Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 01 Mar 2005 [PDF]
• SOLDIER DIES FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Second Marine Aircraft Wing reports for duty Assumes U.S. Marine air mission in Al Anbar province MNF-I/MNC-I 01 Mar 2005 -- U.S. Marines and sailors of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing assumed the air mission in the Al Anbar province from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in a ceremony here Feb. 28.
• 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing starts long flight home MNF-I/MNC-I 01 Mar 2005 -- The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing recently completed its longest deployment of its 62-year history.
• Camp Lejeune unit nears end of tour in Iraq, ready for return home MNF-I/MNC-I 01 Mar 2005 -- After more than seven months of running supply convoys, collecting and burying enemy killed in action, and providing humanitarian aid to Fallujans, several hundred Camp Lejeune Marines are leaving Iraq.
• Iraqi Soldiers kill, capture terrorist MNF-I/MNC-I 01 Mar 2005 -- Iraqi Army Soldiers conducting a route reconnaissance mission on a road leading to Baghdad, killed eight terrorists and captured 11 after running into a terrorist checkpoint.
• 'Black Knights' strut their stuff in Iraq USMC News 01 Mar 2005 -- On a cool, crisp evening in late January, two pilots, a crew chief and an aerial observer boarded a gray, tandem rotor aircraft for a mission they and the rest of the world had been looking forward to for months.

• Afghan Citizens Lead Coalition Troops to Explosive Devices AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- Afghan citizens led coalition troops to two improvised explosive devices recently, one that was found alongside a road as Afghan National Army and coalition forces were returning from a medical humanitarian mission Feb. 26.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Comment on ACLU and Human Rights First Lawsuit 01 Mar 2005 -- There are 4 civil complaints under review within this Department and at the Justice Department.
• Special Operations 'Uniquely Suited' to Fight Terrorists AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- Special operations forces are deployed worldwide "in the right place at the right time" in the fight against global terrorism, the Defense Department's top special operations officer told a Senate panel today.
• Iraq, Afghanistan Show U.S. Determination, Wolfowitz Says AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- The results of America's dedication can be seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the Senate Budget Committee here today.
• NATO Response Force Will Transform Alliance, Jones Says AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- The introduction of NATO's response force in 2006 will transform the alliance and help it to better confront 21st century challenges, the U.S. military's top officer in Europe told a Senate panel today on Capitol Hill.
• Abizaid: No Middle Eastern Nation Should Harbor Terrorists AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- No country in the Middle East region should harbor terrorists, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, asserted during testimony on Capitol Hill today.
• Wolfowitz Explains Why Army Needs Are Emergency AFPS 01 Mar 2005 -- Putting Army restructuring in the emergency supplemental request for fiscal 2005, makes perfect sense, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the Senate Budget Committee today.
• Marines arrive in Norway for Exercise Battle Griffin USMC News 01 Mar 2005 -- The depth of the snow near the field training area during Exercise Battle Griffin stands nearly 2 meters.
• Air Force receives third Osprey AFPN 01 Mar 2005 -- Officials at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., received their third CV-22 Osprey test aircraft Feb. 26 to join their Integrated Test Team.
• AMC continues to meet warfighters' needs AFPN 01 Mar 2005 -- Air Mobility Command officials said they remain confident they will continue to meet their worldwide airlift and training requirements despite the AMC-directed grounding and restrictions of a portion of the Air Force's C-130 Hercules fleet.

• CROATIA NATO VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- NATO has joined a growing chorus in Europe and called for Croatia to turnover fugitive general Ante Gotovina to the war crimes tribunal in the Hague for trial. The move came out of a meeting at NATO headquarters with the Croatian President.

• PRESIDENT BUSH'S EUROPE TRIP: 'REAL DIALOGUE' OR 'SYMBOLIC GESTURE'? US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 01 Mar 2005
• State Department Briefing, March 1 Washington File 01 Mar 2005 -- Department/International Narcotics Control Strategy Report postponed, Canada, Lebanon, Cyprus, Uruguay, Middle East, Taiwan, China
• White House Daily Briefing, March 1 Washington File 01 Mar 2005 -- Faith-based and community initiative, Iran/nuclear program, China/arm sales, Social Security, Middle East/movement toward democracy, Canada/missile defense system, death penalty, deficit/interest rates, North Korea, Medicaid

Defense Industry

• Wedgetail Aircraft Heading to Australia for First-Ever Visit Boeing 01 Mar 2005 -- Boeing [ NYSE: BA] today announced that an airborne early warning and control aircraft for Australia's Project Wedgetail will make its first visit to Australia at the Australian International Air Show in Avalon beginning March 15.
• Boeing Completes Sale of Electron Dynamic Devices, Inc. Boeing 01 Mar 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today the completion of its previously announced sale of Torrance, Calif.-based Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices, Inc. (EDD) to L-3 Communications [NYSE: LLL].
• U.S. Army Awards Northrop Grumman Laser-Facility Operations and Maintenance Contract Northrop Grumman 01 Mar 2005 -- The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) a follow-on contract for operations and maintenance of lasers and facility-support systems used to test the effects of lasers against physical threats.
• Northrop Grumman To Provide Advanced Security Systems to Protect Forces Deployed in Southwest Asia Northrop Grumman 01 Mar 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a delivery order to provide integrated security solutions to U.S. Air Force bases in Southwest Asia.
• Raytheon Demonstrates Homeland Defense Capability Using A2C2S Raytheon 01 Mar 2005 -- A command and control system designed by Raytheon Company for the U.S. Army, recently demonstrated its ability to support the Army National Guard's homeland defense mission.
• Eurely's reaction to the Galileo Joint Undertaking's decision concerning the Galileo Concession Thales 01 Mar 2005 -- Eurely is pleased that the GJU has again recognised the quality of its Galileo Concession offer, and is confident that its proposal will finally be selected as the preferred solution for the success of Galileo, its construction, operation and exploitation.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 01 Mar 2005
• MIDDLE EAST: TEL AVIV BOMBING, PA CABINET CRISIS POSE 'GREAT CHALLENGES' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 01 Mar 2005
• Security Council condemns Palestinian terrorist suicide bombing in Israel UN News Centre 01 Mar 2005 -- The United Nations Security Council has condemned "in the strongest possible terms" last Friday's terrorist suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv which killed or wounded dozens of innocent Israelis, and called on the Palestinian leadership to take "immediate, credible steps" to find those responsible.
• Citing 'promise and potential,' Annan pledges support for Middle East peace moves UN News Centre 01 Mar 2005 -- Citing a moment of "promise and potential" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for global support for an independent, democratic Palestinian state and pledged the world body's readiness to help in the three main areas of governance, security and economic development.
• PALESTINIAN CONFERENCE VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- An international conference on Palestinian reforms has ended in London with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledging to implement tighter security and better government in a bid to win new negotiations with Israel.
• Blair Opens Conference On Palestinian Reform RFE/RL 01 Mar 2005 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair today opened an international conference on Palestinian reform by saying progress in solving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has "global implications."
  
  
• 74 Maoists killed in clashes with Nepalese forces IRNA 01 Mar 2005 -- At least 74 Maoists and three security personnel were killed in one of the fiercest gunbattle between the Nepalese army and the rebels in two districts of Western Nepal, reports the Press Trust of India.
• NEPAL/MAOISTS VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- Nepal's army says it has killed at least 50 communist rebels in what appears to be the most serious confrontation between the two sides since the king declared a state of emergency last month. The renewed hostilities come as the group Human Rights Watch accused Nepal's government of using so-called "disappearances" as a tactic in its fight against the rebels.
• Analysis: Has Chechnya's Strongman Signed His Own Death Warrant? RFE/RL 01 Mar 2005 -- Over the 10 months since the killing of his father, pro-Moscow administration head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov, 28, has emerged as the most influential and the most feared man in Chechnya.
  
  
• CONGRESS / UN / CONGO VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- Misconduct by U.N. peacekeepers was the subject of a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill (Tuesday) as lawmakers follow up on a report by a U.N. monitoring agency.
• Arms embargo against Somalia must be tightened, UN report says UN News Centre 01 Mar 2005 -- With sporadic fighting continuing in Somalia and preventing the implementation of United Nations programmes in large areas of the country, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for a tighter arms embargo against the Horn of Africa country, especially for heavy weapons.
• UN mission reports tension high in western Côte d'Ivoire and rising in the east UN News Centre 01 Mar 2005 -- Senior United Nations peacekeeping officials met President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d'Ivoire today to discuss security after a group of armed young men attacked a rebel-held village in the west of the country yesterday and UN peacekeepers restored calm.
• DARFUR / WAR CRIMES VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- The U.S. government is opposing a plan to bring alleged Sudanese war criminals before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for atrocities committed in Darfur. Instead, the Bush Administration says a permanent African Court of Justice based in East Africa should be created. The human-rights community fears the debate over who will prosecute the atrocities in Darfur is hindering efforts to stop the killing.
• IVORY COAST FIGHTING VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- The United Nations is expanding the security zone in western Ivory Coast, after rebels say they were attacked by youths supporting President Laurent Gbagbo. That is the first fighting since government air strikes broke a cease-fire in November.

News Reports

• PRESS BRIEFING BY INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD United Nations 01 Mar 2005
• Abkhaz PM Survives Assassination Attempt RFE/RL 01 Mar 2005 -- In Georgia's separatist republic of Abkhazia, Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab survived an overnight assassination attempt as he was traveling to the Black Sea resort of Gudauta.

• Al-Assad: Syrian Army to Withdraw from Lebanon in Months VOA News 01 Mar 2005 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he expects to withdraw his troops from Lebanon in a matter of months.
• SYRIA / LEBANON VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- Lebanon is in the throes of what some have labeled the Cedar Revolution. Fueling the popular discord there is anger at neighboring Syria, which has long maintained a role in Lebanese affairs, as well as garrisoning troops there. Syria finds itself under increasing international pressure.
• US / SYRIA VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- The United States has ratcheted up its pressure on Syria, demanding a Syrian pullout from Lebanon and the dismantling of terrorist camps in the southern part of that country.
• France, U.S. Call for Immediate Syrian Withdrawal from Lebanon Washington File 01 Mar 2005 -- The United States and France issued a joint statement in London March 1 supporting a sovereign Lebanon and calling for the immediate withdrawal of all Syrian military forces and intelligence services from that country.
• U.S. Demands Syrian Military Withdrawal Before Lebanese Elections Washington File 01 Mar 2005 -- The United States has demanded that Syria withdraw its forces from Lebanon in order to ensure a climate of political freedom for that country's May parliamentary elections, according to Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield.
• Middle East: After Prime Minister's Resignation, What Next For Lebanon? RFE/RL 01 Mar 2005 -- The main question in Lebanon this week is what will happen next following the unexpected resignation on 28 February of Prime Minister Omar Karami. It's still not clear why Karami resigned, but analysts say his departure creates a potentially dangerous political vacuum.
• Pro-Syrian Lebanese Government Resigns RFE/RL 01 Mar 2005 -- Lebanon's prime minister announced the resignation of his pro-Syrian government yesterday as tens of thousands of opposition demonstrators rallied outside parliament.
• US / LEBANON VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- The United States says Syria needs to get out of Lebanon and let the people there decide their political future through free and fair elections.

• TOGO / PROTESTS VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- A human rights group says anti-government protesters have been killed in a renewed crackdown on demonstrations in Togo. The violence comes as West African heads of state are in the capital Lome to discuss upcoming elections following the resignation of the military installed president.
• TOGO: West African leaders approve new interim president, pledge election help IRIN 01 Mar 2005 -- West African leaders have welcomed Togo back into the fold following the resignation of army-installed president, Faure Gnassingbe. The presidents of Niger and Mali flew to Lome to meet the new interim head of state, Abass Bonfoh, and help the West African nation plan fresh elections.

• ARAB / DEMOCRACY VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- The dramatic resignation Monday of Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami is being viewed as a significant victory for greater reform and democracy throughout the Middle East.