Army Boosts Indo-Pacific Presence Gression, the FDA Said
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MILITARY MILITARY FACES Army merging Food insecurity Singer-songwriter Europe, Africa an issue for Texas Taylor puts own commands military families spin on classics Page 3 Page 4 Page 18 29 percent of weekend's games postponed, canceled ›› College football, Page 24 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 156 ©SS 2020 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas US health officials OK drug used to treat virus Associated Press U.S. health officials Saturday agreed to allow emergency use of a second antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental medicine that President Donald Trump was giv- en when he was sickened last month. The Food and Drug Administra- tion authorized use of the Regene- ron Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug to try to prevent hospitalization and worsening disease from develop- ing in patients with mild-to-mod- erate symptoms. The drug is given as a one-time treatment through an IV. The FDA allowed its use in adults and children 12 and over who weigh at least 88 pounds and who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 because of age or cer- tain other medical conditions. Emergency authorization al- lows use of the drug to start while studies are continuing to establish PHOTOS BY RACHEL CHRISTENSEN/U.S. Army safety and effectiveness. Early re- Capt. Kris Candelaria, left, and 1st Lt. Wilhelmus Raditya of Indonesia discuss plans during a live-fire exercise at at Fort Polk, La., on Oct. 27. sults suggest the drug may reduce COVID-19-related hospitalization or emergency room visits in pa- tients at high risk for disease pro- Army boosts Indo-Pacific presence gression, the FDA said. SEE DRUG ON PAGE 6 American forces look to gain a foothold against Chinese influence in the region BY ROSE L. THAYER advisory brigades, known as SFABs. A sixth Stars and Stripes SFAB was established in the National Guard. AUSTIN, Texas – The Army’s 5th Security Based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Force Assistance Brigade is halfway through a Wash., more than 600 soldiers from the 5th training rotation set to prepare its troops to ad- SFAB are running through a first-of-its-kind, vise partner countries in the Indo-Pacific – a large-scale training rotation at the Joint Read- region where American forces look to gain a iness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., to pre- foothold against Chinese influence. pare for deployment next year to several coun- “Our goal is to be a partner of choice in a dan- tries in the Indo-Pacific region. The 14-day ex- gerous world. What we want is our partners to ercise simulates guiding a partner nation’s see the way we operate,” Brig. Gen. Scott Jack- military through an invasion and insurgency son, commander of the Security Force Assist- from a hostile neighbor, said Brig Gen. Curtis REGENERON/AP ance Command, said Wednesday during a call Taylor, brigade commander. A Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with reporters. A pyrotechnic explosion signals the end of a “How do we enable [our partners] to do that? scientist works on an experi- His command serves as the higher head- live-fire exercise at the Joint Readiness mental coronavirus antibody drug quarters for all five of the Army’s active-duty Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. SEE REGION ON PAGE 4 at a company facility last month. PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Monday, November 23, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER Grocery store rationing returns EXCHANGE RATES Los Angeles Times specifically to avoid the empty to adjust to a new normal of high- Philppines (Peso) 48.23 Military rates Poland (Zloty) 3.76 Hard times have returned to the shelves many consumers faced in volume grocery shopping and Euro costs (Nov. 23) $1.16 Saudi Arab (Riyal) 3.7504 nation’s toilet paper aisles. the spring — and industry experts waves of lockdown-related shop- Dollar buys (Nov. 23) 0.8211 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3429 British pound (Nov. 23) $1.30 So. Korea (Won) 1116.07 With coronavirus cases and say the grocers and suppliers are ping sprees. Japanese yen (Nov. 23) 101.00 Switzerlnd (Franc) .9103 South Korean won (Nov. 23) 1085.00 Thailand (Baht) 30.26 lockdowns once again on the rise, prepared for the winter wave. Among them, stores and suppli- Turkey (NewLira) 7.6821 shoppers are reverting to the pan- “We put the limits on out of cau- ers have started keeping more in- Commercial rates (Military exchange rates are those avail Bahrain(Dinar) .3767 able to customers at military banking fa ic-buying patterns of the early tion,” said Kevin Curry, president ventory on hand, when possible, to Britain (Pound) 1.3282 cilities in the country of issuance for Ja days of the pandemic. In response, of Albertsons’ Southern California prepare for unpredictable spikes Canada (Dollar) 1.3052 pan, South Korea, Germany, the Nether China(Yuan) 6.5628 lands and the United Kingdom. For nonlo grocery companies such as Tar- division, who noted that the cur- in demand. Denmark (Krone) 6.2775 cal currency exchange rates (i.e., purchasing British pounds in Germany), get, Kroger and Albertsons have rent uptick in demand is nowhere The industry has “gone from a Egypt (Pound) 15.6010 check with your local military banking fa Euro .8425 cility. Commercial rates are interbank reinstated purchase limits on toi- near what he saw in March and just-in-time mentality to a just-in- Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7530 rates provided for reference when buying let paper, paper towels and clean- April. “The supply chain’s in a bet- case mentality,” said Willy Shih, a Hungary (Forint) 302.89 currency. All figures are foreign curren Israel (Shekel) 3.3399 cies to one dollar, except for the British ing supplies. ter position to handle this rush.” professor at Harvard Business Japan (Yen) 103.78 pound, which is represented in dollarsto Kuwait(Dinar) .3057 pound, and the euro, which is dollarsto But this time, the grocery com- Over the summer, the industry School who studies manufactur- Norway (Krone) 8.9850 euro.) panies say, they’re putting limits put a number of measures in place ing supply chains. WEATHER OUTLOOK MONDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST MONDAY IN EUROPE TUESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 48/34 Kabul Seoul 46/35 47/30 Baghdad 69/48 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 48/30 55/41 58/41 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 44/39 48/36 56/37 Iwakuni Kuwait City 61/43 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo 76/57 79/68 Ramstein 45/38 64/48 Guam 51/42 45/36 86/80 Riyadh Lajes, 78/52 Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 65/60 47/34 81/66 Aviano/ 43/32 Vicenza 48/32 Naples 58/46 Okinawa Morón 77/70 65/48 Sigonella Rota 57/52 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 66/56 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 86/70 60/55 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 14 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 15 Sports ................... 20-24 Monday, November 23, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Army merges commands of Europe, Africa BY COREY DICKSTEIN Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, who Stars and Stripes had commanded U.S. Army Eu- WASHINGTON — The Army rope as a three-star since 2018. MATTHEW M. BURKE/Stars and Stripes has merged its component com- The former U.S. Army Africa Marine Staff Sgt. Billy Dixson was honored at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, on Nov. 13 for mands responsible for operations commander, Maj. Gen. Andy saving a local woman from drowning after she got caught in a rip current. in Europe and Africa under one Rohling, will now serve as USA- four-star general in a new organi- REUR-AF’s deputy commander zation that will be headquartered for Africa and he will also com- Okinawa-based Marine saves in Germany, the service an- mand the SETAF-AF, the Army nounced Friday. said. The Army’s new U.S. Army Eu- The official announcement Fri- Japanese woman from rip current rope and Africa, or USAREUR- day came after Army officials ac- AF, will combine the former U.S. knowledged the planned changes BY MATTHEW M. BURKE married father of two. pointed to an empty spot on the wa- Army Europe and former U.S. Ar- in October but did not provide Stars and Stripes Dixson was awarded a Navy and ter. my Africa into one organization, specific details. MARINE CORPS AIR STATION Marine Corps Commendation Dixson said he swam through the the service said. It also comes as the Army’s new FUTENMA, Okinawa — Most Medal from the MCAS Futenma rip current and dove down. But soldiers will not move from V Corps arrived in Poland on Fri- swimmers and divers avoid rip cur- commander, Col. Henry Dolberry In that moment, he said, he was their current locations under the day to open its forward headquar- rents as inherently dangerous, but Jr., on Nov. 13. afraid he wouldn’t find the woman reorganization, an Army spokes- ters in Poznan. Marine Staff Sgt. Billy Dixson likes “Good swimmers go out there or that she might already be dead. woman said Friday. In Europe, the new U.S. Army to pole-spear octopus there. and never come back,” Dolberry Reaching her, seeing her arms USAREUR-AF will be head- Europe and Africa command will On Oct. 4, Dixson’s ease in haz- said, according to the statement. move and watching her cough up quartered in Wiesbaden, Germa- focus on high-level planning and ardous water and his dedication to Dixson “went out there and per- water at the surface relieved his ny, where U.S.