Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• 3rd Infantry Division may be home sooner than later Army News Service 15 July 2003-- Talk of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division staying indefinitely in Iraq may be a little exaggerated, said Larry Di Rita, during a media roundtable at the Pentagon July 15.
• V CORPS HELPS TRAIN BAGHDAD AIRPORT AGENCIES FOR MASS CASUALTY INCIDENTS V Corps Release 15 July 2003-- No airport in the world more needs a plan to be prepared for attacks or other incidents resulting in a large number of casualties than Baghdad International, said retired Marine brigadier general Mike Aguilar. V Corps units are helping make that plan happen.
• Tallil's post office delivers AFPN 15 July 2003-- As the Air Expeditionary Force "Blue" rotation gains momentum, so does life at one organization here. The Air Force's local post office helps troops stockpile goodies from home and lighten their load when they leave.
• Marne Soldiers Will Be Home by September, DoD Official Says AFPS 15 Jul 2003 -- Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division will be home "by September," DoD officials said.

• New council, mayor mark new Iraqi government Marine Corps News 15 Jul 2003-- Shortly after Americans celebrated the anniversary of its independence, the military governor of Najaf welcomed a new government council that will help establish democracy in one of the world's holiest Shiite Muslim cities.
• Marines and soldiers stop stolen fuel Marine Corps News 15 Jul 2003-- A fuel pipeline that runs west of Karbala, Iraq is a necessity to the people, who need diesel to power their automobiles and electric generators. However, it's also a big attraction to local thieves hoping to steal the fuel.

• Afghanistan: Foreign Minister Appeals For Increased Aid REF/L 15 Jul 2003 -- Abdullah Abdullah, the foreign minister of Afghanistan, is in Washington to urge the United States and other Western nations to live up to their commitments and deliver economic assistance to his country.
• AFGHANISTAN ATTACK VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Suspected Taleban fighters have attacked a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan, killing five policemen and wounding at least two others.
• Attack Kills 5 at Police Headquarters in Afghanistan VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Suspected Taleban fighters have attacked a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan, killing five policemen and wounding at least two others.
• AFGHANISTAN: More pro-democracy demonstrations IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- Afghans in the capital Kabul have again been exercising their right to protest. Chanting pro-democracy slogans, around a hundred people marched through the city on Tuesday morning. The demonstrators called for the implementation of the Bonn agreement - a road map for Afghanistan's peaceful development - and urged the Afghan government not to bow to extremists.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Dyess colonel awarded Bronze Star Air Mobility Command News 15 Jul 2003-- The 317th Airlift Group commander was awarded the Bronze Star recently in a ceremony at a forward operating location.
• ARMY ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ON STRYKER BRIGADE IN ALASKA Army News Release 15 Jul 2003 -- The Department of the Army announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to assess the potential impact of transformation of the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) (172nd SIB) to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) at U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK).
• USS McCampbell Returns from Counter Drug Deployment Navy Newsstand 15 Jul 2003-- USS McCampbell (DDG 85) returned from its first deployment June 24. McCampbell has been conducting counter-narcotics operations under the operational command of Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) West and South in the Eastern Pacific Transit Zone since it left San Diego April 19. This is the ship's first operational deployment since she was commissioned in August 2002.
• Curts Sailors Bring New Capabilities, Friendship to India Navy Newsstand 15 Jul 2003-- The crew of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Curts (FFG 38) logged a couple of firsts July 8-12, as the first surface combatant to take part in the annual South Asia Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX), and the first U.S. Navy ship in more than a year to visit Chennai, India.
• Mason, Spanish Navy to Participate in Combined CSSQT Navy Newsstand 15 Jul 2003-- The Naval Sea Systems Command program executive office for integrated warfare systems (PEO IWS) and the Spanish F-100 program office are conducting the air defense portion of a combined combat systems ship qualification trials (CSSQT) with the Spanish navy July 17-22 off the coast of Wallops Island, Va.
• Moondogs train in Kadena Marine Corps News 15 Jul 2003-- During a recent deployment to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 conducted a successful live High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile exercise.
• Third Phase of CARAT 2003 Series Opens in Singapore Navy Newsstand 15 July 2003-- With leaders from both the Republic of Singapore navy (RSN) and U.S. Navy emphasizing its training value, the ninth edition of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) phase here opened with a ceremony at Changi Naval Base July 14.
• PSAB equipment gets 2nd chance AFPN 15 July 2003-- As the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing here draws down and inactivates this summer, there is a large amount of equipment that must be accounted for, organized and disposed of.
• Airmen support operations in Liberia AFPN 15 July 2003-- It is a hot, humid, rainy day here, and airmen from the 56th Rescue Squadron out of Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, are feeling the heat.

• NATO Sets Up Peacekeeping Command in Afghanistan Washington File 15 Jul 2003 -- More than 50 NATO troops arrived in Kabul July 12 to begin setting up a headquarters in preparation for the Alliance's takeover of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan August 11.

• CONGRESS / FOREIGN AID VOA 16 Jul 2003 -- The House of Representatives is poised to approve (Wednesday) legislation providing some 30 billion dollars for the State Department, and a range of foreign assistance and other programs. House action Tuesday was dominated by heated debate over funding for United Nations population activities.

Defense Industry

• ATK Thiokol Propulsion and IsoTruss Structures, Inc. Announce Collaboration, Marketing Effort ATK 15 Jul 2003 -- ATK Thiokol Propulsion, a division of Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) , and IsoTruss Structures, Inc. today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for collaboration on the analysis and distribution of composite lattice structures for commercial and military products.
• BAE SYSTEMS Mongoose Minefield Breacher Successful In Major Flight Test BAE Systems 15 Jul 2003 -- AUSTIN, Texas -- BAE Systems’ Mongoose countermine system recently underwent a key contractor test in the highly successful Flight Test 3 (FT3) at a U.S. Army test site.
• Boeing 767 Tanker Solves a Critical Air Refueling Need Boeing 15 Jul 2003 -- During the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, America's defense posture rested squarely on the shoulders of the U.S. Air Force's strategic nuclear bomber fleet. Carrying heavy payloads, the bomber force had to be able to take off, fly thousands of miles and deliver their payloads. The critical element: air refueling. In 1956, the first KC-135 Stratotanker entered the Air Force inventory.
• Northrop Grumman, Israel Aircraft Industries TAMAM Division Establish Teaming Agreement Involving Electro-Optical Systems Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Defensive Systems Division and Israel Aircraft Industries' TAMAM Division (TAMAM) have signed a teaming agreement that will combine their expertise in the design and production of electro-optical (EO) payloads for intelligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance for specified business opportunities.
• Army, EER and Northrop Grumman Host Grand Opening of Logistics Support Complex Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), the U.S. Army and EER Systems will dedicate a new logistics complex in Chester, Va., today.
• Northrop Grumman Completes Critical Design Review for Newest Navy Aerial Target Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the U.S. Navy's BQM-74F, the newest member of the BQM-74 family of aerial targets. The review, completed at the end of June, lays the groundwork for the rollout of the first air vehicle early next year and the first flight test in 2004.
• Northrop Grumman Wins Navy Contract to Provide Avionic Systems Support Work Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Navigation Systems Division (NSD) has been awarded a U.S. Navy support contract, potentially worth more than $49 million over four years, to provide for the repair and retrofit of naval avionic systems and subsystems for the Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP).
• Northrop Grumman Enters Teaming Agreement with Sonoma Design for EO/IR ISR and Targeting System Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Defensive Systems Division and Sonoma Design Group have signed a teaming agreement for the design and production of a high-performance electro-optic (E/O) and infrared (IR) system for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and targeting for specified business opportunities.
• Northrop Grumman Unmanned Air Vehicles Demonstrate Interoperability Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2003 -- The U.S. Navy's RQ-8A Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) and the U.S. Army's Hunter tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (TUAV) have proven their ability to communicate and safely operate in the same air space at the same time.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 15 Jul 2003
• CONGRESS - LIBERIA VOA 16 Jul 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell meets with members of the U-S Senate at the Capitol on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of sending U-S troops to Liberia.
• Liberia's capital 'calm,' but thousands need help as supplies dwindle - UN UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- While Monrovia's relative calm has allowed the United Nations and other relief agencies to step up operations in and around the beleaguered Liberian capital, the humanitarian situation in the West African country remains critical as aid workers stretch dwindling stocks of food, water and medicines to help meet the needs of thousands of displaced civilians.
• US Says American Defense Team in Liberia to Stay There Indefinitely VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- U.S. defense sources say a U.S. military team sent to Liberia to assess the condition for a possible American troops presence there, is likely to remain in the west African country indefinitely.
• PENTAGON/LIBERIA VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The U-S military team dispatched to Liberia to assess conditions for a possible peacekeeping operation with the participation of American troops is likely to remain in the West African country indefinitely.
• LIBERIA / REBELS VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Liberian rebels are again asking for the immediate deployment of U-S forces to end the civil war in the west African nation founded by freed American slaves. Their renewed plea comes after President Bush said Monday the deployment of a small U-S force was possible but only after west African peacekeepers arrive.
• Liberian Rebels Want 'Overwhelming' US Troop Presence VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Rebels in Liberia are calling for U.S. troops to have an "overwhelming" presence in the war-torn country, as Washington considers a role for American forces there.
• BUSH LIBERIA VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Liberian rebels want President Bush to send an "overwhelming" number of U-S troops to the country to help end the civil war. President Bush has still not decided whether U-S soldiers will take part in a West African peacekeeping force.
• Liberian Rebels Repeat Calls for Immediate Deployment of US Forces VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Liberian rebels are again asking for the immediate deployment of U.S. forces to end the civil war in the west African nation founded by freed American slaves. Their renewed plea comes after President Bush said Monday the deployment of a small U.S. force was possible but only after west African peacekeepers arrive.
• LIBERIA: Bush promises to send troops after Taylor leaves IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The United States has promised to send troops to Liberia, but only in a second wave of peacekeepers, once President Charles Taylor has stepped down and left the country.
• Thousands More Syrian Soldiers Withdraw From Lebanon VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Syrian troops in Lebanon are on the move back to Syria. It's part of a phased withdrawal by Syria, which has had troops in Lebanon since 1976.
• SYRIA/TROOPS VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Syrian troops in Lebanon are on the move back to Syria. It's part of a phased withdrawal by Syria, which has had troops in Lebanon since 1976.

• Annan calls on Israel, Palestinians and international donors to consolidate peace UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- For the latest Middle East peace plan to succeed, Israel should ease security measures to minimize Palestinian suffering, the Palestinian Authority must act decisively to prevent terrorism and the international community must increase its support to halt the Palestinians' downward spiral of social and economic despair, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
• U-N / PALESTINIAN ECONOMY VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Last month, the United Nations agency whose mandate is to help Palestinian refugees, appealed for millions of dollars in aid. But the response has been so poor that the agency, the U-N Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, is now warning it will have to cut humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack in a Tel Aviv nightclub early Tuesday that left one Israeli dead and another injured. Authorities say it was the first such attack in an Israeli city since the main Palestinian factions announced a self-imposed temporary halt to attacks against Israelis.
• Palestinian Militant Group Claims Deadly Attack in Tel Aviv Nightclub VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack in a Tel Aviv nightclub early Tuesday that left one Israeli dead and another injured. Authorities say it was the first such attack in an Israeli city since the main Palestinian factions announced a self-imposed temporary halt to attacks against Israelis.

• CONGO / MINISTERS VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The leader of the second biggest rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrived (Tuesday) in Kinshasa. He is in the Congolese capital to be sworn in as part of a new transitional government that is meant to end over four years of war. But the leader of the largest rebel group in Congo, who is also supposed to be in the government, has still not arrived in the capital for the swearing-in ceremony.
• DRC: Top EU official calls for stronger peacekeeping mandate IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy, Javier Solana, called on Tuesday for a stronger mandate for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), similar to that of the multinational peace enforcement mission deployed to the northeastern town of Bunia until 1 September.
• Burundi: displaced civilians begin returning home amid capital's 'relative calm' UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- The United Nations reported "relative calm" in Bujumbura today as civilians who have fled the Burundian capital over the past week amid fierce fighting between government forces and rebels began to return to their homes.
• BURUNDI: IDPs return home IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The flow of internally displaced people (IDPs) into central Bujumbura, the Burundian capital, has ceased "with significant numbers returning to their homes", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday.
• BURUNDI: Peace summit due Sunday IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, facilitator of the Burundi peace process, has set Sunday for a regional summit on the war-torn country, his office announced.
• U.N. Appeals to Colombian Rebel Groups to Release Kidnapped Prisoners Washington File 15 Jul 2003 -- United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has issued an urgent appeal to rebel groups in Colombia to release all kidnapped prisoners being held in that country, saying kidnapping is a "gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian law that has inflicted terrible suffering on the Colombian people."
• Central African Republic: Security Council hails all-inclusive transition management UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- Noting with satisfaction that Central African authorities had opted to involve all political factions and civil society actors in managing the country's transition, the United Nations Security Council today invited them to fulfil their obligations to bring about a constitutional order that will lead to national elections by the end of 2004.
• INDIA / MAOIST ATTACK VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- In eastern India, suspected Maoist rebels have triggered a series of explosions on rail tracks, causing three trains to derail.
• SUDAN: Peace process still on track, sides say IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- Sudan's warring parties say the peace process is still on track despite a number of setbacks which arose during the last round of talks held at the weekend.
• RWANDA: Another judge appointed to UN tribunal IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Khalida Rashid Khan from Pakistan as a judge to the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the tribunal reported on Monday.
• CONGO: ICRC assists Pool IDPs in Brazzaville IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- About 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Pool Region currently living in eight sites in the south of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, have benefited from aid provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• UGANDA: Sharp decline in human rights in north, report says IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- [[Subscribers please note this item replaces earlier Uganda story ("Rights group calls for end to child abductions") which was written by mistake and is now withdrawn]]
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-CHAD: UN agency seeks more funds for refugees IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the Central African Republic (CAR), which also covers neighbouring Chad, requires an additional US $7 million to help CAR refugees living in southern Chad and to repatriate others from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an official told IRIN on Tuesday.
• ANGOLA: Kimberley process gets under way IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The Angolan council of ministers has passed a decree containing the regulations for setting up a diamond monitoring and certification mechanism in accordance with the Kimberley Process.

News Reports

• Future of I-C-C VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- This week marks five years since a treaty created the first permanent world court designed to prosecute individuals charged with committing the worst crimes against humanity -- including genocide. The International Criminal Court, or I-C-C, now has 18 international judges and an Argentinean prosecutor in place at The Hague ready to begin dispensing justice.

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 15 Jul 2003 -- Mladic arrest seen key to Belgrade links with NATO / NATO commander warns of dangers in Afghan mission; stresses need to extend Karzai's authority / U.S. extends Iraq deployment of key Army division / Arab League chief cool toward new Iraqi council
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 15 Jul 2003 -- Bush defends quality of intelligence on Iraq / U.S. downplays India's choice of not sending troops to Iraq / Chaos in Moldova prompts call for peacekeeping force / Bush sets terms for role in Liberia

• UN envoy meets with new Iraqi Governing Council, visits Syria and Iran UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- Visiting more of Iraq's neighbours in his efforts to help create a stable, democratic and sovereign country, top United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello arrived in Damascus today for talks with Syrian President Bashir al Assad.
• ERITREA / REPORTER VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- A reporter who works for V-O-A in Eritrea is reported to be held in a military camp after being taken into custody by government security agents. There are fears that his reporting may have led to his detention.
• Guatemalan Ex-Dictator Rios Montt Declared Eligible to Run for President VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Guatemala's highest court has ruled that former military dictator and current legislative President Efrain Rios Montt is eligible to run for president in the November elections. Mr. Rios Montt's candidacy was rejected in two previous elections, because of a constitutional ban prohibiting former dictators from running for president.
• RIOS MONTT / GUATEMALA VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Guatemala's highest court has ruled that former military dictator and current legislative President Efrain Rios Montt is eligible to run for president in the November elections. Mr. Rios Montt's candidacy was rejected in two previous elections, because of a constitutional ban prohibiting former dictators from running for president.
• CHAD/OIL VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The landlocked central African nation of Chad is becoming the world's newest petro-state.
• PHILIPPINES MARCOS VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The Philippines' highest court has granted the government control of more than half a billion dollars owned by the family of former leader Ferdinand Marcos. This the largest amount the Philippine government has recovered from the billions of dollars the Marcos family is accused of illegally acquiring.
• RWANDA: Government registers eight political parties ahead of polls IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The Rwandan government has registered eight political parties ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 August and 29 September respectively, a government minister told IRIN on Monday.
• Boeing Updates Assessment of Launch and Satellite Businesses in Weak Commercial Space Markets; To Record $1.1 Billion Second Quarter Charge Boeing 15 Jul 2003 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that as a result of continued weakness in the commercial space launch market, higher mission and launch costs on its Delta IV program, and cost growth in its satellite businesses, the company will recognize pre-tax charges of approximately $1.1 billion, or $0.87 per share, when it announces second quarter results on July 23.
• ORBITAL MAKES FINAL IN-ORBIT DELIVERY OF BSAT-2c SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 15 Jul 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it has made the final in-orbit delivery of the BSAT-2c satellite to its customer, Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan.