Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Iraq: Three U.S. Soldiers Killed In Latest Attacks RFE/RL 02 Oct 2003 -- The U.S. military said today that a soldier was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a U.S. convoy in the town of Samarra, 100 kilometers north of Baghdad -- the third fatal ambush on U.S. forces last night.
• IRAQ / U-S MILITARY VOA 02 Oct 2003-- The commander of the 150-thousand U-S troops in Iraq says the guerrilla-style attacks on his soldiers are becoming more lethal

• 12 Al-Qaeda suspects, 1 Pak soldier killed in clashes IRNA 02 Oct 2003 -- At least 12 al-Qaeda suspects were killed and 10 others arrested when Pakistan`s army launched a large-scale operation Thursday against al-Qaeda militants in a rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan, in which one army soldier was killed and two wounded.
• AFGHANISTAN/CANADIANS VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Two Canadian peacekeepers were killed and three injured in the Afghan capital, Kabul, when their vehicle ran over a landmine .
• AFGHANISTAN ATTACK VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Suspected Taleban insurgents have reportedly killed two children and 10 police in an ambush in southern Afghanistan
• RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 2, Number 34 02 Oct 2003 -- AFGHANISTAN DONORS MEETING: REASON FOR HOPE OR DESPAIR? / FIGHTING BETWEEN NORTHERN WARLORDS CLAIMS FIVE LIVES... / ...PROMPTING KABUL TO APPOINT CEASE-FIRE COMMISSION FOR CONFLICT IN NORTH AS THE DEATH TOLL RISES / AID WORKER KILLED IN HELMAND PROVINCE... / ...FOR WHICH NEO-TALIBAN CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY / HELMAND PROVINCE GOVERNOR'S BODYGUARDS KILLED / U.S. SOLDIER KILLED IN SOUTHEASTERN PROVINCE / ROBBERY OF KANDAHAR WEEKLY PART OF RISING TREND OF CRIME / GIRLS' SCHOOLS TORCHED / U.S. MILITARY CONVOY ATTACKED IN PAKTIYA PROVINCE / PUBLISHER/MINISTRY OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY TARGET OF DEATH THREATS / UN SAYS VIOLENCE SIGNALS NEED TO EXPAND ISAF... / ...AS NEW ICG REPORT FOCUSES ON DISARMAMENT AND REINTEGRATION... / ...WHILE ANOTHER ICG REPORT HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL CONFLICTS... / ...AND URGES INTERNATIONAL ACTORS NOT TO FAN THE FLAMES / AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, AND PAKISTAN TO ESTABLISH THREE-WAY COMMITTEES... / ...WHILE SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CENTRAL ASIAN STATES URGE INTENSIFIED SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN RECONSTRUCTION / AFGHANISTAN PLANS TO BOOST TROOP NUMBERS NEAR PAKISTANI BORDER... / ...WHICH IT DELAYS FOR SECURITY REASONS / PAKISTAN ACCUSES INDIA OF TRAINING TERRORISTS IN AFGHANISTAN / HERAT PAPER DECRIES CHILD ABUSE IN AFGHANISTAN... / ...AS AUTHORITIES RESCUE ABDUCTED BOYS / EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO PROVIDE SALARIES FOR AFGHAN POLICE / AFGHAN NATIONAL BEHEADED IN SAUDI ARABIA / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY

• PAKISTAN / AL-QAIDA VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Pakistani troops have killed at least 12 suspected al-Qaida militants and arrested a dozen others in their largest offensive against the international terrorist network. At least one Pakistani soldier has been killed and two have been injured by the fighting in a rugged tribal region, known as Angor Adda, near the border with Afghanistan
• PAKISTAN/U-S VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali says that his country is eager to continue the fight against terrorism, but that the United States must also consider Islamabad's needs in the process. During an address in Washington, Thursday, Mr. Jamali also called for the removal of U-S trade barriers on Pakistani goods.

Defense Policy / Programs

• PENTAGON/GUANTANAMO VOA 02 Oct 2003-- The top U-S military commander says he is not surprised that at a time of war, terrorists or their supporters are apparently trying to infiltrate the special U-S military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

• Defense Department Briefing, October 2, 2003 Washington File 02 Oct 2003-- Iraq update, defense supplemental, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay/security investigation, Iraqi Army/vetting, profiling/U.S. military, Kay/WMD report, European Union/Iraq contribution, Iraq/intelligence, Syria/Iraq border, North Korea/diplomatic solution, ROK troops/Iraq, Rumsfeld/resignation
• Reserve Affairs Top Enlisted Advisor Selected 02 Oct 2003 -- The Department of Defense announced today that Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence W. Holland has been selected as the seventh senior enlisted advisor to the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs.
• NORTHCOM Chief Says U.S. Better Prepared Against Terror AFPS 02 Oct 2003-- The United States is better prepared to face terrorist threats today and the U.S. Northern Command will continue to improve U.S. capabilities, the head of that unified command said today.
• Briscoe Decommissioned After 25 Years Navy Newsstand 02 Oct 2003-- The Spruance-class destroyer USS Briscoe (DD 977) decommissioned Oct. 2 during a ceremony in her homeport at Naval Station, Norfolk, Va. Commander, Destroyer Squadron 22, Capt. Thomas Abernathy, was the guest speaker.
• Admiral Expands on Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned AFPS 02 Oct 2003-- Capabilities to enhance joint warfighting and to beef up intelligence collection, analysis and dispersion are at the top of the "lessons learned" from Operation Iraqi Freedom, the commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command told the House Armed Services Committee here today.
• Enterprise Strike Group Deploys Navy Newsstand 02 Oct 2003-- Ships and aircraft of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) began a routine deployment Oct. 2 in support of the global war on terrorism.
• AMC reactivates 18th Air Force AFPN 02 Oct 2003-- The first major change in the Air Force's organizational structure in more than a decade occurred here Oct. 1. During a formal ceremony, Air Mobility Command officials reactivated 18th Air Force, to lead the command's global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations.
• Air Combat Element soars during CROC '03 Marine Corps News 02 Oct 2003-- In plain view, a poster hangs on the wall of the Command Operations Center defining the intent for the Air Combat Element supporting exercise Crocodile 2003.
• Burns Briefs on NATO's October Defense Ministerial Washington File 02 Oct 2003-- NATO defense ministers will gather in Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 7-10 to discuss NATO's new response force, Afghanistan, the new NATO command structure, boosting defense capabilities, and the NATO-EU relationship, U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns said September 30.
• ETHIOPIA: Pledge to slash defence spending IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- Ethiopia has pledged to limit its defence spending to just two percent of its GDP.

Defense Industry

• General Dynamics Awarded $20 Million in Army Contracts General Dynamics 02 Oct 2003 -- Three units of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) – General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products – recently have been awarded contracts by the U.S. Army. The total value of the contracts exceeds $20 million.
• General Dynamics Completes Acquisition of Steyr Spezialfahrzeug General Dynamics 02 Oct 2003 -- General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today completed its acquisition of privately-owned Steyr Daimler Puch Spezialfahrzeug Aktiengesellschaft & Company KG (Steyr Spezialfahrzeug) and its parent company, SSF-Holding GmbH, of Austria. Plans for the acquisition were announced on September 30.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 02 Oct 2003
• Chechnya: Maskhadov Vows Armed Resistance, Dismisses Election RFE/RL 02 Oct 2003 -- The last democratically elected president of Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov, said that armed resistance against Russia will continue until "the occupiers leave."
• CHECHNYA/VOTE VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Chechen-separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has dismissed upcoming presidential elections in the southern Russian republic as illegitimate, and vowed to continue to fight Russian federal forces. Violence has flared in the days before Sunday's Kremlin-sponsored election, and concerns by human-rights groups and western election monitors continue to mount

• CONGRESS / LIBERIA VOA 02 Oct 2003-- U-S lawmakers are concerned about continuing instability in Liberia, amid the latest reports of fighting in the capital, Monrovia
• LIBERIA/REBELS VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Liberian rebel forces have taken up positions on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia, after their leader's motorcade was involved in a gunfight that left at least three people dead
• LIBERIA: Sporadic night gunfire and looting in Monrovia IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- Sporadic gunfire could be heard throughout Wednesday night in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, as rebels and government fighters who earlier engaged in a shootout in the eastern suburbs of the city, went on a looting spree.
• ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS VOA 02 Oct 2003-- The Palestinian Authority has appealed to the world powers behind Middle-East peacemaking to stop Israel from extending its security barrier in the West Bank

• SOMALIA: More twists in peace process IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- Members of Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) attending peace talks in Kenya have called on the conference organisers not to accept "obstruction and delaying tactics".
• SOMALIA: RRA factions reconcile, express support for peace process IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- There has been a realignment of positions within the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) which governs the southern Somali town of Baidoa after its chairman Hasan Muhammad Nur "Shatigadud" reconciled with one of his rivals Shaykh Adan Madobe.
• RWANDA: ICG calls for pragmatism in completing work of ICTR IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- The International Crisis Group (ICG) has called upon the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to adopt a pragmatic approach to overcome the challenges it faces in completing its mission by 2008.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Thousands protest on the streets of Abidjan IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- Thousands of pro-government demonstrators took to the streets of Cote d'Ivoire's commercial capital, Abidjan, on Thursday to protest against the continued occupation of northern Cote d'Ivoire by rebels despite an agreement to unite the country, that was signed in France in January.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 02 Oct 2003 -- U.S. circulates new Iraq resolution calling for strengthened U.N. role and progressive hand over of authority to Iraqis / Afghan disarmament to start soon, may take 2 years / Danish, Dutch and New Zealand troops end deployment at Kyrgyz base, taking with them attack aircraft / New al-Qaida lieutenant taking over Persian Gulf operations / U.S. to look at lifting Sudan from "terror" list
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 02 Oct 2003 -- NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson arrives in FYROM, to meet officials 2 Oct. / Prince Philippe supports NATO Headquarters / Leaked report points to Saddam WMD bluff / EU seeks to avoid clash over military HQ plans / NATO willing but unable yet to expand Afghan presence

• U.S.: Study Urges Efforts To Improve America's Image In Arab, Muslim Worlds RFE/RL 02 Oct 2003 -- A new report mandated by the U.S. Congress and released in Washington on 1 October says the United States must drastically overhaul its public diplomacy efforts to stem a tide of surging anti-American sentiment in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
• RWANDA/ELECTIONS VOA 02 Oct 2003-- The process of electing representatives to Rwanda's lower house of parliament is continuing
• BURMA / U-S VOA 02 Oct 2003-- Senior U-S officials have told Congress the United States is intensifying efforts to bring more international pressure to bear on Burma's military government to end its crackdown on the country's democratic opposition
• OSCE/UZBEKISTAN VOA 02 Oct 2003-- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says Uzbekistan is making progress on some economic and political reforms, but human-rights abuses are on the rise
• Castro's Repression Sparks International Opposition to Regime Washington File 02 Oct 2003-- Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's most recent acts of repression have given rise to a growing international consensus on the need for a democratic transition in Cuba, says Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega.
• Progress in Iraq, Afghanistan Under-Reported, USAID's Natsios Says Washington File 02 Oct 2003-- The scope and success of the United States' reconstruction and development efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not being fully reported by the mainstream media, says Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• RWANDA: Ruling party wins landslide in legislative polls IRIN 02 Oct 2003 -- The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) won a landslide victory in the country's first multiparty parliamentary polls since the1994 genocide, the chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Chrysologue Karangwa, said on Wednesday.
• ORBITAL RECEIVES $11 MILLION ORDER FOR MINOTAUR SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE FROM THE U.S. AIR FORCE Orbital Sciences Corp. 02 Oct 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that the U.S. Air Force has exercised an option order for a Minotaur space launch vehicle under the 10-year Orbital/Suborbital Program-2 (OSP-2) contract that was awarded to the company earlier this year.