Drone Attacks Alarming US Forces in Iraq
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MEMORIAL DAY NATION FACES Online-only Two dead, dozens Moby puts all his ceremonies to injured in ‘cowardly’ cards on table in feature flyovers Florida shooting revealing ‘Doc’ Page 7 Page 10 Page 18 Milwaukee cruises to first-round sweep of Miami ›› NBA playoffs, Page 24 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 31 ©SS 2021 MONDAY,MAY 31, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Drone attacks alarming US forces in Iraq BY LOUISA LOVELUCK AND JOHN HUDSON The Washington Post BAGHDAD — U.S. military of- ficials in Iraq have grown increas- ingly alarmed over attacks by Iran-backed militias using drones to evade detection systems around military bases and diplomatic fa- cilities. In place of rockets, militiamen have turned at times to small, fixed-wing drones that fly too low to be picked up by defensive sys- tems, military officials and diplo- mats say. An official with the U.S.- led coalition described the evolv- ing drone threat as the military mission’s biggest concern in Iraq. In April, a drone strike targeted a CIA hangar inside the airport complex in the northern city of Ir- bil, according to officials familiar with the matter. The drone’s flight was tracked to within 10 miles of the site, but its path was then lost as it moved into a civilian flight path, the coalition official said. The drone’s remains were partial- ly recovered, and preliminary MICHAEL DIMESTICO/U.S. Navy analysis suggested it was made in Petty Officer 2nd Class Edmond Nazareno checks a gyro repeater compass while standing watch aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iran, a coalition official said. The Kearsarge in 2018. A recent report says despite a 2017 Navy policy aimed at managing fatigue, sailors still are not getting adequate sleep. attack deeply concerned White House and Pentagon officials be- cause of the covert nature of the facility and the sophistication of the strike. Dangerously deprived Although no one was harmed in the strike, it prompted a long night of deliberations over how to re- GAO finds Navy still has not addressed lack of sleep, fatigue among deployed sailors spond, according to Western offi- cials. Some U.S. officials advocat- BY JENNIFER H. SVAN ten or sometimes affect ship operations. ed serious consideration of a mil- Stars and Stripes One officer “had observed other officers degrade to itary response, including the Na- ailors still are not getting enough sleep more near senselessness while attempting to safely navigate 14% tional Security Council’s than three years after the Navy issued a policy a ship — because of leadership’s disregard of sleep re- coordinator for the Middle East Percentage of officers who re- to address fatigue in the wake of two deadly col- quirements,” the officer told the GAO. ceived the recommended seven and North Africa, Brett McGurk, Slisions blamed in part on sleep deprivation, a “The Navy is not ensuring that its sailors are suffi- hours or more of sleep during said two people familiar with the government watchdog said. ciently rested for optimal performance and safety,” the their most recent deployment. matter. The Biden administration Only about 14% of officers received the recommend- GAO concluded in a report released Thursday. 67% received five hours or less, ultimately decided against taking ed seven hours or more of sleep during their most re- While the service has taken steps to collect more in- and about 84% said fatigue- military action. cent deployment, and 67% received five hours or less, formation on fatigue in the surface fleet, it is not “mea- related conditions among the A similar drone attack in May the Government Accountability Office found. About crew often or sometimes affect 84% said fatigue-related conditions among the crew of- SEE DEPRIVED ON PAGE 8 ship operations, the GAO found. SEE DRONES ON PAGE 8 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Monday, May 31, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Median CEO pay packages rose amid pandemic EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,114.83 Associated Press by the crisis. Meanwhile, regular workers also Switzerland (Franc) 0.8994 Euro costs (May 31) $1.19 Thailand (Baht) 31.24 NEW YORK — As COVID-19 As a result, pay packages rose yet saw gains, but not at the same rate as Dollar buys (May 31) 0.8013 Turkey (New Lira) 8.5647 British pound (May 31) $1.38 ravaged the world last year, CEOs’ again last year for the CEOs of the their bosses. And millions of others Japanese yen (May 31) 106.00 (Military exchange rates are those available big pay packages seemed to be un- biggest companies, even though the lost their jobs. South Korean won (May 31) 1,089.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger der as much threat as everything pandemic sent the economy to its Wages and benefits for all work- many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain (Dinar) 0.3769 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur else. worst quarter on record and slashed ers outside the government rose just Britain (Pound) 1.4193 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2078 your local military banking facility. Commercial Fortunately for those CEOs, corporate profits around the world. 2.6% last year. That’s according to China (Yuan) 6.3684 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.0975 many had boards of directors will- The median pay package for a CEO U.S. government data that ignore Egypt (Pound) 15.6597 when buying currency. All figures are foreign ing to see the pandemic as an ex- at an S&P 500 company hit $12.7 mil- the effect of workers shifting be- Euro 0.8199 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7612 pound, which is represented in dollarsto traordinary event beyond their con- lion in 2020, according to data ana- tween different industries. It’s an Hungary (Forint) 285.51 pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2511 trol. Across the country, boards lyzed by Equilar for The Associated important distinction because more Japan (Yen) 109.81 INTEREST RATES made changes to the intricate for- Press. It’s 5% more than the median lower-wage earners lost their jobs Kuwait (Dinar) 0.3009 Norway (Krone) 8.3631 Prime rate 3.25 mulas that determine their CEOs’ pay for that same group of CEOs in as the economy shut down than pro- Philippines (Peso) 47.76 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.68 Federal funds market rate 0.09 pay — and other moves — that 2019 and an acceleration from the fessionals who could work from Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7502 3month bill 0.01 helped make up for losses created 4.1% climb in last year’s survey. home. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3224 30year bond 2.26 WEATHER OUTLOOK MONDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST MONDAY IN EUROPE TUESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 56/48 Kabul 84/57 Seoul 75/59 Baghdad 104/75 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 77/59 72/60 101/62 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 63/41 67/58 69/44 Iwakuni Kuwait City Bahrain 68/63 108/88 Brussels Zagan Sasebo 92/86 Ramstein 61/45 77/62 Guam 68/50 64/39 83/80 Riyadh Lajes, 109/76 Doha Azores Stuttgart 112/82 63/60 64/42 Pápa Aviano/ 66/46 Vicenza 63/53 Naples 73/58 Okinawa Morón 77/74 85/67 Sigonella Rota Djibouti 78/53 The weather is provided by the 71/66 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 95/80 71/65 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 14 Sports .................... 19-24 Monday, May 31, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Armored vehicle maker to pay $50M in fraud case BY WYATT OLSON “During negotiations for the rine Corps to replace Humvees, the vehicles we manufacture and Stars and Stripes modification, Navistar was asked which were vulnerable to road- sustain.” An Illinois-based maker of mil- to provide sales information on the side explosive devices. Burgess “showed enormous itary vehicles agreed to pay $50 contract parts to assess the rea- Under the modified contract, courage” in bringing the fraud al- million to resolve allegations that sonableness of Navistar’s pro- the Marine Corps paid Navistar legation to the government’s at- it defrauded the Marine Corps posed prices,” the DOJ said. “The about $30,000 more than the typ- tention, said the attorney repre- with inflated prices during a con- United States alleged that Navis- ical price for a suspension system, senting the whistleblower. tract modification for a suspen- tar knowingly created fraudulent spending almost $120 million ex- “This settlement reinforces the sion system on armored vehicles, commercial sales invoices and tra for that component, according vital role that whistleblowers play in uncovering fraud,” H. Vincent the Department of Justice said submitted those invoices to the to the complaint filed in the case. McKnight Jr. said in a statement. Thursday. government to justify the compa- Navistar Defense LLC denied The acting U.S. Attorney for the The claims were brought ny’s prices.” any wrongdoing in an emailed District of Columbia, Channing against Navistar Defense LLC un- The U.S. government alleged statement to Stars and Stripes. Phillips, said in the DOJ news re- der the whistleblower provisions the sales for those receipts never “We believe the allegations DUSTIN MARCH/U.S. Marine Corps lease that the settlement demon- of the False Claims Act by Duqu- actually occurred but that the gov- were mistaken and misplaced as Marine Corps MineResistant strates “our commitment to go af- oin Burgess, a former government Ambush Protected armored ernment had relied on the docu- we know our pricing was fair, rea- ter any contractor who treats contracts manager for Navistar, vehicles in Helmand province, mentation in agreeing to meet Na- sonable, and competitive,” the America’s dedication to our troops the DOJ said.