US Military Looks to End Vaccine Lag in Europe
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FACES MILITARY MASTERS Connick Jr. makes Marines begin new A measure of album of hymns probe of disaster normalcy returns while in lockdown that killed 9 to Augusta Page 15 Page 3 Page 24 Fort Benning mulled as next base to house migrant children ›› Page 4 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 252 ©SS 2021 THURSDAY,APRIL 8, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas VIRUS OUTBREAK US military Rising looks to end vaccine lag RISK in Europe BY JENNIFER H. SVAN Stars and Stripes KAISERSLAUTERN, Germa- ny — Health officials expect more coronavirus vaccines to be availa- ble to service members and fam- ilies in Europe, where vaccination rates have lagged behind military communities in the United States and many overseas installations. Many personnel and family members in Europe with high- risk medical conditions are still waiting to get their first shots. The timeline for offering vaccinations to all who want them is uncertain, even after President Joe Biden an- nounced Tuesday that he wants every adult in the U.S. to be able to receive vaccination appointments by April 19. “While we have been hesitant to make predictions on future vac- cine deliveries, we are confident that vaccine allocations to Europe will increase throughout April,” said Gino Mattorano, a spokesman US military warns of increasing threat of Chinese move against Taiwan for Regional Health Command Europe. BY ROBERT BURNS buildup. It has become more aggressive with ic entity or risking what could become an all- About 25% of the adult Army Associated Press Taiwan and more assertive in sovereignty dis- out war over a cause that is not on the radar of community in Europe has re- WASHINGTON — The American military is putes in the South China Sea. Beijing also has most Americans. The United States has long ceived at least one dose and 11% of warning that China is probably accelerating its become more confrontational with Washing- pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has beneficiaries have been fully vac- timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the ton; senior Chinese officials traded sharp and deliberately left unclear how far it would go in cinated, Mattorano said Tuesday. island democracy that has been the chief unusually public barbs with Secretary of State response to a Chinese attack. In the U.S. general population, source of tension between Washington and Antony Blinken in talks in Alaska last month. This accumulation of concerns meshes with Beijing for decades and is widely seen as the A military move against Taiwan, however, the administration’s view that China is a fron- SEE VACCINE ON PAGE 6 most likely trigger for a potentially catastroph- would be a test of U.S. support for the island tline challenge for the United States and that ic U.S.-China war. that Beijing views as a breakaway province. more must be done soon — militarily, diplo- RELATED The worry about Taiwan comes as China For the Biden administration, it could present wields new strength from years of military the choice of abandoning a friendly, democrat- SEE RISK ON PAGE 5 US military makes Seaman Xi Chan stands lookout on the flight deck of the Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Barry during routine underway vaccine progress in operations in the Taiwan Strait in April 2020. Japan, S. Korea SAMUEL HARDGROVE/U.S. Navy Page 6 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Thursday, April 8, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER IMF upgrades forecast for 2021 global growth EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,118.57 Associated Press economy in IMF records dating early last spring. That is the worst Switzerland (Franc) 0.9285 Euro costs (April 8) $1.16 Thailand (Baht) 31.38 WASHINGTON — The rollout back to 1980. annual figure in the IMF’s data- Dollar buys (April 8) 0.82 Turkey (New Lira) 8.1747 British pound (April 8) $1.35 of COVID-19 vaccines and vast In 2022, the IMF predicts, inter- base, though not as severe as the Japanese yen (April 8) 107.00 (Military exchange rates are those available sums of government aid will accel- national economic growth will de- 3.5% drop it had estimated three South Korean won (April 8) 1,087.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger erate global economic growth to a celerate to a still strong 4.4%, up months ago. Without $16 trillion in many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur record high this year in a powerful from its January forecast of 4.2%. global government aid that helped Britain (Pound) 1.3739 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2623 your local military banking facility. Commercial rebound from the pandemic re- “A way out of this health and ec- sustain companies and consumers China(Yuan) 6.5433 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2537 cession, the International Moneta- onomic crisis is increasingly visi- during COVID-19 lockdowns, IMF Egypt (Pound) 15.7124 when buying currency. All figures are foreign ry Fund says in its latest forecast. ble,’’ IMF chief economist Gita forecasters say, last year’s down- Euro 0.8409 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7859 pound, which is represented in dollarsto The 190-country lending agency Gopinath told reporters. turn could have been three times Hungary (Forint) 301.75 pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2939 said Tuesday that it expects the The agency’s economists now worse. Japan (Yen) 109.84 INTEREST RATES world economy to expand 6% in estimate that the global economy The U.S. economy, the world’s Kuwait (Dinar) 0.3020 Norway (Krone) 8.4652 Prime rate 3.25 2021, up from the 5.5% it had fore- shrank 3.3% in 2020 after the re- biggest, is now forecast to expand Philippines (Peso) 48.72 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.85 Federal funds market rate 0.09 cast in January. It would be the cession that followed the coronavi- 6.4% in 2021 — its fastest growth Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7504 3month bill 0.02 fastest expansion for the global rus’ eruption across the world since 1984 — and 3.5% in 2022. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3395 30year bond 2.31 WEATHER OUTLOOK THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY IN EUROPE FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 45/32 Kabul Seoul 67/42 66/41 Baghdad 71/54 Drawsko Osan Tokyo Kandahar Mildenhall/ 50/47 59/40 Pomorskie Busan 86/54 Lakenheath 44/33 54/34 59/45 Iwakuni Kuwait City 63/41 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 92/74 74/71 Ramstein 45/33 68/50 50/36 46/28 87/79 Riyadh Lajes, Stuttgart 97/70 Doha Azores Pápa 61/58 46/38 92/68 Aviano/ 49/26 Vicenza 56/49 Naples 60/51 Okinawa Morón 70/66 69/50 Sigonella Rota 66/48 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 61/55 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 89/76 61/54 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 18 Classified .................... 23 Comics .........................17 Crossword ................... 17 Faces .......................... 15 Opinion ........................ 16 Sports .................... 19-24 Thursday, April 8, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Marines start new probe into disaster that killed 9 troops BY DAN LAMOTHE the 15th MEU, and Lt. Col. Mi- The Washington Post chael Regner, who commanded WASHINGTON — The Marine 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, a unit of Corps has launched a new investi- more than 1,000 troops that re- gation into an amphibious task ported to Bronzi and was a part of force at the center of a disaster at his task force. sea last year that killed nine U.S. But the investigation released troops, service officials said, open- on March 26 raised the possibility ing the possibility for additional that others also may be culpable. discipline for officers involved. They include Maj. Gen. Robert CAROLYN KASTER/AP A board of officers will review Castellvi, the former commanding A police officer stands behind police tape outside the apartment of Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Fantahun the formation of the 15th Marine general of 1st Marine Division, Girma Woldesenbet, assigned to Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., on Tuesday. Expeditionary Unit, of Camp Pen- who oversaw the training of the dleton, Calif., with Lt. Gen. Carl Marines in the platoon of amphib- Mundy serving as board presi- ious assault vehicles involved. dent, the service said in a state- Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, the Sailor who shot 2 was assigned ment. commanding general of Marine “The investigation will inquire Corps Forces Pacific, found that into the formation of the 15th Castellvi “bears some responsibil- to Md. medical research center MEU; training and material read- ity” because the Marines involved iness impacting the formation of did not receive a required assess- BY ROBERT BURNS Medical Research Center’s Bio- given advance notice told him to the 15th MEU; and higher head- ment known as a Marine Corps AND MICHAEL KUNZELMAN logical Defense Research Direc- pull over for a search. But Wolde- quarters oversight of the 15th Combat Readiness Evaluation be- Associated Press torate at Fort Detrick, Navy Cmdr. senbet immediately sped off, mak- MEU,” the service said. “The goal fore they were reassigned to the WASHINGTON — A Navy- Denver Applehans, a spokesman ing it about a half-mile into the in- is to ensure the Marine Corps is 15th MEU.