GAO: Troops in Japan, S. Korea Also Benefit US
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FACES MILITARY NCAA TOURNAMENT Ringo’s new EP Air Force chaplain cleanses Four teams driven driven by major homes at Yokota Air Base by disappointment Starr power where ‘odd things occur’ of 2020 cancellation Page 14 Page 4 Page 24 Study: Male Special Forces largely oppose unisex bathrooms ›› Page 3 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 238 ©SS 2021 CONTINGENCY EDITION FRIDAY,MARCH 19, 2021 Free to Deployed Areas GAO: Troops in Japan, S. Korea also benefit US BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes ‘Warrior The roughly $8.5 billion spent each year by the Pentagon to house tens of thousands of Amer- ican troops in Japan and South Korea benefits the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. homeland, ac- restaurants’? cording to a congressional watch- dog group. The U.S. military spent approx- imately $34.3 billion between 2016 and 2019 to station more than 83,000 troops permanently in Ja- pan and South Korea, which paid dividends by maintaining strong alliances with those nations, de- terring aggression of potential enemies, and ensuring stability in the broader region, according to a Government Accountability Of- fice report published Wednesday. The report was mandated by Con- gress in the 2020 National De- fense Authorization Act as then- President Donald Trump’s ad- ministration considered remov- ing some U.S. troops from coun- tries around the world, including South Korea. The GAO said its new report leaned largely on nongovernment experts and reviewed Defense and State Department policies. It PHOTOS BY KELVIN RINGOLD/U.S. Army was released as Defense Secreta- Spc. Stephanie Bryant, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, prepares food during a “Taste Fest” at Fort Hood, Texas, on March 12. Some base cafeterias ry Lloyd Austin on Wednesday have begun experimenting with more meatless meals as the Army looks to fight obesity and increase soldier fitness. visited Seoul, the South Korean capital, as part of his first interna- tional trip as the Pentagon’s lead- How the Army hopes to fight fat and boost DFAC usage with rebranding er. Austin visited Japan earlier this week. BY CHAD GARLAND my’s Joint Culinary Center of Excellence said Austin, in public remarks in Se- Stars and Stripes in a statement in January. Use of the term has oul on Wednesday and Tokyo on ase cafeterias will always be “chow been percolating on social media, mostly Tuesday, said he visited those two halls” for many, while others call through the facilities’ official accounts and by nations first to reaffirm the U.S. them DFACs. But the Army is trying Army leaders promoting them. commitment to the long-standing Bto add a new term to the lexicon: “I miss just calling it a DFAC,” Command partnerships, which are seen as warrior restaurant. Sgt. Maj. Jason Towns said in a recent tweet. critical in efforts to dissuade Chi- In an effort to change how and what soldiers “It’s still a challenge to remember to call it a nese and North Korean aggres- eat, the service has begun rebranding its din- Warrior Restaurant.” sion in the region. Austin has said ing facilities, modernizing them and upgrading The dining facility overhaul comes as the Ar- he considers China’s growing mil- their offerings to prioritize fresh or frozen in- my looks to combat obesity and boost soldier itary ambitions his primary inter- gredients over heavily processed foods. A pan-seared teriyaki tofu steak with fitness, and after Army and Air Force officials “Warrior restaurant” is the preferred no- couscous and grilled asparagus is on display SEE GAO ON PAGE 6 menclature, Sgt. Maj. Ken Fauska of the Ar- March 12 at Fort Hood. SEE WARRIOR ON PAGE 5 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, March 19, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Fed to keep key rate near zero til 2023 EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,128.03 Associated Press jection in December of 4.2%. And sury note, which has surged in re- Switzerland (Franc) .9297 Euro costs (March 19) $1.17 Thailand (Baht) 30.87 WASHINGTON — The Federal the Fed raised its forecast for in- cent weeks on inflation concerns, Dollar buys (March 19) 0.8162 Turkey (NewLira) 7.3675 British pound (March 19) $1.36 Reserve foresees the economy ac- flation by the end of this year from declined slightly. Japanese yen (March 19) 106.00 (Military exchange rates are those available celerating quickly this year yet 1.8% to 2.4% after years of chron- Still, the Fed’s upgraded fore- South Korean won (March 19) 1,095.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger still expects to keep its benchmark ically low price increases. casts raised questions about what many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur interest rate pinned near zero The Fed also said it would con- would cause it eventually to raise Britain (Pound) 1.3902 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2449 your local military banking facility. Commercial through 2023, despite concerns in tinue its monthly purchases of its key short-term rate, which af- China(Yuan) 6.5087 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2408 financial markets about potential- $120 billion in bonds, which are in- fects many consumer and busi- Egypt (Pound) 15.6997 when buying currency. All figures are foreign ly higher inflation. tended to keep longer-term bor- ness loans. As the economy Euro .8393 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7654 pound, which is represented in dollarsto With its brightening outlook, the rowing costs low. strengthens, the policymakers Hungary (Forint) 309.50 pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2973 Fed on Wednesday significantly On Wall Street, investors regis- think the unemployment rate will Japan (Yen) 109.18 INTEREST RATES upgraded its forecasts for growth tered their approval of the Fed’s drop faster than they thought in Kuwait(Dinar) .3021 Norway (Krone) 8.4747 Prime rate 3.25 and inflation. It now expects the low-rate message, sending stock December: They foresee unem- Philippines (Peso) 48.66 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.88 Federal funds market rate 0.07 economy to expand 6.5% this year, indexes higher. And the closely ployment falling from its current Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7504 3month bill 0.02 up sharply from its previous pro- watched yield on the 10-year Trea- 6.2% to 4.5% by year’s end. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3441 30year bond 2.44 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 39/34 Kabul Seoul 58/42 48/44 Baghdad 72/50 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 48/44 53/44 81/46 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 34/27 54/48 47/40 Iwakuni Kuwait City Bahrain 56/49 Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 79/63 72/68 Ramstein 37/30 64/56 45/35 38/26 83/79 Riyadh Lajes, 90/65 Doha Azores Stuttgart 88/69 61/57 38/32 Pápa Aviano/ 43/25 Vicenza 43/28 Naples 52/39 Okinawa Morón 73/69 64/43 Sigonella Rota 55/41 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 63/48 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 84/73 59/52 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 12 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 14 Opinion ........................ 15 Sports .................... 17-24 Friday, March 19, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Men more shy about unisex bathrooms BY NIKKI WENTLING main concerns. said Shannon Portillo, associate Bathrooms were often cited as a members. Stars and Stripes The study, titled “Maintaining dean for academic affairs at the reason male service members “Men’s discomfort with poten- WASHINGTON — A study of Male Exclusivity: Porcelain Priv- university’s Edwards Campus. were against the integration. His- tially sharing toilets and team Special Forces service members ilege in the Military,” was pub- “We were focused on larger ques- torically, researchers said, bath- room spaces with women, in con- found that male and female troops lished recently in the journal tions of military integration, but rooms have been used as a way to trast to the women’s readiness for hold drastically different views on Armed Forces and Society. Re- we saw a stark gender difference keep women out of certain work- such conditions, is an indication gender-neutral bathrooms, with searchers at the University of on this topic. The results clearly places, such as police stations, that the underlying logic of sex- many men firmly opposed to Kansas conducted focus groups showed men were concerned firehouses and Congress. ism needs to be addressed,” the them. with members of the U.S. Army about continuing a sex-separated When male-dominated work- study states. About 33% of men who partici- Special Forces about their atmosphere.” places have been integrated, The study did not include or ask pated in the study said they would thoughts on women integrating The researchers held 27 focus some workers attempted to fight about transgender service mem- be willing to share a unisex bath- into combat roles. Researchers groups with a total of 198 partici- back by “doubling down on the bers because it was conducted room with women, while 61% of didn’t ask service members about pants at Fort Bragg in North Car- existing sexist culture,” said when transgender people were women said they would be willing bathrooms, but the issue kept olina and Fort Leavenworth in Alesha Doan, a professor in KU’s barred from military service, the to share a unisex bathroom with coming up, they said.