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Military


18 June 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Soldiers attacked while on Operation Peninsula Strike US Army Europe News 18 Jun 2003-- Four soldiers from the 2d Battalion, 503d Infantry (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade were injured late Sunday night when the vehicle they were traveling in drove through an ambush during the first hours of operation peninsula strike.
  • DJIBOUTI / COUNTER-TERRORISM VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The U-S-led anti-terror task force based in Djibouti has stepped up training of American and regional military forces to counter the terrorism threat in the Horn of Africa.

  • UN: Officials Make New Appeals For Security, Drug Control In Afghanistan RFE/L 18 Jun 2003 -- UN officials have again presented the UN Security Council with sobering updates about conditions in Afghanistan. The heads of the UN's peacekeeping and drug control departments called for beefed up security and a renewed commitment to help Afghanistan establish rule of law, saying the country's future and regional stability are at stake. Council members vowed to coordinate anti-drug trafficking efforts and to press ahead with reforms of the Afghan police and army sectors. But there was no immediate signal that the international force in Afghanistan would be expanded.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Aid organisations call for strengthened security IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- In one of the broadest appeals made to date, nearly 80 humanitarian, human rights and conflict prevention groups have come together to call for an expanded stabilisation security role for NATO as it prepares to take over peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan in early August.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Focus on returns and reintegration in the north IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- The return and reintegration of more than 2.5 million Afghan refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their country and places of origin following the dramatic events of 11 September present one of the most urgent and demanding issues that Afghanistan faces today.

Defense Policy / Programs

  • Transcript: Testimony on U.S. Military Presence in Iraq: Implications for Global Defense Posture 18 Jun 2003 -- As Prepared for Delivery for the House Armed Services Committee by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Washington, DC, Wednesday, June 18, 2003.

  • CENTCOM Deputy Abizaid Nominated as Next Commander AFPS 18 Jun 2003 -- President Bush has nominated Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid for a fourth star and the position of commander, U.S. Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
  • SecDef Announces New Chairman of Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee 18 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld today announced Tillie K. Fowler will chair the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee.

  • Team Building In the Eastern Pacific Navy Newsstand 18 Jun 2003-- Naval forces from four nations, including the United States, met in Antofagasta, Chile, June 12 to participate in Teamwork South 2003, a three-week multinational exercise hosted by the Chilean Navy and executed in Chilean territorial waters.
  • Wolfowitz Says Four Factors to Guide U.S. Military Transformation Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz says the U.S. armed forces seek to capitalize on four attributes that will be key to 21st-century combat successes -- knowledge, speed, precision and lethality.
  • Pentagon to Rely on Speed, Precision Weaponry in Future Conflicts, says Official VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- In testimony on Capitol Hill, a senior Bush administration official has said U.S. military forces will rely on speed and precision weaponry to win future conflicts, such as the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and battles in the war on terror. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz testified before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
  • WOLFOWITZ / MILITARY FORCES VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- In testimony on Capitol Hill, a senior Bush administration official has said U-S military forces will rely on speed and precision weaponry to win future conflicts, such as the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and battles in the war on terror. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz testified before the House (of Representatives) Armed Services Committee

  • Longbow unit trained-up and ready to ROK US 8th Army Release MS WORD DOC 18 Jun 2003-- After eight months of unit training and equipment upgrades, 3rd Squadron, 6th Calvary Brigade has returned to the peninsula to continue its mission of deterring aggression against the people of the Republic of Korea.
  • Team assessing bombing targets AFPN 18 Jun 2003-- On June 15, the Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team visited a site targeted by coalition aircraft during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A bunker was buried underneath layers of soil and concrete, hiding more than 25 compartments used to shield parts of Saddam Hussein's regime.
  • One-stop shopping for U.S. defense AFPN 18 Jun 2003-- PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- People lingering in the newly built hallways of the U.S. Northern Command headquarters building here are likely to hear the phrase "one-stop shopping."
  • Radar squadrons protect America ACC News 18 Jun 2003-- After Sept. 11, 2001, the silent radars constantly scanning the borders of the United States for potential aerial attack took on a heightened role. The data coming in from those radars to one of the four U.S. Air Defense Sectors is vital to homeland defense. If one of those radars isn't working at its highest capacity, there's an open door for a terrorist to come in.
  • Black Knights receive warm welcome home AMC News 18 Jun 2003-- Nearly 50 Black Knights - members of the 19th Air Refueling Group - returned home Saturday on two KC-135 aircraft as a steady summer rain pounded the flight line where tearful spouses, children and friends eagerly welcomed their heroes home.
  • Roadmap outlines recapitalization of tanker fleet AMC News 18 Jun 2003-- The Air Force released a plan today outlining the retirement of the remaining 133 E-model KC-135 Stratotankers and the proposed integration of the 100 KC-767A tankers it is leasing from Boeing.
  • "A Just War on Terror," by Senator Arlen Specter Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- During a visit to the United States last week, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni made some comments about terrorism that we do not often hear anymore. Unfortunately, these comments received little attention in the media.

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 18 Jun 2003

  • Russia: EU Officials Say Moscow 'Not Living Up To' International Obligations In Chechnya RFE/L 18 Jun 2003 -- The European Commission yesterday approved another 16.5 million euros in humanitarian aid to support victims of the ongoing war in Chechnya. A Commission background document notes the new allocation brings the total since the beginning of the conflict in late 1999 to above 100 million euros -- but with very little effect. The humanitarian situation in and around Chechnya continues to deteriorate and EU officials say Russia is failing in several respects to "live up" to its obligations under international law.

  • UN / CONGO VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The U-N mission in the war-torn Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo reports an upsurge in human-rights violations, despite the arrival of a new multi-national force.
  • Germany: Parliament Agrees To Send Small Military Force To Congo RFE/L 18 Jun 2003 -- The German parliament has agreed to send a token force of noncombat troops to the war-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo to support the European Union military mission there. The EU mission is presently scheduled to finish at the end of August, which German commentators argue is too short to do any good.
  • Human rights violations, hunger on the rise in eastern DR of Congo - UN UN News Centre 18 Jun 2003 -- Murder and rape are increasing in the war-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and children are slowly dying of starvation, with nearly two-thirds of the population estimated to suffer from food shortages, United Nations officials reported today even as the Security Council was being briefed on the latest peacekeeping efforts.
  • Security Council hears calls for strengthening peace mission in DR of Congo UN News Centre 18 Jun 2003 -- A special Security Council mission and several regional players today called for reinforcing the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), especially in the eastern region where factional fighting has recently killed hundreds and sent thousands fleeing their homes.
  • DRC: WFP launches appeal for civilian victims of violence IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) launched an appeal on Wednesday for US $38 million to provide food for approximately 500,000 war-affected people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • DRC: NGOs welcome multinational force IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Three NGOs active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have welcomed the deployment of a multinational force in the town of Bunia, and urged it to uphold its mandate to protect women and children from warring militiamen.
  • DRC: Ceasefire talks for North Kivu rebels to resume on Wednesday IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Negotiations to reach a ceasefire among various armed groups in North Kivu Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were due to resume on Wednesday in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, a UN official said.

  • BUSH MIDDLE EAST VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- President Bush is asking Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to help Palestinian leaders end violence that is threatening a Middle East peace plan.
  • Palestinian Gunmen Kill 7-Year-Old Israeli Girl VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- Palestinian gunmen have shot and killed a seven-year-old Israeli girl and seriously wounded her five-year-old sister in a roadside ambush. The incident threatens to derail the latest effort to get the peace process back on track.
  • ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Palestinian gunmen have shot and killed a seven-year-old Israeli girl and seriously wounded her five-year-old sister in a roadside ambush. The incident threatens to derail the latest effort to get the peace process back on track.
  • EDITORIAL: PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Palestinians have begun to take their future into their own hands. Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas recognizes that terrorism is not a means to a Palestinian state, but a deadly obstacle to it.

  • Australia Considers Intervention in Solomon Islands Unrest VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- The Australian Government is considering armed intervention in the troubled Solomon Islands to prevent the collapse of government services and reverse a decline in law and order. The Solomons is spiraling out of control since the government was toppled in a vicious ethnic war three years ago.
  • SOLOMON ISLANDS/UNREST VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Australian Government is considering armed intervention in the troubled Solomon Islands to prevent the collapse of government services and reverse a decline in law and order. The Solomons is spiraling out of control since the go

  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN refugee agency to close camp in northern DRC IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- A camp in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo hosting refugees from the Central African Republic will be closed in a month now that the UN refugee agency UNHCR has repatriated 2,500 refugees, the agency's resident representative said on Monday.
  • CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: CEMAC troops disperse strikers in Bangui suburb IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Soldiers of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) force dispersed on Tuesday a group of former fighters loyal to Central African Republic leader Francois Bozize, who had barricaded the road leading from the capital, Bangui, to the north of the country, CEMAC spokesman Col Augustin Bibaye told IRIN on Wednesday.

  • ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Remains of slain soldiers to be repatriated IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Top military leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea have agreed to allow remains of soldiers killed during their border conflict to be repatriated for burial, the UN said on Tuesday.
  • ERITREA: Irish troops end tour of duty IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Irish troops serving as peacekeepers with the UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) completed their six-month tour of duty at the weekend, and were replaced by a contingent of Finns.

  • COTE D'IVOIRE: Sleepy rebel capital slowly wakes up to peace IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- A frail bare-foot girl who looked to be less than 10 years old jumped out from the shade of a bush and pulled aside a plank of wood studded with nails that blocked the main road at the first of half a dozen rebel checkpoints on the way to Bouake, the second city of Cote d'Ivoire.
  • COTE D'IVOIRE: Army and rebels agree to confine forces, exchange prisoners IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- The government and rebels in Cote d'Ivoire have agreed to move their forces back from frontline positions to 17 quartering areas, where the process of disarmament is due to begin shortly, Colonel Mathieu Boni, a senior commander of the West African peacekeeping force in the country said on Wednesday.

  • LIBERIA / CEASEFIRE VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- A ceasefire has taken effect in Liberia, paving the way for negotiations to establish a transitional government without President Charles Taylor.
  • Liberia Cease-Fire Opens Way for Transitional Government VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- A cease-fire has taken effect in Liberia, paving the way for negotiations to establish a transitional government without President Charles Taylor.
  • LIBERIA: Annan welcomes ceasefire agreement IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- The UN Secretary General has welcomed the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Liberian government and the country's two main rebel groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy and Elections in Liberia (MODEL).
  • LIBERIA: Talks to continue despite reported violations IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- Following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Liberian government and two rebel groups in Ghana, peace talks are scheduled to begin on Thursday despite reported ceasefire violations in southeastern Liberia.
  • LIBERIA: Peace process still has a long way to go IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- The ink had hardly dried on the ceasefire agreement signed by the Liberian government and rebels, when accusations of violations started to trickle in.

  • Priest in Uganda Killed in Apparent Rebel Attacks VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- A Roman Catholic priest has been killed and several nuns injured in attacks in northern Uganda believed to have been carried out by a rebel group. The attacks have alarmed the Catholic community in the east African country.
  • UGANDA/REBELS VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- A Roman Catholic priest has been killed and several nuns injured in attacks in northern Uganda believed to have been carried out by a rebel group. The attacks have alarmed the Catholic community in the east African country.
  • Peru Civil War Said to Have Claimed Over 40,000 Lives VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates as many as 60,000 people were killed or disappeared during Peru's 20-year war between leftist guerillas and state security forces.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 18 Jun 2003 -- UK wants plea-bargaining for top Iraqis / UK minister postpones trip to dangerous Iraq / U.S. slow to tackle illicit terror funding / No dialogue on Kosovo with Steiner says Serb negotiator / Gen. Myers praises Ukraine's decision to send stabilization troops / Belgian bid to soothe U.S. over suit faces challenge / Iran still won't accept stricter UN nuclear checks / Islamists regain foothold in Jordan parliament
  • SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 18 Jun 2003 -- Gen. Jones-EUCOM (continued) / Aid groups call for NATO to expand peacekeeping role in Afghanistan / Stabilization force for Southern Iraq complete / Palestinian journalist makes case for internal peacekeeping force / Former NATO secretary general: U.S. threat must be taken seriously / German logistics unit for Congo mission endorsed / Gunfire hits French helicopter in Congo

  • Text: U.S. Calls for Reform of Central American Security Institutions Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- Central American security institutions must be reformed and regional governments must cooperate more closely to address 21st-century threats, says Daniel Fisk, deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
  • Craner Calls on Asian Nations to Take Responsibility for Burma Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- "Our worst fears for democracy in Burma have been realized," Assistant Secretary of State Lorne W. Craner told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee June 18.
  • McConnell Says Burma's Ambassador to U.S. Should Be Sent Home Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- Senator Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) says Burma's ambassador to the United States should be sent back to Rangoon and not allowed to return to America until Aung San Suu Kyi and fellow democrats are freed.
  • International Community Must Stand Together on Burma, Powell Says Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- To be effective against the repressive regime in Burma, the international community must stand together, says Secretary of State Colin Powell.
  • CONGRESS / BURMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- key U-S lawmaker is urging the Bush administration to send Burma's ambassador to the United States back to Rangoon to protest the Burmese government's detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • RUSSIA / DUMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government has survived a vote of no-confidence in the lower house of parliament, or Duma. Initiated by an unusual alliance of Communists and liberal opposition deputies, the vote was widely seen as pre-election posturing ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
  • Russian Government Survives No-Confidence Vote VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government has survived a vote of no-confidence in the lower house of parliament, or Duma. Initiated by an unusual alliance of Communists and liberal opposition deputies, the vote was widely seen as pre-election posturing ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
  • U.S./EU: Trade Disputes Occurring As Political Rifts Festering RFE/L 18 Jun 2003 -- The European Commission says it is considering a fresh economic case against the United States at the World Trade Organization, relating to the way the United States calculates its anti-dumping duties. This would add to a series of disputes on trade and economic issues between the world's most powerful economic entities. They come at a time when there is a general sense of trans-Atlantic coolness resulting from disagreements over the Iraq war. Are such quarrels over trade likely to sharpen the political rift?
  • CONGRESS / BURMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- A key U-S lawmaker is urging the Bush administration to send Burma's ambassador to the United States back to Rangoon to protest the Burmese government's detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • ASIA SECURITY UPDATE VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has expressed satisfaction with Asian support for U-S positions on Burma and North Korea. He made the remarks after attending a regional security forum with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
  • VIETNAM DISSIDENT VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Vietnam has sentenced a dissident Internet writer to 13 years in prison on charges of spying. Phan Hong Son is one of at least five cyber-dissidents jailed in the communist country.
  • JORDAN / ELECTION VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Independent candidates allied with Jordan's King Abdullah won most of the seats in Tuesday's parliamentary election. The main Islamist party is alleging fraud after it won about half the seats it was contesting.
  • MALAYSIA POL VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has warned of political uncertainty if an opposition Islamic party gains strength. Mr. Abdullah also had tough words about the United States before Malaysia's ruling party starts its annual meeting.
  • CHINA / SARS RIVALRY VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Senior Chinese disease control experts say rivalry and bickering among scientists and government officials delayed China's response to the deadly SARS outbreak and cost lives. China's Center for Disease Control says SARS exposed serious problems in the country's medical system.
  • SARS ERADICATION VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The head of World Health Organization says Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome will continue to challenge global health care if its source is not identified and eliminated. But scientists at a conference in Kuala Lumpur say the disease is not likely to be eradicated.
  • WHO SARS VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- Health experts say simple infection control measures and better data collection could have limited the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
  • US Calls on Burma to Release Aung San Suu Kyi VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has urged Southeast Asian nations to step up pressure on Burma's military government to free pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • RUSSIA/DUMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government faces a no-confidence vote in the Duma, or lower house of parliament (late Wednesday). An unusual alliance grouping communist deputies and their colleagues from the pro-market reform Yabloko party put forth the parliamentary motion, accusing the government of failing to follow through on economic reform.
  • COMOROS: Hopes for an end to power struggle IRIN 18 Jun 2003 -- An upcoming congress on the Comoros, to be held on Friday in Pretoria, South Africa, hopes to end the recent power struggle between the semi-autonomous islands and the federal government.



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