NHL PACIFIC FACES Oilers, Sabres sagging North Korea said Villains in ‘Gotham’ despite star power of to be rebuilding take spotlight in final McDavid, Eichel rocket launch site episodes of season Back page Page 5 Page 17 Illnesses mount from contaminated water on military bases » Page 6 stripes.com Volume 77, No. 230 ©SS 2019 THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Final flights Service of Marine Corps’ Prowler comes to a close with deactivation of last squadron Page 6 LIAM D. HIGGINS/Courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps Two U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowlers fly off the coast of North Carolina on Feb. 28, prior to their deactivation on Thursday. Afghan official: Suicide blast near airport in east kills 17 BY RAHIM FAIEZ U.S. forces to assist the Afghan troops in the State are active in eastern Afghanistan, espe- The dawn assault Associated Press shootout. cially in Nangarhar. Among those killed were 16 employees of The two groups have been carrying out triggered an KABUL, Afghanistan — Militants in Af- the Afghan construction company EBE and a near-daily attacks across Afghanistan in re- hourslong gunbattle ghanistan set off a suicide blast Wednesday military intelligence officer, said Attahullah cent years, mainly targeting the government with local guards, morning and stormed a construction company Khogyani, the provincial governor’s spokes- and Afghan security forces and causing stag- near the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of man. He added that nine other people were gering casualties, including among civilians. drawing in U.S. eastern Nangarhar province, killing at least 17 wounded in the attack, which lasted more than The attacks have continued despite stepped-up forces to assist the U.S. efforts to find a negotiated resolution of people, officials said. five hours. Afghan troops in The dawn assault triggered an hours- No one immediately claimed responsibility the war, which began in 2001. long gunbattle with local guards, drawing in for the attack but both the Taliban and Islamic SEE BLAST ON PAGE 8 the shootout. PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Thursday, March 7, 2019 MILITARY Bases brace for impact as DOD mulls funding redirects WILLIAM BIRCHFIELD/Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force BY ROSE L. THAYER Construction on a school on Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama Stars and Stripes ‘ The military will point out that the failure progresses as bases prepare for word on which projects will be affected when the Pentagon diverts funding for use on a border wall. AUSTIN, Texas — Shift work, to fund these projects have no effect on shrinking workspace and multiple the wall, it will just hurt the military. During a Feb. 25 Fort Hood A new fuel cell hangar is need- workers sharing one desk — these ’ town hall to address the living ed at Langley Air Force Base to are just a few ways that mili- Mark Cancian conditions in on-post housing and house two F-22A aircraft, based tary personnel are dealing with Center for Strategic and International Studies barracks, soldiers described two on the construction requirements overcrowding at the National Air or three soldiers living in single- provided by the Army Corps of and Space Intelligence Center at occupancy rooms. Engineers Norfolk District. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base The meeting was broadcast The new facility will replace in Ohio. have an operational impact, such cials plan to award a construction on Facebook, and one soldier ex- a smaller hangar to enhance the A new facility designed to ac- as a hangar or motor pool for a new contract this year and move in to plained how in three years at Fort support of the 1st Fighter Wing commodate the increasing work- piece of equipment. Then projects the 255,000-square-foot facility Hood, he’s always had a room- F-22 open-tank fuels maintenance force at the center, which has related to health and safety, he by 2023. The additional funding mate in a single-occupancy room. operations, said Nicholas J. De La grown 87 percent since 2000, is said. would need to be added to future The soldiers shared one closet and Pena, spokesman for the 633rd Air just one of hundreds of military After congressional hearings budgets. there was no place to secure per- construction projects at risk of a on the housing problems at some With 4,000 workers and a budget sonal items, he said. Base Wing Public Affairs. delay because funding could be military bases, acting Defense of more than $450 million, NASIC “That is hugely insane. I’m Langley also needs a facility diverted to build a wall along the Secretary Pat Shanahan said no is charged with identifying air, sorry,” Sgt. Maj. Byron C. Larsen to house operations for the new U.S. border with Mexico. dollars will be taken from those space, missile and cyber threats of the base Garrison Command 185th Cyber Operations Squadron, The long list of projects includes projects. He is expected to endorse to enable a military response. It said in response . which falls under the 192nd Wing many appropriated in fiscal year the president’s national emergen- is also responsible for informing Brian Dosa, the director of the of the Virginia Air National Guard. 2019 that have not been started . cy and present to Congress a list of decisions on weapons systems ac- post’s Directorate of Public Works, Activated in 2016, there isn’t an It spans the globe and includes projects that he’s willing to delay quisition and shaping national de- told the soldier that overcrowding existing facility on Langley-Eustis everything from new schools and as early as this week, The Associ- fense policy. will continue until barracks reno- to support its needs, said Bryan C. child development centers to hous- ated Press reported. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, vations are complete. Myhr, spokesman for the 192nd ing and barracks updates to the The Pentagon has said it will whose district includes the NASIC For t Hood has 99 barracks build- Wing. Instead, the squadron rents facilities needed for day-to-day backfill any delayed projects in project, was one of a handful of ings on its main post. Of those, one- space off base. operations. the fiscal 2020 budget, but wheth- lawmakers to express concern and third have been renovated during Though Cancian said he sees Since President Donald Trump er Congress is willing to go along called the idea of taking these pre- the last decade and converted into projects that replace office build- declared illegal immigration from with that is unclear, Cancian said. determined construction dollars single-occupancy rooms. Another ings as high risk for delay, he Central America a national emer- “Many members may be very as a “dangerous precedent.” 20 are being renovated and 28 re- thinks the cyber squadron’s facil- gency on Feb. 15 and ordered the angry that they have to, in effect, Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, main in need of an overhaul. ity could be safe, because it’s for a Defense Department to use $3.6 fund the same project twice and also said there have been “real “To be honest, I think we are new mission. billion from its military construc- that they’re indirectly funding the concerns about money being taken going to continue to see it be that The most vulnerable projects tion budget to build the wall, spec- wall,” he said. “The military will away from much-needed barrack way for the foreseeable future are upgrades to existing facilities, ulation has mounted about which point out that the failure to fund and facility renovations at Fort because we have a backlog of bar- Cancian said. He added this situa- projects could be siphoned . these projects have no effect on the Hood.” racks to be renovated across post,” The Defense Department has wall, it will just hurt the military.” The Texas installation has $61 Dosa said at the town hall. tion is new territory and he too is stated criteria to determine which The intelligence center in Ohio million in reconstruction money On the East Coast, Rep. Elaine waiting to see how it plays out. projects are affected, said Mark was authorized in fiscal 2019 for on the table for the renovation Luria, D-Va., said she is watching “My guess is they will cut fewer Cancian, a senior adviser with the $182 million but funded $61 mil- of five barracks buildings. Until four projects in Virginia that total projects so they [minimize] the Washington think tank Center for lion so far, said Michelle Martz, renovations are complete, soldiers up to $131.7 million. Of that, $22.7 pain,” Cancian said. Strategic and International Stud- spokesperson for the center. are being asked to crowd into the million is deemed for two projects [email protected] ies. The most protected projects It’s in the design phase and offi- remaining living spaces. at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Twitter: @Rose_Lori T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 16 Business .......................... 21 Classified ................... 19, 23 Comics ............................. 22 Crossword ........................ 22 Faces ............................... 17 Opinion ............................ 20 Sports .........................25-32 Weather ........................... 21 Thursday, March 7, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 PACIFIC Sex assault victims advocacy group launched BY MATTHEW M. BURKE taining special victims’ counsel; how to file “You’re not always made aware of all victim advocates, Perry said. Stars and Stripes a Freedom of Information Act request for of your rights,” she said. “Our main goal In Perry’s case, she said more emphasis pertinent case files; how to report reprisal; is to be able to provide people with knowl- was placed on the rank of the accused and CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Two resources and treatment options.