US Military Shifts Army Basing from Qatar to Jordan
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PACIFIC: See Hawaii the way locals wish you would Page 24 EUROPE Smoked beer and GAMES: Mario Golf is medieval history worth teeing up Page 19 make Bamberg NBA PLAYOFFS: Chris Paul memorable Page 21 finally reaches Finals Page 48 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 55 ©SS 2021 FRIDAY,JULY 2, 2021 $1.00 US military shifts Army basing from Qatar to Jordan BY J.P. LAWRENCE Stars and Stripes The U.S. has closed sprawling bases in Qatar that once stored warehouses full of weaponry and transferred the remaining suppli- es to Jordan, in a move that analy- sts say positions Washington to deal better with Iran and reflects the military’s changing priorities in the region. Military leaders shuttered U.S. Army Camp As Sayliyah-Main last month, along with Camp As Sayliyah-South, and an ammuni- tion supply point named Falcon, an Army statement last week said. Camp As Sayliyah was known among many service members for its Rest and Recuperation Pass Program, which gave some EFFRAIN LOPEZ/U.S. Air Force 200,000 deployed troops a four- An MQ-1 Predator flies over the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif., in 2012. The drone was a catalyst for extraordinary day vacation. The program ran growth and change in the world of unmanned aerial vehicles, but it also raised ethical questions regarding death by remote control. from 2002 to 2011 and offered trav- elers up to two glasses of beer or wine a day, along with golf and beach trips. The camp also served as a for- ward staging area for U.S. suppli- es in the Middle East, with 27 warehouses storing tanks, ar- Revolutionary war mored personnel carriers and a variety of equipment, the Army statement said. As Afghanistan War nears end, details emerge about how Predator changed combat Supplies from the three bases, as well as a support mission based BY GARY ROBBINS The elation was quickly erased by ex- there, are now part of Area Sup- The San Diego Union-Tribune asperation. port Group-Jordan, a U.S. Central e’ve got him! Mission accomplished!” The Predator had yet to be equipped Command statement said. Alec Bierbauer could hardly believe his eyes as he stood with missiles. And it was unclear whether Closing the bases and moving before a floor-to-ceiling TV at CIA Headquarters in Virginia, the U.S. had the legal authority to kill him. the mission to Jordan could bene- The al-Qaida leader got away, and a year fit the U.S. in potential disputes “W watching live video stream from an outpost in Afghanistan. later the terrorist group attacked the with Iran, said Kamran Bokhari, a He was transfixed by footage of a tall man in a white robe. World Trade Center and other targets in national security and policy ex- A fragile, camera-toting surveillance drone built by San Diego’s General the United States, killing nearly 3,000 pert focusing on the region at the Atomics was stalking Osama bin Laden as it quietly looped over his compound people. Washington-based Center for near Kandahar on Sept. 28, 2000. The 9/11 attack triggered the war in Af- Global Policy. ghanistan, where upward of 2,400 Amer- The Biden administration has The remotely operated drone had a fearsome name — Predator — and it had ican troops have died. signaled a desire to negotiate a unexpectedly found the terrorist leader during an experimental flight whose his- toric importance wouldn’t be fully realized in the moment. SEE REVOLUTIONARY ON PAGE 6 SEE QATAR ON PAGE 5 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, July 2, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates South Korea (Won) 1132.50 Germany $3.366 $3.799 $4.052 $3.575 Azores .. .. $3.952 .. Switzerland (Franc) .9242 Euro costs (July 2) $1.16 Change in price +3.1 cents +3.5 cents +3.3 cents +1.3 cents Change in price .. .. +3.3 cents .. Thailand (Baht) 32.05 Dollar buys (July 2) 0.8208 Turkey (NewLira) 8.6747 Netherlands .. $4.280 $4.583 $4.253 Belgium .. $3.076 $3.301 $3.166 British pound (July 2) $1.35 Japanese yen (July 2) 108.00 Change in price .. +9.3 cents +9.9 cents +5.7 cents Change in price .. 8.1 cents 8.6 cents 8.3 cents (Military exchange rates are those available South Korean won (July 2) 1104.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the U.K. .. $3.698 $3.951 $3.474 Turkey .. .. $3.873 $4.102* Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger Change in price .. +3.5 cents +3.3 cents +1.3 cents Change in price .. .. +3.3 cents No change many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3769 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur Britain (Pound) 1.3809 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2371 your local military banking facility. Commercial China(Yuan) 6.4653 rates are interbank rates provided for reference PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) 6.2620 Egypt (Pound) 15.6953 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro .8422 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Japan .. $3.839 .. $3.369 South Korea $3.169 .. $3.859 $3.379 Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7652 pound, which is represented in dollarsto pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Change in price .. +3.0 cents .. +2.0 cents Change in price +3.0 cents .. +4.0 cents +1.0 cents Hungary (Forint) 296.12 Israel (Shekel) 3.2651 Okinawa $3.159 .. .. $3.369 Guam $3.169 $3.599 $3.849 .. Japan (Yen) 111.41 INTEREST RATES Kuwait(Dinar) .3013 Change in price +3.0 cents .. .. +2.0 cents Change in price +3.0 cents +3.0 cents +3.0 cents .. Norway (Krone) 8.5939 Prime rate 3.25 Philippines (Peso) 49.23 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 *DieselEFD **Midgrade Poland (Zloty) 3.80 Federal funds market rate 0.10 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7506 3month bill 0.05 For the week of July 28 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3457 30year bond 2.06 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 63/60 Kabul Seoul 90/77 76/69 Baghdad 114/80 Osan Tokyo Drawsko Kandahar Mildenhall/ 79/69 77/67 102/68 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 69/59 73/70 71/53 Iwakuni Kuwait City 75/72 Bahrain Zagan Sasebo Guam 113/92 92/89 Brussels Ramstein 67/58 77/74 70/53 69/51 84/81 Riyadh Lajes, 113/79 Doha Azores Stuttgart 108/84 72/69 70/53 Pápa Aviano/ 72/59 Vicenza 75/61 Naples 83/70 Okinawa Morón 82/79 95/60 Sigonella Rota 95/64 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 77/60 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 103/87 86/80 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 36 Classified .................... 37 Comics ................... 38-39 Crossword ............. 38-39 Faces .......................... 35 Opinion ....................... 40 Sports .................... 41-48 Friday, July 2, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Former Pentagon chief Rumsfeld dies at age 88 Associated Press dents and nearly a quarter centu- WASHINGTON — Donald ry in corporate America. Rumsfeld, the two-time defense After retiring in 2008 he headed secretary and one-time presiden- the Rumsfeld Foundation to pro- tial candidate whose reputation as mote public service and to work a skilled bureaucrat and visionary with charities that provide servic- SUSAN WALSH/AP of a modern U.S. military was un- es and support for military fam- With former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld next to him, President George W. Bush concludes his raveled by the long and costly Iraq ilies and wounded veterans. remarks during a Sept. 11 memorial ceremony at the Pentagon in September 2008. war, died Tuesday. He was 88. “Rummy,” as he was often In a statement Wednesday, called, was ambitious, witty, ener- serve twice as Pentagon chief. The in the twilight of his career that became something of a TV star, Rumsfeld’s family said he “was getic, engaging and capable of first time, in 1975-77, he was the will likely etch the most vivid fea- applauded for his blunt talk and surrounded by family in his be- great personal warmth. But he ir- youngest ever. The next time, in tures of his legacy. uncompromising style. loved Taos, New Mexico.” ritated many with his confronta- 2001-06, he was the oldest. Nine months into his second By 2002 the Bush administra- President George W. Bush, un- tional style. An accomplished He made a brief run for the 1988 tour as defense secretary, on Sept. tion’s attention shifted to Iraq, der whom Rumsfeld served as wrestler in college, Rumsfeld rel- Republican presidential nomina- 11, 2001, suicide hijackers at- which played no role in the Sept. 11 Pentagon chief, hailed his “steady ished verbal sparring and elevat- tion, a spectacular flop that he tacked the World Trade Center in attacks. The war effort in Afghan- service as a wartime secretary of ed it to an art form; a biting humor once described as humbling for a New York and the Pentagon, istan took a back seat to Iraq, defense — a duty he carried out was a favorite weapon. man used to success at the highest thrusting the nation into wars for opening the way for the Taliban to with strength, skill, and honor.” Still, he built a network of loyal- levels of the government, includ- which the military was ill-pre- make a comeback and prevent the Regarded by former colleagues ists who admired his work ethic, ing stints as White House chief of pared.