CLEANUP UNDERWAY US Troops Clear Rubble from Iraq Base Days After Iran Strike Page 5
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WAR ON TERRORISM FACES NFL PLAYOFFS Iraq’s Q-West eyed Oscars 2020: Season down to 4 teams: for US drawdown before ‘Joker’ leads with Some answers, lots of Iran conflict escalated 11 nominations questions for title games Page 6 Page 11 Back page Navy board: Lieutenant in fatal USS Fitzgerald wreck can retire » Page 3 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 192 ©SS 2020 TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas CLEANUP UNDERWAY US troops clear rubble from Iraq base days after Iran strike Page 5 U.S. soldiers stand before a pile of rubble at al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Monday. The base was struck by a barrage of Iranian missiles on Wednesday . QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA/AP Materiel Command to offer airmen practice PT tests BY BRIAN FERGUSON Programs branch chief Lt. Col. Rachel up to three of the mock tests, which the Stars and Stripes Marazita said Friday on the command’s AFMC calls diagnostic assessments, ‘ The practice tests aim website. starting as early as 45 days before their The Air Force Materiel Command will “Fear of failed physical training tests official assessment month and up to 15 to both motivate Airmen start offering no-risk “mock” fitness as- and the potential of career-ending disci- days before their PT test due date, offi- to maintain a year-round sessments to airmen this month to re- plinary action is a major stressor that we cials said. duce the stress of testing and to promote are looking to eliminate through a sound If an airman completes and passes the exercise and fitness program year-round fitness, it said in a statement. testing protocol coupled with an orga- practice test, they can elect to have the while reducing the stress “The practice tests aim to both moti- nizational culture of fitness,” Marazita assessment count as their official test. vate Airmen to maintain a year-round added. The fitness assessment includes push- many face during testing. ’ exercise and fitness program while Under the new rule, which takes ef- ups, situps, a body composition assess- Lt. Col. Rachel Marazita reducing the stress many face during fect Jan. 20, airmen who are current on ment and a 1.5-mile run. AFMC Military Personnel and Programs branch chief testing,” AFMC Military Personnel and their fitness assessments may attempt SEE RULES ON PAGE 3 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Tuesday, January 14, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER Government clarifies ‘joint employer’ standard EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................ 0.9711 Euro costs (Jan. 14) ..........................$1.1409 Thailand (Baht) .....................................30.22 Dollar buys (Jan. 14) .........................€0.8765 Turkey (Lira) .........................................5.8719 Associated Press British pound (Jan. 14)......................... $1.33 (Military exchange rates are those or contractors to pay overtime or model followed by a company Japanese yen (Jan. 14) ...................... 107.00 available to customers at military banking minimum wages. determine whether it is an em- South Korean won (Jan. 14) ..........1,126.00 facilities in the country of issuance WASHINGTON — The Labor Commercial rates The new rule, which will take for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Department issued a final rule ployer, a senior official from the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For effect March 16, provides a four- Labor Department said. British pound .....................................$1.2994 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Sunday that clarifies when a part test to determine whether a Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3051 purchasing British pounds in Germany), worker is employed by more than The Economic Policy Institute, China (Yuan) ........................................6.8953 check with your local military banking company is a “joint employer.“ a pro-labor group, has argued that Denmark (Krone) ................................ 6.7179 facility. Commercial rates are interbank one company, an issue that af- The tests are: Whether or not Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.9101 rates provided for reference when buying the new rule “dramatically nar- Euro ........................................ $1.1124/0.8990 currency. All figures are foreign currencies fects franchise businesses such it can hire or fire the employee; Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7724 to one dollar, except for the British pound, rows” the likelihood that a com- which is represented in dollars-to-pound, as McDonald’s and firms that whether it supervises the employ- Hungary (Forint) .................................300.93 pany can be considered liable for Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4704 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) have outsourced services such as ee’s work schedule; whether it Japan (Yen) ...........................................109.89 cleaning and maintenance. sets their pay; and if it maintains overtime or minimum wage vio- Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3035 INTEREST RATES lations. It provides an incentive Norway (Krone) ...................................8.9006 The rule replaces an Obama their employment records. Philippines (Peso).................................50.49 Prime rate ................................................4.75 administration policy that po- Not all tests need to be met to for companies to outsource more Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.81 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7519 Federal funds market rate ...................1.55 tentially made more businesses establish that a business is an jobs and avoid that responsibility, Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3472 3-month bill ............................................. 1.51 liable for failures by franchisees employer, nor does the business the EPI said. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,157.55 30-year bond ...........................................2.28 WEATHER OUTLOOK TUESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TUESDAY IN EUROPE WEDNESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 37/31 Kabul 30/18 Seoul 31/23 Baghdad 57/40 Kandahar 39/32 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 36/18 48/45 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 52/43 42/37 37/30 Iwakuni 47/42 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 63/58 Brussels 43/36 Guam 59/49 48/45 Ramstein 47/43 80/77 Lajes, 47/40 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 62/43 63/48 58/55 46/33 37/30 Aviano/ Vicenza 40/30 Naples 54/43 Okinawa Morón 66/63 56/45 Sigonella Rota 59/39 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 79/72 62/39 56/53 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 10 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 16 Crossword ................. 16 Faces ........................ 11 Opinion .................14-15 Sports ...................17-24 Tuesday, January 14, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Navy won’t force Fitzgerald lieutenant from service BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Navy officials and Combs’ at- bukes that draw shame and ac- Stars and Stripes torney did not immediately re- knowledge wrongdoing, but do spond to requests for comment. not carry legal implications or YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, In 2018, Combs and her com- impact retirement benefits or pay Japan — A Navy lieutenant manding officer, Cmdr. Bryce for the reprimanded officers. faulted for her role in the USS Benson, faced criminal charges Post-collision reports identified Fitzgerald’s fatal collision will stemming from the collision, in- causal factors beyond the actions not be forced from the Navy but cluding negligent dereliction of of the Fitzgerald officers. Several allowed to exit with an honorable duty resulting in death and neg- reports pointed to institutional PETER BURGHART/U.S. Navy discharge instead, a board of in- ligent hazarding of a vessel. The failures. quiry has decided. charges were dropped last year. A Navy report in late 2017 The destroyer USS Fitzgerald returns to Yokosuka Naval Base, Lt. Natalie Combs, a tactical ac- Instead, the two received let- said the accident was “prevent- Japan, following a collision with a merchant vessel that killed seven tion officer aboard the destroyer, ters of censure from the secre- able,” and listed crew exhaus- sailors in June 2017. A board of inquiry decided not to force a Navy was censured in April for failure tary of the Navy. tion, skipped certifications, poor lieutenant out of service for her role in the collision. to perform her duties that day. The The letter to Benson stated that watch-standing and training and destroyer collided June 17, 2017, his “ineffective leadership and manning problems among the “not properly on the lookout” for John S. McCain collided with the with a container ship, the ACX poor judgment were causal fac- causes. ACX Crystal. That report also tanker Alnic MC near Singapore Crystal, about 60 nautical miles tors in the collision.” The service has since imple- listed other contributing factors, on Aug. 21, 2017. southwest of Yokosuka, where the Combs’ letter accused her of mented about 100 changes, including the ACX Crystal’s fail- Confusion among McCain warship was based. Seven sailors demonstrating “incompetent and including tightened surface war- ure to sound danger signals or watch-standers led to a loss of died in the collision. ineffective leadership” for “fail- fare officer qualifications, to ad- contact the Fitzgerald