Easing Forward Fraught with Pitfalls by LOLITA C
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Volume 78, No. 220B ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas Afghanistan deal will be tough to assess, Easing forward fraught with pitfalls BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON — Hopes for end- ing America’s longest war hinge on maintaining a weeklong fragile truce in Afghanistan that U.S. officials and experts agree will be difficult to as- sess and fraught with pitfalls. What if one militant with a suicide vest kills dozens in a Kabul market? Or, if a U.S. air- strike targeting ‘ This Islamic State in- is a fi rst surgents takes out Taliban members down, instead, does that we’re at destroy the deal? the 10- The agreement, which took ef- yard line. fect at midnight We have on Friday, calls for an end to at- 90 more tacks around the to go. ’ country, including Seth Jones roadside bomb- ings, suicide at- Afghanistan tacks and rocket expert strikes between the Taliban, Af- ghan and U.S. forces. But in a country that has been wracked by violence for more than 18 years, determining if the agree- ment has been violated will be a tough task. And there are a number of other groups and elements in the country that would love to see the deal fall through. “The reason this is a challenge is that this is a very decentral- ized insurgency,” said Seth Jones, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Stud- RAHMAT GUL/AP ies and an Afghanistan expert. “There are going to be a lot of An aerial view looks down on a busy bazaar in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday. A temporary truce between the U.S. and the Taliban took effect earlier, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal next weekend aimed at ending 18 years of bloodshed. SEE PITFALLS ON PAGE 5 Violence down ‘significantly’ on first day of truce between US, Taliban KABUL, Afghanistan — There was a “sig- The seven-day period of reduced violence, U.S. commander in Afghanistan told report- BY J.P. LAWRENCE nificant” drop in violence in Afghanistan on which falls short of a complete cease-fire and ers in Kabul. AND PHILLIP Saturday, the first day of a weeklong period could eventually lead to a withdrawal of U.S. “We remain committed to defend our forc- WALTER WELLMAN of reduced violence, the Afghan Defense forces and end America’s longest war, began es,” Miller said. Stars and Stripes Ministry said. Several attacks were reported just after midnight Saturday. Afghan troops also halted operations against throughout the day but didn’t appear to break The U.S.-led coalition is focused only on de- the truce. fensive operations, Gen. Scott Miller, the top SEE TRUCE ON PAGE 5 MILITARY MIDEAST MUSIC Mother sues VA after Presence of foreign Taylor Swift documentary veteran kills himself forces in Syrian war examines backlash artists near medical facility raises tensions can face for talking politics Page 4 Page 6 Page 12 Midshipman found dead was standout OL on football team » Military, Page 3 PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Sunday, February 23, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9791 EXCHANGE RATES Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.60 Military rates Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.1139 US economy begins showing effects of virus Euro costs (Feb. 24) ..........................$1.1089 (Military exchange rates are those Dollar buys (Feb. 24) ........................€0.9018 available to customers at military banking British pound (Feb. 24) ........................$1.32 facilities in the country of issuance A ssociated Press Japanese yen (Feb. 24) ......................109.00 for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the or 0.8%, to 28,992. The Nasdaq other big companies. South Korean won (Feb. 24) ..........1,175.00 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For lost 174 points, or 1.8%, to 9,576. “There’s a little bit more con- Commercial rates nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Stocks fell and bond prices rose purchasing British pounds in Germany), Technology companies, which cern about how hard this is going Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3769 sharply on Wall Street Friday British pound .....................................$1.2946 check with your local military banking have much greater exposure to to impact, not just Asia, but also Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3251 facility. Commercial rates are interbank rates provided for reference when buying amid fresh signs that the viral China than other industries, fell the broad global economy,” said China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0311 Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8920 currency. All figures are foreign currencies outbreak that originated in China to one dollar, except for the British pound, the most. Chipmakers were some Adam Taback, chief investment Egypt (Pound) ...................................15.5584 is weighing on U.S. companies. which is represented in dollars-to-pound, of the worst hit. Companies that officer for Wells Fargo Private Euro ........................................$1.0838/0.9227 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) The yield on the 30-year Trea- Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7882 depend on consumer spending, Bank. Hungary (Forint) .................................311.62 sury reached a record low as in- especially in travel-related indus- The situation has also begun to Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4222 vestors sought the safety of U.S. Japan (Yen) ........................................... 111.71 tries, also fell broadly. weigh on the U.S. economy. Data Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3066 government bonds. The price of Travel restrictions and other from IHS Markit show U.S. man- Norway (Krone) ...................................9.3104 INTEREST RATES gold also rose. Philippines (Peso)................................. 51.02 efforts in China aimed at contain- ufacturing and business activ- Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.96 Prime rate ................................................4.75 The S&P 500 fell 35 points, or ing the spread of the virus have ity slowed in February from the Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7506 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4004 Federal funds market rate ...................1.58 1.1%, to 3,337. The Dow Jones In- begun to disrupt supply chains previous month, coming in below 3-month bill .............................................1.52 South Korea (Won) ..........................1,211.42 dustrial Average fell 227 points, and sales prospects for Apple and analysts’ expectations. 30-year bond ...........................................1.92 WEATHER OUTLOOK SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUNDAY IN EUROPE MONDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 41/33 Kabul 61/34 Seoul 49/31 Baghdad 71/52 Kandahar 71/46 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 53/33 Pomorskie 55/35 Busan Lakenheath 42/34 47/44 40/37 Iwakuni 52/42 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City Brussels 49/43 Guam 69/58 68/64 53/46 Ramstein 55/40 80/77 Lajes, 50/45 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 81/58 76/60 61/57 52/44 47/39 Aviano/ Vicenza 47/39 Naples 57/43 Okinawa Morón 68/65 71/46 Sigonella 60/32 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Rota Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 83/74 65/42 53/50 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ...15 Comics ....................14 Crossword ...............14 Movies ...............12-13 Opinion ...................16 Sports ................ 17-24 Sunday, February 23, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Army, Navy search for savings in budget BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY to exist for that manufacturer.” McCarthy said the Army is on Stars and Stripes The Navy’s 2021 budget pro- a “collision course” in about 2023 posal buys fewer ships and puts with the cost of modernizing and WASHINGTON — The secre- them behind in attaining the re- growing the number of soldiers in taries of the Army and Navy said quired 355 ships by 2030. Modly order to reduce the strain of con- Friday that they need to make said he believes they can still get tinuing deployments on the force. difficult choices to find budget to that number or higher in 10 “And I think that that’s where savings or fall short of the com- years by finding $40 billion in there’s going to be some very petitive force that the military savings by 2026 as part of their hard choices in front of us,” he needs for the future. “Stem to Stern” review, which said about finding savings. “Do The services are dealing with was announced Tuesday. we have to stop, do we have to ad- growing demands to modern- The Navy is considering spend- just, do we get more topline, can ize their equipment, capabilities, ing that money on more ships that we find more buying power.” and forces at the same time they are smaller and less expensive The Pentagon announced Feb. are seeing budgets stagnate. The ships, and can be spread out to in- 13 that $3.8 billion from the ser- ALEXANDER C. KUBITZA/U.S. Navy Army and Navy are reviewing crease their presence around the vices’ 2020 budgets has been re- programs in their budgets to find Kathleen Hicks, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and globe, he said. programmed to build the wall savings to reinvest in other ways. International Studies, speaks as Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Air Barrett said the Air Force faces along U.S.-Mexico border. The “What I’ve told the depart- Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and acting Navy Secretary Thomas the same challenges and bud- service secretaries on Friday did ment is we need to look internally Modly listen during a discussion in Washington on Friday. get constraints as the Army and not discuss how the funding to first at ourselves to see where Navy, but she did not discuss ef- buy new ships, aircraft, or tac- we can find savings within the National Defense Strategy that proposed budget before the com- forts within the service to review tical vehicles is being diverted way we traditionally do things seeks to prepare the United States mittee on Thursday.