Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Iraqi Civilian Uses Business Skills to Take Down Missiles AFPS 15 Oct 2003 -- Thanks to an Iraqi civilian's actions, a load of 188 SA-7 surface-to-air missiles are headed to Mosul for disposal.

• Afghan militia shell Pak border: daily IRNA 15 Oct 2003 -- Afghanistan`s militia fired mortar shells and rockets at a border checkpoint in Pakistan`s Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan, local media reported Wednesday.
• AFGHAN POL VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- In requesting new aid for Iraq, the Bush administration also included assistance for Afghanistan. However, Afghan officials say the amount is not enough to fund massive reconstruction of the country.
• Afghanistan: Analysts Say Enforcement Of Law On Political Parties Will Test Karzai RFE/RL 15 Oct 2003 -- In a move considered critical to creating conditions for free and fair elections in Afghanistan next year, Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai has approved a law that bans Afghan political parties from having their own militias or affiliations with armed forces.
• AFGHAN BATTLE WRAP VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Coalition troops in Afghanistan ended a two day battle with suspected Taleban rebels Wednesday. Local officials say two Afghan soldiers and six insurgents died in the fighting.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Strykers readying for first deployment Army News Service 15 Oct 2003-- The Army's newest vehicles are loaded on ships and ready for travel to Iraq in November.
• New APO Zips for Soldiers in Iraq Army News Service 15 Oct 2003-- The U.S. Military Postal Service has assigned new geographic zip codes for units and personnel serving in Iraq.
• NEPMU-7 Keeps 6th Fleet Good to Go Navy Newsstand 15 Oct 2003-- Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit (NEPMU) 7 is here to help Naval Air Station Sigonella (NASSIG)and others with such things as de-rat certification, or rodent extermination, on ships, consults on plans for exercises, or workplace health assessments.
• Marines prove deadly to enemy skies Marine Corps News 15 Oct 2003-- Sgt. Richard Cline feels his Marines have more confidence in their skills as Stinger Missile gunners after firing live missiles at the sea range here.
• 8th Marine Regiment re-established Marine Corps News 15 Oct 2003-- Haiti, Samoa, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, Okinawa, Cuba, Beirut, Grenada, Kuwait and Iraq. These are battlefields around the world where Marines have fought and died, but more, they are all battlefields the 8th Marine Regiment has fought to conquer. The 8th Marine Regimental Headquarters was re-established during a ceremony here Oct. 9 after standing down from supporting the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism).
• Task Force GTEP puts foreign rounds on target Marine Corps News 15 Oct 2003-- U.S. Marines began specialized weapons training of Georgian soldiers Oct. 6, at Advanced Operating Base Krtsanisi, as the third phase of tactical training for the Georgia Train and Equip Program charged on.
• Global Hawk arrives in Germany AFPN 15 Oct 2003-- The Air Force's Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle landed in Germany for the first time Oct. 15 from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. It touched down at 4:05 a.m. at the German navy's Nordholz Air Base near Cuxhaven.
• Dyess B-1s surge to 114 flights in 68 hours AFPN 15 Oct 2003-- During a "surge" in flying here that ended Oct. 9, 7th Bomb Wing crews pushed their B-1 Lancers to a record-breaking 114 flights in 68 hours resulting in 321 simulated bombing runs on targets.
• The birdmen of Baghdad AFPN 15 Oct 2003-- Some airmen who routinely go into harm's way to assist others, have taken another injured creature of the air under their wings.
• HVAC/R -- Al Udeid's thermostat AFPN 15 Oct 2003-- How fast can your day go from good to bad, from comfortable to hot?
• PENTAGON/TRANSLATORS VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- A senior defense official has acknowledged translators were hired for terrorist interrogations at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with only limited security checks.
• Teamwork, Planning Behind NORTHCOM Stand-up AFPS 15 Oct 2003 -- Army Lt. Col. Shelly Stellwagen likens it to "trying to fly an airplane while you're still building it."

• EDITORIAL: TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, moved Americans to grief -- and to action. "We made a pledge that day," says President George W. Bush. "And we have kept it. We will bring the guilty to justice; we will take the fight to the enemy."

• US naval chief of operations in Islamabad IRNA 15 Oct 2003 -- The United States Naval Chief of Operation arrived here Tuesday at the head of four-member delegation, local press reported on Wednesday.

• Press Statement by the Secretary General of NATO in his capacity as Chairman of the NATO-Russia Council NATO 15 Oct 2003 -- As part of the wide range of co-operation between NATO and Russia, the members of the NATO-Russia Council have identified military-to-military co operation and defence reform as priority areas.
• NATO Transformation on Track With NRF Stand-up AFPS 15 Oct 2003 -- The new NATO Response Force was officially stood up today during a ceremony held in Brunssum, the Netherlands.
• NATO: Alliance Establishes 'Virtual' Rapid Response Force RFE/RL 15 Oct 2003 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held a ceremony today at its Northern Command in the Netherlands to bring into being its elite rapid reaction force. The alliance says the new NATO Reaction Force (NRF) is a prototype unit that eventually will become a 20,000-member force able to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world. But some analysts aren't so sure.
• Marines' new KC-130J beings VX-1 op eval NAVAIR News Release 15 Oct 2003-- Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 and its guest contingent of nearly three dozen Marines from MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., have begun the three-month-long operational test evaluation of the Marines' new KC-130J Hercules tanker and medium-sized transport aircraft.

Defense Industry

• General Dynamics United Kingdom Forms Tactical Data Link Team General Dynamics 15 Oct 2003 -- General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd, Rockwell Collins and Innovative Concepts (ICI) have teamed to develop the Tactical Information Exchange Capability (TIEC) for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence’s close air support, interdiction and reconnaissance force of Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 aircraft.
• Lockheed Martin Reorganizes Information Systems Company To Best Support Mission Readiness Lockheed Martin 15 Oct 2003 -- Lockheed Martin today announced the reorganization of its Information Systems business to better position the company for growth and disciplined program performance that supports customer satisfaction and readiness.
• First landing of Northrop Grumman “Global Hawk” Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Germany for testing of EADS sensors EADS 15 Oct 2003 -- The first landing of the Northrop Grumman “Global Hawk” high-altitude long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Germany is a further milestone in transatlantic cooperation of EADS and Northrop Grumman.
• Northrop Grumman-Built Global Hawk UAV Lands in Germany to Begin Testing EADS Sensor Northrop Grumman 15 Oct 2003 -- A U.S. Air Force RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) landed in Germany today to begin a key flight demonstration program for the German Ministry of Defense (MoD).

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 15 Oct 2003
• India backs Russia in Chechnya for combating acts of terrorism IRNA 15 Oct 2003 -- India supports the measures taken by the Russian Federation in Chechnya for combating the threats and acts of terrorism by outside forces with transnational links.
• India hopeful of an end to insurgency in Nagaland IRNA 15 Oct 2003 -- Indian authorities Wednesday said they were hopeful of finding an early solution to end more than 56-years of violent insurgency in the troubled northeastern state of Nagaland.
• Top al-Qaeda suspect killed in operation, says Pak minister IRNA 15 Oct 2003 -- A top al-Qaeda man was among the eight suspects killed this month in operation by Pakistani armed forces in tribal areas, bordering Afghanistan, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday.
• Gaza Attack Will Not Deter U.S. from Pursuing Peace Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell says the bomb attack that killed three Americans in Gaza October 15 will not deter the United States from pursuing peace between Israelis and Palestinians and from bringing relief to the Palestinian people.
• Bush Issues 6-Month Waiver of Provisions of Anti-Terrorism Act for PLO Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- Following is the text of an October 14 memorandum from the White House waiving the provisions of the 1987 Anti-Terrorism Act for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
• U.S. Resolved to Fully Investigate Gaza Attack Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer expressed shock at the October 15 roadside attack that resulted in the death of three U.S. security personnel and injured one. "The United States government will investigate fully and work with the relevant authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the senseless and brutal attack," Kurtzer said during a press conference in Tel Aviv.
• Powell Outraged at Murder of Three Americans in Gaza Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an October 15 statement, said he was outraged by the murder of three innocent Americans, and the wounding of a fourth American, in a terrorist attack in Gaza earlier in the day.
• Bush Condemns Terrorist Attack on Americans in Gaza Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- President Bush condemned "in the strongest terms the vicious act of terrorism directed against Americans in Gaza" October 15.
• BUSH / GAZA BLAST VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- President Bush is condemning the bombing of a U-S diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip that killed three American security officers. All Americans are being warned to leave the area.
• U-S-GAZA BLAST VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- The United States has responded angrily to the bombing deaths of three Americans in Gaza, with Secretary of State Colin Powell telling Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei that there can be no Palestinian state without the elimination of terrorism.
• GAZA EXPLOSION UPDATE VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- U-S citizens have been advised to leave the Gaza Strip. A Wednesday bomb attack against an American diplomatic convoy there killed three Americans and injured another. Palestinian leaders have denounced the attack and the main Palestinian militant organizations have denied any involvement.
• Secretary-General condemns fatal attack on US diplomats in Gaza UN News Centre 15 Oct 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly condemned the attack on a United States diplomatic convoy in Gaza today, killing three Americans, and he urged the Palestinian Authority to bring the guilty to justice speedily.
• Middle East: Three Americans Reported Killed In Gaza Bombing RFE/RL 15 Oct 2003 -- An American diplomatic convoy was the target today of a bomb attack in the Gaza Strip. Three people died and one was injured when a remote-control bomb was detonated. It is not known if this was a deliberate attack against the U.S. convoy and there have been no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.
• GAZA EXPLOSION VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- A massive explosion hit an American diplomatic convoy traveling in the Gaza Strip Wednesday. Reports indicate three Americans were killed and another seriously injured.

• LIBERIA / POLITICS VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Liberia's rebel groups are beginning to nominate candidates for top posts in the new transitional government.
• LIBERIA FUTURE VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Liberia's transitional president, Gyude Bryant, who took office Tuesday, faces enormous challenges as he tries to give Liberians hope for better days after nearly 15 years of civil war.

• PAKISTAN/INDIA/ KASHMIR VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Pakistan says Indian troops have carried out "unprovoked" artillery shelling across the disputed Kashmir border, killing at least 11-civilians. Senior Pakistani military officials say the firing has raised tensions in the region.

• U.S. Vetoes Syria's Proposed U.N. Resolution on Israeli Fence Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- The United Stated vetoed a Security Council resolution on the Israeli security fence because it was "unbalanced" in not addressing the terrorist attacks in the region, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said October 14.
• Security Council fails to adopt resolution on Israeli barrier UN News Centre 15 Oct 2003 -- The United States has vetoed a draft resolution before the Security Council that would have declared Israel's building of a barrier, said to have taken in some Palestinian territory in the West Bank, illegal.

• UGANDA / REBELS VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- The Ugandan army says Lord's Resistance Army rebels killed as many 22 people and wounded more than a dozen late Monday in a busy trading town north of Kampala.
• UGANDA: More refugees return from Sudan IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Thirty three refugees who fled Uganda to Sudan during the years of turmoil that followed the end of Idi Amin Dada’s reign in 1979 were repatriated on Monday, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
• UN troops in DR of Congo postpone movements into troubled northeast UN News Centre 15 Oct 2003 -- Rain and poor road conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have postponed the planned movement of United Nations troops out of their base in Bunia into four other areas of Ituri province.
• DRC: MONUC begins deploying outside Bunia into Ituri IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- UN forces have begun to deploy outside of Bunia, the main town of Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Maj-Gen Mountaga Diallo said at a news conference on Wednesday in the capital, Kinshasa.
• Timor-Leste making good progress but still needs help, UN envoy says UN News Centre 15 Oct 2003 -- Timor-Leste has made tremendous progress in governing itself in the 17 months that the United Nations has been helping the newly independent country, but serious problems of security, order and economic transformation remain, the top UN envoy in the country said today.
• LIBERIA: Warring parties agree to disarm, rebels nominate ministers IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Gyude Bryant, the chairman of Liberia's new transitional government, met the leaders of the country's three warring parties on Wednesday and said afterwards that they had all agreed to disarm their fighters.
• DRC-RWANDA: Rights body urges Kigali to help curb rights abuses in eastern Congo IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Human rights NGO Amnesty International has called upon the Rwandan government to use its influence on armed elements operating in neighbouring eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help curb human rights abuses throughout the region.
• ETHIOPIA: Troops undergoing human rights training ahead of Liberia mission IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Ethiopian troops have undergone human rights training for their peacekeeping mission in Liberia, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
• ERITREA: Repatriation of refugees from Sudan resumes IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was due to resume the repatriation of thousands of Eritrean refugees from Sudan on Wednesday.
• ANGOLA: Air operations in danger due to lack of funds IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Humanitarian activities in Angola will be "seriously hampered" unless the World Food Programme (WFP) receives immediate donations of US $2.5 million, the agency has warned.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 15 Oct 2003 -- Turkish PM stands firm on troops after blast U.S. rejects timetable proposal for Iraq / Most in Baghdad want U.S. to stay / Subtle shift by Britain on defense in the EU / Symbolic talks on Kosovo come to an angry close
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 15 Oct 2003 -- NATO launches new Response Force / Report: ISAF commander warns danger for troops increasing

• State Department Briefing, October 15, 2003 Washington File 15 Oct 2003 -- Israel/Palestinians, Syria, Bolivia, Iraq, refugees, Secretary Powell's upcoming travel, Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Pakistan

• CONGRESS/SYRIA VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Legislation that would require President Bush to impose sanctions on the government of Syria has been overwhelmingly approved (398-5) Wednesday by the House of Representatives. The "Syria Accountability Act" will be debated later this month in the Senate where it also have strong bipartisan support
• ZIMBABWE / MEDIA VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has signed into law amendments to the country's controversial press law, which many people expect to further restrict press freedom.
• U-S-AZERBAIJAN ELECTION VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- The United States is urging authorities in Azerbaijan to follow through on promises for transparency in the vote-count from Wednesday's critical presidential election in the Central Asian country.
• AZERBAIJAN VOTE VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Enough voters turned up at the ballot boxes by mid-day for the authorities in Azerbaijan to declare the country's presidential election valid. The son of outgoing President Heydar Aliyev is widely expected to win the contest, which the opposition says was marred from the start.
• OIC SCENESETTER VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Leaders of the Muslim world are gathering in Malaysia for their first regularly scheduled summit in three years. Iraq and recent Israeli attacks in Arab territories are high on the agenda.
• ZIMBABWE / COMMONWEALTH VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon, says the group's leaders are determined not to let the controversy surrounding Zimbabwe overshadow their heads-of-government meeting next month. He also admits that there is no consensus among the member states as to how to handle the Zimbabwe matter.
• SYRIA AND TERRORISM VOA 15 Oct 2003 -- Israeli planes bombed a terrorist training camp in Syria. The strike was retaliation for a terrorist suicide bombing at a restaurant in Haifa in which nineteen people, including children were murdered. Islamic Jihad, long harbored in Syria, claimed responsibility for the killings in Haifa. Syria has also given safe haven to other terrorist groups, including Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command. U-S officials say that terrorists operating out of Syria have also targeted Americans. Under Secretary of State John Bolton says that "Syria permitted volunteers to pass into Iraq to attack and kill our service members during the war and is still doing so." Will Syria continue to support terrorists?
• RWANDA: Prime minister sworn in IRIN 15 Oct 2003 -- Rwanda's immediate former prime minister, Bernard Makuza, was sworn in on Wednesday after President Paul Kagame reappointed him to serve as the country’s first premier following multiparty elections.