Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Rota Marines Deploy to Liberia Navy NewStand 09 Jul 2003 -- The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) sent a 31-member team to Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, July 7 to assess the humanitarian needs in the embattled country.
• Weapons Co. works to rebuild schools in An Nasiriya USMC News 09 Jul 2003 -- If a child is fortunate enough to be born in America, he can expect to be educated at a public school, where books are provided and the bathrooms are equipped with toilets and sinks.
• Montpelier to Return Home from Wartime Patrol Navy NewStand 09 Jul 2003 -- The Los Angeles-class, fast-attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765) will return to Naval Station Norfolk July 10 from a six month deployment, including support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Afghanistan/Pakistan: Karzai Apologizes Over Embassy Attack, But What Of Long-Term Consequences? RFE/L 09 Jul 2003 -- Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai has apologized to Pakistan over yesterday's ransacking of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. Hundreds of Afghan protesters, angry over alleged border incursions by Pakistan, attacked the embassy, destroying cars, furniture, and computer equipment. Analysts say worsening relations between the two countries could have a serious impact on the ongoing U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.
• PAKISTAN: Mixed reaction to embassy attack in Kabul IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Following an apology from Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the ransacking of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Tuesday, government officials, peace activists, Afghan refugees and regional experts have expressed mixed reactions to the incident.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Anthrax Vaccine Moves Into Clinical Trials AFPS 09 Jul 2003 -- The next-generation anthrax vaccine, based on a decade of work at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, is now moving into not one, but four clinical trials.
• Emory S. Land Fights to Keep Ship Safe in Fire Scare Navy NewStand 09 Jul 2003 -- The crew of USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) sprang into action July 8, keeping their ship, the port support installation and the eastern part of Santo Stefano Island - where Land is homeported - safe from an advancing brush fire.
• Hurso Ethiopia Training USMC News 09 Jul 2003 -- Forces from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa have begun a three-month bilateral training exercise with Ethiopian National Defense Forces at the Hurso Training Camp, northwest of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
• Camp Babylon phoning home with aid of AT&T USMC News 09 Jul 2003 -- Service members are more connected thanks to new telephone centers being constructed at different base camps and airfields in theater.
• Byrnes sets sights on TRADOC's future Army News 09 Jul 2003 -- Eight months into his tenure as the Training and Doctrine Command commanding general, Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes said he has seen tremendous changes within the Army and his command.
• Tactical Tomahawk First Submarine Test Launch NAVAIR 09 Jul 2003 -- The U.S. Navy's new Tomahawk cruise missile, Block IV or Tactical Tomahawk, soared through yet another first today as it was launched from an Los Angeles Class submarine, the USS TUCSON (SSN-770), in the waters of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) sea test range off the coast of southern California. Today's event marked the first launch of the Tactical Tomahawk from an operational submarine launch platform.
• Fort McHenry Sailors, Marines Make Waves in Well Deck Navy NewStand 09 Jul 2003 -- After onloading elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and getting underway June 28, Sailors aboard USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) welcomed their new shipmates by holding a swim call.
• CARAT takes Brunei training by storm USMC News 09 Jul 2003 -- The Brunei training portion for the Landing Force, Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training, also known as Exercise Green Canopy, kicked off with the opening ceremonies June 23 and never slowed down.
• Lejeune first ever in new partnership USMC News 09 Jul 2003 -- Marine Corps Base has teamed up with the General Services Administration to become the test sight for a new partnership - the first of its kind in the Marine Corps.
• Joint Ops Key to Military Lessons Learned from Iraq AFPS 09 Jul 2003 -- The maturation of the joint force concept was at the heart of the successes American arms achieved during Operation Iraqi Freedom, former command leader Army Gen. Tommy Franks said today before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

• Transcript of the PRESS CONFERENCE of EU, NATO and OSCE held on 9 July 2003 NATO 09 Jul 2003

• WMD Proposals Discussed in Australia VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- Representatives from 11 countries are meeting in Australia to discuss U.S. proposals for halting trade in weapons of mass destruction. At a security conference in Brisbane, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton said that Washington and its allies will act to stop the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He says the effort will be part of the war on terrorism.
• AUSTRALIA/NORKOR/WEAPONS VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Representatives from 11 countries are meeting in Australia to discuss U-S proposals for halting trade in weapons of mass destruction.

• Powell Certifies that Colombia Meets Requirements for U.S. Aid Washington File 09 Jul 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell certified to the U.S. Congress on July 7 that the Colombian government and armed forces are meeting U.S. congressional criteria related to human rights and severance of ties to paramilitary groups.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 09 Jul 2003
• Chechnya: What Is Driving Women To Suicide Missions? RFE/L 09 Jul 2003 -- The dual suicide blasts at a Moscow rock concert this weekend are the latest example of a relatively new and disturbing phenomenon -- female suicide bombers. The Kremlin was quick to blame the attacks on Chechen extremists, and says Islamic radicalism is on the rise in the republic. But human rights groups say that such attacks are a result of Russia's merciless campaign in Chechnya. They say it is deepening the anger and despair that has driven Chechen women to launch suicide attacks -- something that is antithetical to both Islam and traditional Chechen culture.

• Hamas Leader Reaffirms Cease-Fire But Says Patience Limited VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- The head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas says his group is committed to its cease-fire on Israeli targets - but adds that the group's patience is limited.
• Diplomats Move to Avert Crisis in 'Road Map' Peace Plan VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- Diplomatic efforts are reported under way to avert a potential crisis in the road map to Middle East peace. The move comes after a threat by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to resign over criticism from within the Palestinian Authority regarding his handling of negotiations with Israel.
• Palestinian PM Abbas Threatens to Quit VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- Senior Palestinian officials say Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to quit over internal criticism of his handling of peace negotiations with Israel.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Diplomatic efforts are reported underway to avert a potential crisis in the road map to Middle East peace. The move comes after a threat by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to resign over criticism from within the Palestinian Authority regarding his handling of negotiations with Israel.
• PALESTINIANS / U-S VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- A diplomatic dispute is looming over comments reportedly made by the American ambassador to Israel about the new Palestinian prime minister. The Palestinians are demanding an explanation; the U-S Embassy says the ambassador was misquoted.

• U.N. Security Council Mission Recommends Help for Liberia Washington File 09 Jul 2003 -- The U.N. Security Council mission to West Africa is recommending an "international stabilization force" for Liberia and has suggested that deployment plans should be drawn up quickly.
• Bush Says U.S. Will "Be Involved" in Liberia to Keep Peace Washington File 09 Jul 2003 -- President Bush said July 9 that the United States will "be involved" in war-torn Liberia but said he "won't over-extend" U.S. troops if he decides to send them there to keep the peace.
• Security Council Mission Urges Support for Regional Force in Liberia VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- As the United States deliberates whether to send peacekeeping troops to Liberia, members of a United Nations Security Council mission just back from West Africa want the world body to support a regional force to stabilize the war-torn nation.
• Security Council urged to consider authorizing stabilization force for Liberia - new report UN News Centre 09 Jul 2003 -- The report of the United Nations Security Council's recent special mission to West Africa - carried out at a time when the stability of the sub-region appeared "particularly precarious"- recommends that the 15-nation body urgently consider authorizing an international stabilization force to quell the violence in Liberia.
• Annan discusses Liberian situation with leaders at African Union Summit UN News Centre 09 Jul 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today discussed Liberia with various leaders at the African Union Summit in Mozambique, focusing on the transitional arrangements for the peaceful transfer of power and the role of a possible multi-national peacekeeping force there.
• Secretary-General names new envoy for Liberia UN News Centre 09 Jul 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a senior American diplomat and former top UN official in the Balkans as his new special envoy for Liberia, in light of the rapidly unfolding political events in the war-torn West African nation.
• LIBERIA U-S VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- A U-S military assessment team is continuing its mission in Liberia after being given assurances from the Liberian government its safety will be ensured.
• PENTAGON/LIBERIA VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has revealed a second U-S military assessment team has been sent to West Africa to prepare for possible American involvement in peacekeeping operations in Liberia.
• Liberian Government Pledges to Ensure Safety of US Military Team VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- A U.S. military assessment team is continuing its mission in Liberia after being given assurances from the Liberian government its safety will be ensured.
• Bush Pledges to Help in Liberia, but Still Undecided About Sending Troops VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush is in South Africa where he says the United States will take part in efforts to end Liberia's civil war. Mr. Bush says he has still not decided whether to send American troops to Liberia.
• LIBERIA / WARNING VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- A leading humanitarian group is warning of potential chaos in Liberia, should president Charles Taylor step down before international peacekeepers move in. The International Rescue Committee is concerned Mr. Taylor's army might run amok.
• BUSH/LIBERIA VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- President Bush is in South Africa where he says the United States will take part in efforts to end Liberia's civil war. Mr. Bush says he has still not decided whether to send U-S troops to Liberia.
• LIBERIA: Annan names new envoy to coordinate UN activities IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Jacques Paul Klein, a senior United States diplomat and former head of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as his new special envoy to Liberia, the UN reported on Wednesday.
• LIBERIA: Taylor's replacement dominates Accra talks IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Delegates to the Liberian talks in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, have shifted focus from discussing a peace agreement between the country's warring parties, to intense negotiations over who should be in a transitional government that is to replace President Charles Taylor.
• Senior UN official appeals to Burundi conflict parties to respect civilian rights UN News Centre 09 Jul 2003 -- A senior United Nations rights official today urged the fighting parties in Burundi to negotiate a peaceful settlement in light of the suffering of the civilian population and appealed to the belligerents to respect the right to life, security and physical integrity.
• BURUNDI FIGHTING VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- As fighting between government and rebel forces continues in and around the Burundi capital Bujumbura, the governments says it has pushed the rebels away from the capital. But the rebels say they are still in the city and will continue to fight.
• BURUNDI: Rebels continue attacks on Bujumbura IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Rebel attacks on the southern suburbs of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, entered a third day on Wednesday, with the rebels shelling the city from neighbouring hills.
• BURUNDI: Four dead, 7 injured as rebels shell Bujumbura IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Four people were killed and seven others injured on Wednesday when rebels shelled the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, for the third consecutive day.
• U.S. Committed to Peace in Africa, Bush Says AFPS 09 Jul 2003 -- President Bush said the United States is firmly committed to peace in Africa and said America would support peacekeeping efforts in Liberia.

• PHILIPPINES MALAYSIA VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- The president of the Philippines and Malaysia's deputy prime minister met in Manila to discuss cementing a peace pact between the Philippines government and Muslim rebels. But there are still some stumbling blocks.
• DRC: Vice-presidents to be sworn in on 17 July IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The four vice-presidents to serve in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will be sworn in on 17 July, the follow-up committee of the inter-Congolese dialogue announced on Tuesday in the capital, Kinshasa.
• UGANDA: EU official urges international support for reconciliation in north IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The head of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Constanza Adinolfi, has stressed the need for "honesty and attention" from all parties involved in the northern Uganda conflict and called for wider international support for the reconciliation process.
• ETHIOPIA: US providing counter-terrorism military training IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The US counter-terrorism force in the Horn of Africa has begun a three-month training exercise with the Ethiopian defence force.
• ERITREA: Rainy season halts refugee repatriation IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The repatriation of Eritrean refugees from Sudan, which resumed last month, has been halted due to the start of the rainy season, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.

News Reports

• Bush Talks Democracy, Terrorism with Leaders on First Visit to Africa Washington File 09 Jul 2003 -- President Bush began his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa on July 8 telling West African leaders the best way to fight terrorism is "to support the habits of freedom,"
• Study Launched for Building an American University in Afghanistan Washington File 09 Jul 2003 -- U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn and Afghanistan's Minister of Higher Education Sharief Fayez signed a grant agreement on July 8 that they hope will promote the establishment of an American University in Afghanistan.
• Controversial Former Guatemalan Dictator Awaits Ruling on Eligibility to Run for President VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- Revered by his supporters as the strong, God-fearing leader that Guatemala needs, and scorned by his detractors as a genocidal dictator, Efrain Rios Montt remains one of the most controversial figures in Guatemalan history. And he also hopes to be the nation's next president. He is now awaiting a ruling from Guatemala's highest court as to whether he can run in the upcoming elections, despite a constitutional ban on former dictators running for president.
• CONGRESS / HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- The State Department's top official for human rights says the Bush administration is committed to pressing foreign governments to make human rights reforms. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Lorne Craner, made the statement (Wednesday) to a congressional panel which also heard from critics who say the United States is undermining its own efforts at promoting human rights.
• MEXICO/POLITICS VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- As a result of the setback suffered by Mexican President Vicente Fox and his National Action Party, known as the PAN, in Sunday's midterm election, many pundits are proclaiming the president a lame duck. Financial institutions outside Mexico have also expressed concern that badly needed reforms will remain sidetracked for the next three years. But there are signs that opposition parties may be on the road to compromise and cooperation.
• RIOS MONTT/ GUATEMALA VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- Revered by his supporters as the strong, God-fearing leader that Guatemala needs, and scorned by his detractors as a genocidal dictator, Efrain Rios Montt remains one of the most controversial figures in Guatemalan history. And he also hopes to be the nation's next president. He is now awaiting a ruling from Guatemala's highest court as to whether he can run in the upcoming elections, despite a constitutional ban on former dictators running for president.
• BUSH BOTSWANA OVERNIGHT VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- President Bush visits Botswana Thursday on the third stop of his five-nation tour of Africa. He will visit an economic zone designed to increase trade between the United States and Southern Africa.
• GERMANY / ITALY VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled a planned vacation in Italy in the wake of anti-German remarks by a senior Italian official. The German government says the chancellor and his family will instead spend their summer vacation in Mr. Schroeder's hometown of Hannover.
• ZIMBABWE / POLITICS / FOOD VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- The leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change has emphatically declared that his group is not engaged in political dialogue with the ruling ZANU P-F party. Mr. Tsvangirai was reacting to statements by South African President Thabo Mbeki that political contacts between the two parties in Zimbabwe are taking place.
• BUSH / SAF PROTESTS VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- Demonstrators in the South African city Cape Town and in front of the U-S embassy in Pretoria protested Tuesday against President Bush's visit and his foreign policies.
• BUSH ZIMBABWE VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- President Bush says he believes South African President Thabo Mbeki is an "honest broker" in Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis. But Zimbabwe's opposition leader says President Mbeki is misleading President Bush into thinking there is constructive dialogue going on between the government and its political opponents.
• Azerbaijan: Is Shakespearean Succession Drama Getting Closer To Its Final Act? RFE/L 09 Jul 2003 -- News that Azerbaijani leader Heidar Aliev's son will run for president in upcoming elections along with his father has triggered a new wave of speculation as to what secret political combination the ailing patriarch and his immediate entourage might be meditating. Possible motives for Ilham Aliev's nomination are being debated at great length in Baku, but political analysts generally agree the Azerbaijani leader is now ready to implement his long-debated succession plans.
• HONG KONG PROTEST UPDATE VOA 09 Jul 2003 -- In a second mass protest in less than 10 days, some 30-thousand opponents of Hong Kong's proposed anti-subversion laws surrounded the legislature at dusk. Hong Kong's leader acknowledges the public anger and says his government needs to regain the trust of the people.
• 30,000 March in Hong Kong to Protest Anti-Subversion Laws VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- In a second mass protest in less than 10 days, some 30,000 opponents of Hong Kong's proposed anti-subversion laws surrounded the legislature at dusk. Hong Kong's leader acknowledges the public anger and says his government needs to regain the trust of the people.
• Bangladesh Ferry Sinks, Hundreds Feared Drowned VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- Bangladesh authorities say several hundred people are missing and feared drowned after a ferry boat capsized and sank in the Meghna River in the southeastern part of the country.
• HONG KONG/PUBLIC ANGER VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Hong Kong residents are increasingly frustrated with their government. Last week, half a million people demonstrated to oppose government efforts to pass anti-sedition laws critics say could erode basic freedoms. But many people are upset about several government policies perceived as failures.
• HONG KONG/PROTEST VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- Opponents of Hong Kong's proposed anti-subversion laws plan to surround the legislature to underscore their concerns that the proposed laws threaten civil liberties. A mass rally on July 1st and the subsequent resignation of a key ally led Hong Kong's leader to delay a final vote on the laws, originally scheduled for Wednesday.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bangui, Tripoli resume cooperation IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- The Central African Republic (CAR) and Libya have decided to resume diplomatic ties after four months of uncertainty, a government official told IRIN on Tuesday.
• ETHIOPIA: Interview with WFP regional director Holdbrook Arthur IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Holdbrook Arthur is the UN World Food Programme's (WFP) regional director for east and central Africa. He recently visited southern Ethiopia, which is hard hit by the current food emergency, and tells IRIN how the food agency is coping with the crisis.
• SOUTHERN AFRICA: UN report shows slower development IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Southern African countries generally fared poorly in the rankings of the United Nations Human Development Report 2003.
• ZIMBABWE: Tsvangirai denies reports of ZANU-PF - MDC talks IRIN 09 Jul 2003 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on Wednesday denied there had been a resumption of talks between itself and the government.