MILITARY VIRUS OUTBREAK FACES Postpartum moms Marines, Air Force Pop star Lovato getting more time to halt indoor dining speaks on her shape up from Army after Okinawa surge drug overdose Page 3 Page 5 Page 14 Mid-majors again making mark on March Madness ›› NCAA Tournament, Page 24 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 240 ©SS 2021 TUESDAY,MARCH 23, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Male, female soldiers have new scoring tiers in ACFT BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes The Army has for a third time in three years adjusted its long- awaited, combat-driven fitness test to include new scoring tiers for male and female soldiers meant to acknowledge their “bio- logical differences,” top service officials announced Monday. The Army will begin testing its soldiers on the Army Combat Fit- ness Test version 3.0 in April, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grin- ston told reporters. The test’s new version will include new gender- based performance scoring tiers and the permanent implementa- tion of the plank as an option for the six-event test. The changes come as Army offi- cials work to alleviate concerns raised by lawmakers that past ver- sions of the ACFT were unfair to women, who posted a sub-50% pass rate of the Crossfit-style eval- uation. In January, Congress halt- ed the Army from fully imple- ALEXANDER BURNETT/U.S. Army menting the ACFT until it was ad- A paratrooper assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division receives the COVID-19 vaccination at Sports USA on Fort Bragg, N.C., in January. justed and studied by an inde- pendent group to ensure it did not favor men. The new scoring system has not been finalized, but planning calls for the creation of five perform- ance tiers for each gender, said Leading by example Army Maj. Gen. Lonnie Hibbard, who leads the Army Center of Ini- Officials at one base take steps to counter vaccine skepticism among service members SEE SCORING ON PAGE 3 BY ALEX HORTON RELATED shown promise: listen to soldiers, walk them BEST OF THE BEST The Washington Post through concerns and mint ambassadors out of Planning for the new scoring system In early February, as military officials faced Vaccination campaigns at skeptical soldiers who changed their minds. has not been finalized, but calls for a wave of skepticism among service members Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has encour- the creation of five performance about the coronavirus vaccine, leaders at Fort US bases in Europe stall aged service members to get vaccinated, join- tiers for each gender: A platinum Bragg took a hard look at what soldiers were Page 5 ing leaders who point to inoculations as a way tier for soldiers who score within the hearing. to help prepare troops for worldwide missions. top 1% of their gender on the ACFT; The feedback was concerning. Misinforma- Fort Bragg, N.C., said they would get the vac- The virus has strained global movement, has a gold tier (top 10%), a silver tier tion on social media fueled doubt about its safe- cine, an Army official said. The vaccine is vol- delayed training with key allies and took an air- (top 25%), a bronze tier (top 50%), ty and efficacy, and endorsements from ex- untary for troops at the moment. craft carrier out of commission for weeks last and a green tier for those in the perts were not getting through. By the end of So officials at the Army's most populated in- bottom 50% among passing grades. February, fewer than half of the soldiers at stallation developed a solution they say has SEE STEPS ON PAGE 5 SOURCE: Stars and Stripes PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Tuesday, March 23, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Americans charged in Japan for helping Ghosn flee EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1128.67 Associated Press Prosecutors said the Taylors detained. A court will decide Switzerland (Franc) .9261 Euro costs (March 23) $1.16 Thailand (Baht) 28.42 TOKYO — Japanese prosecu- were formally charged with help- whether they will be granted bail. Dollar buys (March 23) 0.8175 Turkey (NewLira) 7.8601 British pound (March 23) $1.35 tors charged two Americans, Mi- ing a criminal escape, although Yamamoto said prosecutors Japanese yen (March 23) 106.00 (Military exchange rates are those available chael Taylor and his son Peter, dates and other details of a trial are requesting continued deten- South Korean won (March 23) 1104.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ Monday in the escape of former were undecided. The prosecutors tion on the grounds the two might many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn sought their extradition for flee or conceal evidence. He de- Britain (Pound) 1.3827 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2508 your local military banking facility. Commercial to Lebanon, while he was out on months after they were arrested clined to elaborate on the Taylors' China(Yuan) 6.5086 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2400 bail. and detained in the U.S. last May. health and other conditions but Egypt (Pound) 15.7681 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Tokyo District Prosecutors Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecu- said appropriate procedures Euro .8392 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7660 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ have been questioning the Tay- tor Hiroshi Yamamoto said Mon- were being taken. Hungary (Forint) 307.69 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.3013 lors since they were extradited day was the last day the Taylors “We continue to be grateful to Japan (Yen) 109.85 INTEREST RATES from the United States earlier could have been detained without the U.S. authorities for their Kuwait(Dinar) .3020 Norway (Krone) 8.5125 Prime rate 3.25 this month. They have been de- charges under Japanese law. cooperation and hope to proceed Philippines (Peso) 48.53 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.86 Federal funds market rate 0.07 tained at a Tokyo detention cen- Now that they have been with the trial,” he said, referring Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7503 3­month bill 0.01 ter since March 2. charged they can continue to be to the Taylors' extradition. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3413 30­year bond 2.45 WEATHER OUTLOOK TUESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TUESDAY IN EUROPE WEDNESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 53/41 Kabul Seoul 51/42 57/39 Baghdad 86/63 Drawsko Osan Tokyo Kandahar 58/40 60/38 Mildenhall/ Pomorskie Busan 70/51 Lakenheath 40/32 51/35 55/43 Iwakuni Kuwait City 54/48 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 84/63 74/69 Ramstein 42/33 57/47 46/37 42/33 82/79 Riyadh Lajes, Stuttgart 95/65 Doha Azores Pápa 57/54 43/36 91/60 Aviano/ 47/28 Vicenza 51/28 Naples 49/41 Okinawa Morón 71/66 72/41 Sigonella Rota 50/44 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 63/53 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 87/67 56/53 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 14 Opinion ........................ 15 Sports .................... 18-24 Tuesday, March 23, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Postpartum soldiers get more time to shape up BY NANCY MONTGOMERY mit a weight loss plan to their search has shown that many new fitness standards and had lower away with separate scoring Stars and Stripes command. mothers require far longer to test scores up to 2½ years after curves based on gender and age. Soldiers will have a year to get The new policy applies to both heal from childbirth — up to a giving birth, compared to women In an early test among 14,000 sol- back in shape after giving birth, active-duty and reserve soldiers, year or more — than the previ- who had not given birth. Core diers, 65% of a small set of women the Army has announced. the Army said Friday. Women ously assumed six to eight weeks. strength and cardiovascular en- failed, while 10% of men failed. The service previously gave comprise about 15% of the active- Female soldiers have identi- durance scores were significant- Congress, in response, ordered postpartum soldiers six months duty Army, a 2020 Government fied balancing work, child care ly lower in women at one year the Army to conduct an inde- to meet body fat standards and Accountability Office report concerns, and a new baby as bar- postpartum compared to other pendent review of the new test — pass its physical fitness test. found, and about 23% of reserv- riers to regaining fitness. women. which includes leg tucks and a Soldiers who are between 181 ists. The armed services all provide “Our findings show that addi- heavy deadlift — over concerns and 365 days postpartum will In February, the Marine Corps women with six weeks of conva- tional interventions may be need- that it has made it harder for have any flags on their records also extended its exemption on lescent leave after giving birth ed to assist women in returning to women to succeed and over ques- removed and will no longer be postpartum physical fitness tests and six weeks of “primary care- prepregnancy fitness up to 1 year tions about how big a role fitness entered into the Army Body and body composition standards giver” leave.