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Military


16 June 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Weapons seized, four soldiers hurt during Operation Peninsula Strike Army News Service 16 Jun 2003-- The 4th Infantry Division and supporting units from Task Force Ironhorse concluded an extensive raid on June 12 as part of Operation Peninsula Strike, involving thousands of soldiers.
  • 173rd Airborne on Peninsula Strike US Army Europe News 16 Jun 2003-- The men and women of 2d Battalion, 503d infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade, are feeling the heat. One soldier's watch, with a built in temperature gauge, says it's 134 degrees.

  • Afghanistan: Poppy, Heroin Trade Flourishing As Government Fails To Provide Alternatives RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- Despite a ban by the Afghan government, poppy cultivation and heroin laboratories are an open secret in many Afghan provinces. Afghanistan re-emerged as the world's largest opium producer last year, with more than 3,400 tons harvested.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Government sets up commission to reform civil service IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The Afghan government has set up a commission to fight corruption and nepotism and to reform the civil service. President Hamid Karzai issued a presidential decree to this effect on 10 June. Speaking on Sunday, Karzai said national revenues could not increase while the rotten administrative system continued to exist. "We have a great nation, but this proud nation does not have an efficient national civil service to lead it to prosperity," he said.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • Online Registration and Voting Experiment to Be Launched AFPS 16 Jun 2003 -- A DoD voting experiment in the 2000 presidential elections that allowed military and overseas voters to cast their ballots through the Internet will be expanded in 2004.
  • Pentagon Spokeswoman Steps Down 16 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced today that chief Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clarke would step down from her post as assistant secretary of defense for public affairs on June 20.
  • Aviano AEW gets new designation, new commander USAFE News 16 Jun 2003-- U. S. Air Forces in Europe's first Air Expeditionary Wing has a new designation, and a new commander as of June 12.
  • Air Guard General Transformed by Army Desert Training AFPS 16 Jun 2003 -- The thing that generals claim to miss most is getting their hands dirty. That means they no longer do the work that they once did and others in their command now do for them.
  • Security Needed for Prosperity to Reign, Bush Says AFPS 16 Jun 2003 -- The United States cannot enjoy prosperity without security, President Bush said in a New York City suburb today.

  • Miniature decoy development begins AFPN 16 Jun 2003-- Experts here are helping develop a miniature air-launched decoy that Air Force officials hope will entice enemy forces to prematurely disclose their air defense locations, keeping friendly pilots further out of harms way.
  • Exercise gives warfighters' perspective AFPN 16 Jun 2003-- Thirty-eight Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and engineers traveled to Fort Drum, N.Y., May 31 to June 13 for Phoenix Warrior 2003.
  • Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Flight Test Scheduled 16 Jun 2003 -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy are scheduled to conduct Aegis ballistic missile defense Flight Mission-5 (FM-5) flight test on June 18, 2003 with a window from 4 to 8 p.m. EDT. FM-5 will involve the launch of a standard missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor from the Aegis ballistic missile defense cruiser USS Lake Erie against an Aries target launched from Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.
  • President nominates retired general as CSA Army News Service 16 Jun 2003-- President Bush has nominated retired Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker to be the U.S. Army's new chief of staff, following last week's retirement of former Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki.
  • USAREUR unveils new mission statement, vision, METL and logo US Army Europe News 16 Jun 2003-- United States Army, Europe leaders approved a new mission statement, vision, mission essential task list and logo as part of a plan to focus its role as the Army's expeditionary force in Europe.
  • Coast Guard cutter Hickory comes home to Homer USCG Dsitrict 17 16 Jun 2003-- The newest Coast Guard cutter in Alaska arrives at its homeport in Homer late June after sailing more than 12,000 miles around the North America continent.

  • PRESS RELEASE NATO 16 Jun 2003 -- The NATO School (SHAPE) celebrates its 50th Anniversary on 27 June 2003. Since 1953, more than 115,000 officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians from all allied and national military commands within the NATO Alliance have attended courses at the School.
  • Establishment of allied command marks NEW beginning for NATO NATO 16 Jun 2003 -- In an historical ceremony on June 19, 2003, Allied Command Atlantic will be decommissioned and Allied Command Transformation will be established. The decommissioning/establishment ceremony will take place at the North American NATO headquarters in Norfolk, VA, at 10 a.m.

  • Pakistan to Seek More US Financial Assistance VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he plans to seek more financial assistance from the United States when he visits Washington next week.

  • INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- The first prosecutor of the new International Criminal Court has been sworn-in at a high-level ceremony in The Hague. With the inauguration of Argentinean litigator Luis Moreno Ocampo, the court is now fully functional and can begin investigating and prosecuting cases of alleged war crimes.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 16 Jun 2003

  • ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Efforts to reach a formal cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant groups have hit a snag. Palestinian militants ended two days of meetings in the Gaza Strip with Egyptian negotiators, without agreeing to a cease-fire.
  • POWELL / MIDEAST VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House National Security adviser Condoleezza Rice met a senior Israeli envoy Monday as the Bush administration pondered ways to keep the U-S-backed "road map" to Middle East peace on track. Mr. Powell is due to visit the region again starting late this week.
  • Israel: No Peace Deal Until Terror Attacks Stop VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ruled out a peace deal with the Palestinians until the Palestinian Authority cracks down on militant groups behind a spate of deadly attacks on Israel.
  • Hamas, Israel Offer Differing Views on Truce VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- The Palestinian militant group Hamas says it will consider Egypt's proposal for a cease-fire to stop terror attacks, but Israel says it would reject any short-term truce.
  • Short-term Cease-Fire is No Solution, says Israel VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Reports from the Middle East say the Palestinian militant group Hamas may be ready to agree to a moratorium on terror attacks. But the Israeli government is saying it would reject such a cease-fire, even if Hamas agrees.

  • U.S. Expects Serbia and Montenegro to Cooperate with ICTY Washington File 16 Jun 2003 -- The State Department is urging Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Serbia to fully meet their obligations to arrest and transfer all indictees to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
  • U-S / SERBIA AID VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has certified to Congress that Serbia's cooperation with the Balkans war crimes tribunal in the Hague is sufficient to allow continued U-S aid to Belgrade. The announcement followed the arrest of a top war crimes suspect by Serbian authorities late last week.

  • PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO United Nations 16 Jun 2003
  • U-N / CONGO / CHILDREN VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- A group of non-governmental organizations is calling on the U-N Security Council to do more to protect children and prevent sexual violence in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • DR of Congo: UN mission launches investigation into killing of military observers UN News Centre 16 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched an inquiry into the recent killing of two military observers in that country's war-torn northeast.
  • DRC: UN's multinational force "totally insufficient", says crisis group IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The French-led multinational force being deployed to Bunia, the main town in the embattled Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is "totally insufficient", the International Crisis Group, a global analysis and advocacy organisation, said in a report published on Friday.
  • DRC: MONUC declares UPC political appointments "null and void" IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has declared "null and void" recent political appointments made by the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC), recalling that only the Ituri Pacification Commission (IPC) was authorised to make such decisions in the troubled northeastern district of Ituri.

  • Mediators Work to Bring Cease-Fire to Liberia VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- At peace talks in Ghana, West African mediators are trying to get Liberia's warring sides to agree to a cease-fire to end four years of fighting.
  • LIBERIA: Mediators try to separate Taylor's status from ceasefire issue IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- Peace talks between the Liberian government and two rebel movements remained deadlocked on Monday for the fourth day running over rebel demands that President Charles Taylor step down as part of any ceasefire agreement.
  • LIBERIA: Fighting resumes in interior as Ghanaians and Nigerians evacuate IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- Nigeria and Ghana have begun evacuating thousands of their nationals from the Liberian capital Monrovia by air and sea as the ragged city remains quiet but tense amid reports of renewed fighting in the interior on Monday.
  • LIBERIA/TALKS VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- At peace talks in Ghana, West African mediators are trying to get Liberia's warring sides to agree to a cease-fire to end four years of fighting.

  • UNICEF / SUDAN VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations Children's Fund, says the humanitarian situation in Sudan has improved because of peace talks between the government and rebels in the south of the country.
  • Security Council ends weeklong mission to Central Africa UN News Centre 16 Jun 2003 -- A United Nations Security Council delegation has stressed cooperation among Central Africa's leadership, and urged close neighbours - particularly nations bordering the troubled Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - to play a "positive role" in ending the violence and civil conflict that has destabilized much of the Great Lakes region.
  • Russia: Hundreds in Moscow Demonstrate Against Chechen War RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- About 500 people gathered in the center of Moscow today to demonstrate against the war in Chechnya.
  • DRC-CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bangui, Kinshasa revive defence accords IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The leader of the Central African Republic CAR, Francois Bozize, and President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) agreed on Friday to revive defence accords between the two neighbouring countries, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported.
  • Indonesia Conflict VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- With an estimated 17 thousand islands, large and small, Indonesia is always concerned about keeping the nation together. There are continuing separatist challenges, notably now from Aceh, the northernmost province of the vast archipelago. A peace accord arranged in December between Aceh and the central government in Jakarta has broken down, and 30 thousand government troops are battling some 5000 lightly armed but well concealed guerrillas. There is no talk of peace.
  • Annan welcomes decision by 4 countries to send transition team to Bougainville UN News Centre 16 Jun 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the decision by Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu to dispatch a small civilian transition team to Bougainville after the group currently monitoring the peace process there leaves the Papua New Guinean island.
  • Great Lakes: Security Council calls for increased cooperation IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The UN Security Council has called for increased cooperation and confidence within and between countries in the Great Lakes region, saying it could assist in, but was unable to solve, their crises.
  • DRC-UGANDA: UN confirms 70 killed in Ituri village IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) confirmed on Monday that Lendu militiamen had killed 70 people in the eastern Congolese village of Nkora, near Mahagi town, Ituri District, close to the Ugandan border.
  • ERITREA: 8,700 expellees from Ethiopia resettled IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- A total of 8,700 Eritreans expelled from Ethiopia in 1998, and who have been homeless ever since, have been given farmland by the Eritrean government.
  • SIERRA LEONE: Court investigates reports that Koroma may be dead IRIN 16 Jun 2003 -- The UN-backed Special Court in Sierra Leone said on Monday it was investigating reports that former coup leader Johnny Paul Koroma, who had been indicted for war crimes, may have been killed in Liberia, officials told IRIN.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 16 Jun 2003 -- Daily brings together Gen. Jones' vision of EUCOM / Russia suggests opening military liaison office at SHAPE. / Government handling of universal competence law issue criticized / French commander views Operation Concordia / Solana: Middle East peacekeeping force "premature" / EU backs possible use of force against WMD threats

  • REFUGEES: NORTH KOREA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Refugees fleeing oppression, hunger and privation in North Korea have left their homeland in massive numbers in recent years. Many are in hiding in China. Over the past year, some North Korean refugees have forced their way into embassies or consulates in Chinese cities, drawing international attention to their plight. In this report, prepared as part of our series looking ahead to World Refugee Day, Stephanie Mann examines the question of whether a large exodus of North Korean refugees could destabilize the government in Pyongyang.
  • REFUGEES / INDONESIA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Across Indonesia, conflicts among religious or ethnic groups have pushed hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. At the same time, Indonesia's porous borders make it an attractive transit point for migrants trying to sneak into other countries illegally.
  • REFUGEES: THAILAND - BURMA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Thailand is currently hosting one of the largest refugee populations in Asia, with nearly a quarter million displaced Burmese. About half are languishing in camps along the Thai-Burmese border, while the other half work illegally in poorly paid jobs around the country. The Thai government wants these people repatriated, but the United Nations and rights groups say it is too dangerous for the Burmese to return home.
  • REFUGEES: IVORY COAST VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Thousands of Liberian refugees fleeing war in their country continue to flood into Ivory Coast, as they have for the past 15 years. Ivory Coast used to be a welcoming haven of stability. But since it experienced its own civil war last year, the hospitality for refugees has deteriorated. One of the reasons is that, instead of seeking safety, some of the refugees became fighters in the Ivorian war.
  • REFUGEES / AUSTRALIA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- In the past 50 years, almost 600-thousand refugees have been resettled in Australia - a country founded on mass immigration but with increasingly strict asylum laws. The country's immigration policies have pitted human rights activists - who say the rules are unfair - against the conservative government - which argues these policies are necessary to sort genuine claims from the bogus.

  • W-H-O/SARS PREVIEW VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Taiwan's leaders are welcoming a rare opportunity to take part in Tuesday's World Health Organization conference on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
  • SARS WORKERS VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Hong Kong medical workers threatened with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome became known as heroes in the city for their dedication and bravery in treating patients. Dozens of hospital workers contracted the virus and at least seven died from it.
  • JORDAN / ELECTION PREVIEW VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Voters in Jordan go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new parliament. For the first time, women candidates are guaranteed to win seats in the legislature. And after a seven-year absence, the country's main Islamist party looks likely to return to parliament in force.
  • POWELL / ASIA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell is enroute to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to join in an international dialogue with the foreign ministers of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr. Powell will, among other things, will be trying to generate more pressure in the region on Burmese authorities to release detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • BURMA/UNIVERSITIES VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Burma's universities have reopened, two weeks after being closed in an effort to avoid unrest over the detention of the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The reopening comes amid intense international pressure on Burma's military government to free the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
  • ASEAN VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Foreign ministers of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have urged the government of Burma to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible, indicating that her detention two weeks ago is tarnishing the image of the regional body. The remarks were made behind closed doors Monday afternoon, on the opening day of the forum.
  • Kazakhstan: President Completes Formation Of New Government RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev today filled the last open posts in the new government.
  • INDIA/FLOODS VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Indian officials say hundreds-of-thousands of people are homeless in India's northeastern state of Assam, following heavy monsoon rains and flooding.
  • Central Asia: Can The Aral Sea Be Saved? RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- The shrinking of the Aral Sea -- once the world's fourth-largest inland body of water -- has devastated much of southwestern Kazakhstan and northwestern Uzbekistan, and wreaked havoc on the lives of tens of thousands of people.
  • EU: Will Expanded Organization Merely Push 'Fortress Europe' Further East? RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- The series of successful referendums on European Union membership in the Central and Eastern European candidate countries means the expansion of the union is becoming reality. By May next year, the EU will have 10 new members. This means of course, that the outer periphery of the EU to the east will no longer be Germany, but Poland and the Baltic states, if all goes well. Further south, it will be Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and in the coming years, Romania and Bulgaria. Many of these countries are now taking steps to conform to the strict border and visa controls demanded by the EU. Is this merely pushing the dividing line in Europe further east and creating a new, expanded "fortress Europe"?
  • Central Asia: Some In Region Worried About Growing Chinese Power RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- Over the past decade, Beijing has developed friendly relations with Central Asian neighbors Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, cooperating on a range of political, economic, and security issues. But many Central Asians continue to see China as a potential threat to the region.
  • Taiwan Welcomes Rare Chance to Join WHO Conference on SARS VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- Taiwan's leaders are welcoming a rare opportunity to take part in Tuesday's World Health Organization conference on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.



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