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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 03 Feb 2004 [PDF]

• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 03 Feb 2004 -- CPA Senor Adviser, Daniel Senor and Deputy Director for Operations, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt
• Soldiers Detain Suspects, Collect Arms in Mosul AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division -- Stryker Brigade Combat Team -- detained people suspected of anti-coalition activities and recovered weapons and other explosives in northern Iraq Feb. 1.
• Death Toll Rises From Irbil Suicide Bombings AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- Iraqi deaths caused by the two suicide bombings Feb. 1 in Irbil increased to 67, a senior U.S. officer reported today from Baghdad.
• Iraqi Earns $1 Million for Tip Leading to Insurgent's Capture AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- An Iraqi citizen who assisted U.S. forces in the capture of a prominent diehard of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein's regime has become a millionaire.
• `Secret' generator moves into Baghdad Army News Service 03 Feb 2004-- A secret convoy successfully crossed Baghdad's 14th of July Bridge in the dark hours of Jan. 27, moving between armed guards through the capital city under cover of night toward an unspoken destination.
• U.S.-Coalition Forces Remain On Offensive In Iraq AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq continue to take the fight to the enemy, a senior U.S. military officer reported from Baghdad today.
• Soldier Killed, Another Wounded in IED Attack AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- One soldier was killed and another was wounded today in an improvised explosive device attack near Haswah, Iraq.
• Iraqi Police Positively Affecting Security, Officials Say AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- Iraq's new police force is making noticeable contributions to the security environment in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country, senior U.S. officials told reporters in Baghdad today.
• ICDC, TF "ALL AMERICAN" CREATE SAFE ENVIRONMENT IN AL ANBAR CENTCOM Release 03 Feb 2004-- The 82nd Airborne and its subordinate units continued missions over the last day to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the Al Anbar province.
• ARROWHEAD BRIGADE DETAINS SUSPECTS, COLLECTS ARMS IN MOSUL CENTCOM Release 03 Feb 2004-- Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) detained personnel suspected of anti-Coalition activities and recovered weapons and other explosives in northern Iraq Sunday.
• Two Enterprise F-14s Return Safely After Colliding Navy Newsstand 03 Feb 2004-- Two F-14A Tomcats operating from USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in the Red Sea collided with each other while conducting basic daytime fighter maneuvers Feb. 2.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Military Targets Medical Projects in Africa Washington File 03 Feb 2004 -- While many people know that the U.S. military cooperates with African nations in fighting international terrorism, very few are aware of the broad support the military gives to health care projects on the continent -- from building clinics to supplying ambulances and even hospital beds -- Pentagon official Lorraine Dasch told the Washington File during a recent interview.
• Rumsfeld on Creating a "Modular Army" for the 21st Century Washington File 03 Feb 2004 -- This column by Donald H. Rumsfeld, who is Secretary of Defense, was published in the Wall Street Journal February 4 and is in the public domain. No republication restrictions
• New Stryker Defense Proven in Combat AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- A change made to the Stryker infantry vehicle has proven itself in combat.
• Services, Joint Commands Revamping Operational Tactics AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- The military services are making sweeping changes in the way they operate, including what the Pentagon comptroller called "the most revolutionary change . in the way the Army has been structured since Napoleon made divisions the central maneuver unit of land forces."
• Proposed Budget Provides Tools to Manage Demand on Forces AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- With 2.2 million men and women on active duty and in the reserve component, there's no shortage of manpower to support the war on terror, Pentagon Comptroller Dov Zakheim told reporters here during a Feb. 2 briefing.
• Thousands Being Offered Thousands To Leave DoD Work Force AFPS 03 Feb 2004 -- Up to 25,000 Defense Department civilians may be eligible for thousands of dollars in separation pay through an early-buyout program.
• PENTAGON/PACIFIC VOA 03 Feb 2004 -- The Pentagon has ordered a group of U-S Air Force bombers to Guam in what is termed a routine deployment to the Western Pacific.
• FOCUS: Installations to serve as flagships Army News Service 03 Feb 2004-- "We have pledged to rid the Army of Camp Swampy -- substandard installations," said Geoffrey Prosch, the acting assistant secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment.
• U.S.: Bush's 2005 Budget Concentrates On Security Spending Rather Than Domestic Programs RFE/RL 03 Feb 2004 -- The $2.4 trillion budget that U.S. President George W. Bush sent to Congress yesterday includes a 7 percent increase in defense spending. This does not include an anticipated $50 billion supplementary appropriation for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• White House Daily Briefing, February 3, 2004 Washington File 03 Feb 2004 -- Bush/Annan met in Oval Office, Iraq/Powell's remarks, Pakistan/weapons technology, Cyprus, president's military service, presidential commission on intelligence, ricin discovery on Capitol Hill, vice president/public appearances, energy bill, president's slippage in polls

• State Department Briefing, February 3, 2004 Washington File 03 Feb 2004 -- North Korea, North Korea/Pakistan, United Nations, Israel/Palestinians, Venezuela, Iraq, Libya, Syria, China/Taiwan, Department
• Former chief weapons inspector questions US pre-emptive strike policy PLA Daily 03 Feb 2004 -- David Kay, the former chief weapons inspector, said Sunday that flawed intelligence about Iraq's prewar weapons program put into question the US preemptive strike policy against countries deemed a threat to the United States.

• Russia hints shorter term for pullout of troops from Georgia PLA Daily 03 Feb 2004 -- A senior official from Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that it is possible to withdraw Russian military bases from Georgia in nine years, shorter than the 11 years that Moscow has insisted.

• Greece denies German report on arms purchase PLA Daily 03 Feb 2004 -- Greek government on Monday dismissed a report in the German magazine "Der Spiegel" concerningalleged irregularities in the deal for the purchase of 170 German-made "Leopard" 2HEL tanks by the Greek armed forces.

• Russia, Spain to hold first joint maneuvers in 2004 PLA Daily 03 Feb 2004 -- Russia and Spain plan to hold their first joint military exercise this year, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said in an interview published by Russian newspaper Izvestia on Monday.

Defense Industry

• U.S. NAVY Awards Second LRIP Contract To BAE SYSTEMS For JSOW Unitary BROACH Program BAE Systems 03 Feb 2004 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded a second low rate initial production (LRIP) contract to BAE Systems to provide an additional 97 BROACH multi-stage warheads for the Navys Joint Standoff Weapon Unitary (JSOW-C). In July 2003, BAE Systems received a contract for 42 systems. Initial deliveries for those units will begin next month.
• Boeing Delivers 200th Upgraded T-38 Boeing 03 Feb 2004 -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) delivered the 200th T-38C Talon jet trainer modified as part of the T-38 Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP) to the United States Air Force yesterday.
• Bath Iron Works Awarded Potential $102 Million Navy Contract for Post Shakedown Availabilities on DDG 51-Class Ships in West Coast Homeports General Dynamics 03 Feb 2004 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), a $12.6 million cost-plus-award-fee contract to perform Post Shakedown Availability work for the USS CHAFEE (DDG 90). This contract contains options for additional availabilities that, if exercised, would bring the total cumulative contract value to $102.6 million.
• Northrop Grumman, Thales and ADI Limited to Provide Shipboard Combat Management System Solution for Thales 03 Feb 2004 -- ICMS is an open system architecture based on the Thales TACTICOS CMS family that is currently installed on board more than 80 naval ships across 11 countries.
• Navy Takes Delivery of Boeing-Built UHF Follow-On Communications Satellite Boeing 03 Feb 2004 -- The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of the 11th UHF Follow-On (UFO) spacecraft, built by Boeing [NYSE: BA], following the satellite's successful completion of its in-orbit test program.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 03 Feb 2004
• Egyptian judge to participate in International Court of Justice case on Israeli wall UN News Centre 03 Feb 2004 -- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has decided that one of its judges, a national of Egypt, will fully participate in deliberations on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territory.
• ISRAEL SETTLERS VOA 03 Feb 2004 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he will form a new government if any of his coalition partners try to block his plans to remove almost all Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli leader's comments came as conservative members of his coalition warned the government will fall if Mr. Sharon tries to carry out his plan.

• PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ETHIOPIA, ERITREA United Nations 03 Feb 2004
• Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea unstable but not explosive, UN envoy says UN News Centre 03 Feb 2004 -- Differences between Eritrea and Ethiopia over their boundary demarcation have created tensions, but there are no indications of a resumption of the devastating two-year war between the two Horn of Africa countries, the head of the United Nations mission (UNMEE) in that area said today.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Military coordination committee meets in Nairobi IRIN 03 Feb 2004 -- Eritrean military leaders have rejected assertions by the United Nations that the border with Ethiopia is "militarily stable", claiming instead that Eritrean territory is being occupied.

• SUDAN: Warring parties investigating western Upper Nile clashes IRIN 03 Feb 2004 -- The Sudanese warring parties on Tuesday said they were investigating circumstances that led to last week's fighting between their forces in the oil-rich western Upper Nile region of southern Sudan.
• SUDAN / DARFUR VOA 03 Feb 2004 -- The London-based human-rights group, Amnesty International, says the Sudanese government and its Arab militia allies in the western Darfur region are deliberately targeting civilians and committing atrocities. The escalating violence threatens progress toward a peace deal in southern Sudan.

• Cameroon and Nigeria make progress in border dispute after talks with Annan UN News Centre 03 Feb 2004 -- The leaders of Cameroon and Nigeria have agreed to a series of confidence-building measures and are considering striking a non-aggression treaty after United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan chaired formal talks between them over the weekend.
• UGANDA: Amnesty and Peace groups urge ICC to probe government army too IRIN 03 Feb 2004 -- The human rights group Amnesty International has joined local peace groups operating in northern Uganda in calling for even-handedness in any International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into war crimes committed during the 18-year civil war.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 03 Feb 2004 -- U.S. defence budget sees arms buying up through 2009 / Greece to deploy record troops for Athens Games / EU to outline defence research plans / Counterterrorism meeting to bolster wider cooperation across Asia
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 03 Feb 2004 -- Report: NATO speeds up expansion as countries push for protection / Netherlands, France to jointly develop advanced reconnaissance drones / Germany to build new housing for soldiers in Kunduz / Afghan president reshuffles regional officials in a drive to strengthen grip in provinces / Russia says could speed up Georgia bases removal / U.S. and EU set to agree on navigation networks

• PRIVATE ARMIES VOA 03 Feb 2004 -- Industries worldwide today are rapidly moving towards privatization. We've heard of private airlines, private health insurance and private education. The idea is to save money and stay competitive in the global market. But a rather unlikely institution is now embracing this trend the military. Countries around the world, especially the United States, have hired private military contractors to serve as soldiers along with their regular armies in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. While governments advocate using contractors on grounds of economy and efficiency, critics say a reliance on hired help raises a series of questions for democracy, human rights and national security.
• U-S-U-N Building VOA 03 Feb 2004 -- President Bush has asked Congress to loan the United Nations more than a billion dollars to pay for the top-to-bottom renovation of the U-N headquarters building in New York. The proposal, in the administration's new budget for 2005, is aimed at ending a long debate over how to deal with soaring repair bills at the landmark office building.