is now assuming a larger role in international affairs. U-S President George W. Bush was in Krakow to thank Poland for its political and military help in fighting the war on terrorism. "In the battles of Afghanistan and Iraq, Polish forces served with skill and honor," Mr. Bush said. "America will not forget that Poland rose to the moment." Poland will now be leading a force of peacekeepers in Southern Iraq. Poland is also stepping into a larger role in Europe. This weekend, Poles vote on a referendum to join the European union.
  • EDITORIAL: DETENTION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The leader of Burma's democracy movement and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Aung San Suu Kyi, is being held incommunicado by the Burmese military regime. She was detained May 30th following an attack on her motorcade and hundreds of National League for Democracy supporters. The assault reportedly came from hoodlums working for the so-called Union Solidarity and Development Association, a pro-military regime front. Burmese troops also reportedly opened fire on the crowd of pro-democracy activists. The regime said that four people were killed and some fifty others were wounded.
  • ZIMBABWE / PROTESTS VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Zimbabwe's opposition says it will try again on Friday to demonstrate in the capital and other key areas against the rule of President Robert Mugabe. A nationwide strike by the opposition has paralyzed much of Zimbabwe's business life and led to a violent crackdown by government security forces.
  • TRADING WITH THE ENEMY VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- More than four decades ago, the United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, in response to the nationalization of U-S businesses and properties under the new revolutionary government of Fidel Castro. For years, the former Soviet Union had propped up the Cuban economy. Now however, the island nation of 11-million people is suffering through economic hardship that some say is worsened by the embargo. Others blame Cuba's economic woes on Fidel Castro's communist regime. But the controversy surrounding the embargo is not so much about whether or not it is hurting the Cuban economy as it is about whether or not it's an effective tool for bringing about change in the Cuban government.
  • ASIA/SARS VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The World Health Organization team in Beijing says China is trying hard to provide data about its SARS outbreak, while senior W-H-O officials complain that China is not fully cooperating. The W-H-O team in China also says SARS appears to be under control in most parts of the world.
  • CHINA / U-S ARREST VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- China is defending its detention of a U-S-based pro-democracy activist for more than a year without charges. The United Nations and the U-S Congress are criticizing China on the issue.
  • INDIA / HEAT VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- A severe heat wave sweeping many parts India has killed more than 12-hundred people. But weather officials say relief maybe on the way in the worst affected regions of Southern India.
  • POPE / CROATIA VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Pope John Paul II travels to Croatia today on a trip that marks another papal milestone. The five-day visit will be foreign trip number 100 for history's most travelled pope.
  • VIETNAM/CORRUPTION VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- A court in Vietnam has handed down a death sentence to the country's most powerful gangster. The prosecution of crime kingpin Nam Cam has captivated the country for 18 months. In his trial, witnesses testified that more than a dozen communist officials were on the gangster's payroll.
  • BURMA / ENVOY VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, says he will go to Rangoon Friday as planned, despite a military government crackdown last week on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her opposition party. The visit comes as party activists complete nearly a week in detention.
  • ZIMBABWE: Focus on the MDC's "final push" IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has called Friday "D-Day" of the "final push" in their mass action campaign against President Robert Mugabe's government.
  • RWANDA: New constitution becomes effective IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- Rwanda's new constitution became effective on Wednesday, after President Paul Kagame signed it into law, the Rwandan News Agency (RNA) reported.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bozize announces electoral calendar IRIN 05 Jun 2003 -- A constitutional referendum will be held in the Central African Republic (CAR) in mid-2004, CAR leader Francois Bozize has announced.



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