MLB: Dodgers get back into MOVIES NLCS with big win Back page ‘The Forty-Year-Old Version’ introduces Radha Blank MUSIC: Remembering as an auteur to watch Eddie Van Halen Page 32 Pages 20-21 LIFESTYLE: Keep smiling behind your mask Page 30 stripes.com Volume 79, No. 130 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020 $1.00 VIRUS OUTBREAK US military takes action Stuttgart High School shut down as Germany reels under record number of new coronavirus cases BY KARIN ZEITVOGEL, JOHN VANDIVER AND JENNIFER SVAN Stars and Stripes U.S. military communities in Germany took quick action as the country’s national public health agency said there had been more new infections in one day than at any time since the start of the pandemic. Stuttgart shuttered its high school and tested hundreds of service members and their families. Soldiers were banned from barhopping in US layoffs Baumholder, and officials at Grafenwoehr tightened remain elevated restrictions on soldiers, ci- Page 8 vilians and family members after the nearby town of Weiden went on red alert against the coronavirus. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health agency, said 6,638 new cases of the virus had been report- ed from Wednesday to Thursday, the biggest daily increase since March 28, when case numbers rose by 6,294. SEE MILITARY ON PAGE 6 A woman wearing a face mask walks past a sign saying “Mask duty –- Cover your mouth and nose!” in the city center of Munich, Germany, on Thursday. PETER KNEFFEL, DPA/AP Army to encourage urgency in searching for missing soldiers BY ALEX HORTON ing from the ranks, a duty status amine how that process works. ing years of emphasis on deploy- make sure it’s something that is The Washington Post known as absent without leave, In the forthcoming policy on ments and training, according taken seriously.” Army officials have previously AWOL soldiers, the Army “will to an Army official with knowl- Commanders have discretion The Army is planning to intro- said, and they currently do not consider them missing and take edge of the changes. That in turn over how fast and deep searches duce a policy that would provide proactively search for deserters. immediate action to find them,” could help leaders detect prob- for missing soldiers can go, such more urgency in finding missing Experts have said Army cul- according to a memo signed Tues- lems within the ranks, the official as calling family members or in- soldiers, top leaders said, follow- ture breeds belief that missing day by Army Secretary Ryan Mc- said. terviewing fellow soldiers about ing a row of high-profile disap- soldiers are malingerers or cow- Carthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. “We do not always know why potential problems, the official pearances at Fort Hood that left ards, which makes finding them a James McConville, and Sgt. Maj. people have not showed up to for- said. The changes are meant to families frustrated over the depth low priority. But recent high-pro- of the Army Michael Grinston. mation,” the official said, declin- encourage leaders to be more and speed of search efforts. file disappearances and deaths The policy is meant to align ing to provide a name to discuss proactive. Commanders have not priori- of soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas with broader efforts by the Army sensitive personnel issues. tized searching for soldiers miss- have led Army officials to reex- to refocus care of soldiers follow- “Until we know why, we have to SEE MISSING ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, October 16, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................ 0.9145 Germany $2.442 $2.854 $3.104 $2.670 Azores -- -- $3.004 -- Euro costs (Oct. 16) ..........................$1.1400 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.23 Change in price -0.5 cents -0.4 cents -0.4 cents +0.8 cents Change in price -- -- -0.4 cents -- Dollar buys (Oct. 16).........................€0.8322 Turkey (Lira) .........................................7.9463 Netherlands -- $3.374 $3.593 $3.182 Belgium Numbers not provided before press time British pound (Oct. 16) ........................ $1.26 Change in price -- +4.2 cents +4.2 cents +8.2 cents Change in price -- Japanese yen (Oct. 16) ......................103.00 (Military exchange rates are those South Korean won (Oct. 16) .......... 1,117.00 available to customers at military banking U.K. -- $2.753 $3.003 $2.569 Turkey -- -- $2.889 $3.399* Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance Change in price -- -0.4 cents -0.4 cents +0.8 cents Change in price -- -- -0.4 cents No change Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3771 for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the British pound .....................................$1.2945 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3232 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., PACIFIC GAS PRICES China (Yuan) ........................................6.7251 purchasing British pounds in Germany), Denmark (Krone) ................................6.3625 check with your local military banking Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7004 facility. Commercial rates are interbank rates provided for reference when buying Japan -- $2.899 -- $2.459 South Korea $2.249 -- $2.909 $2.469 Euro ........................................$1.1698/0.8549 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Change in price -- No change -- +1.0 cents Change in price No change -- No change No change Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7503 Hungary (Forint) .................................311.33 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Okinawa $2.229 -- -- $2.459 Guam $2.239** $2.659 $2.909 -- Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.3907 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Change in price -1.0 cents -- -- +1.0 cents Change in price -1.0 cents No change No change -- and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Japan (Yen) ...........................................105.28 Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3061 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.3727 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Philippines (Peso)................................. 48.76 Prime rate ................................................3.25 Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.89 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 For the week of Oct. 16-22 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7511 Federal funds market rate ...................0.09 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3608 3-month bill ............................................. 0.10 South Korea (Won) ..........................1,148.11 30-year bond ...........................................1.50 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 59/42 Kabul 73/46 Seoul 67/43 Baghdad 93/67 Kandahar 76/37 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 64/49 54/51 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 54/42 49/44 71/55 Iwakuni 56/53 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 87/84 Brussels 48/44 Guam 90/66 48/41 Ramstein 67/59 84/81 Lajes, 51/44 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 88/57 91/68 67/64 48/45 45/42 Aviano/ Vicenza 54/47 Naples 63/56 Okinawa Morón 79/76 74/49 Sigonella Rota 70/55 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 92/77 67/55 79/69 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 16 Classified .........................43 Comics ..................38, 44-45 Crossword .............38, 44-45 Faces ............................... 42 Opinion .......................40-41 Sports .........................46-56 Weekend ..................... 17-38 Friday, October 16, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 PACIFIC Navy secretary stresses priorities in Yokosuka BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Stars and Stripes YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Navy’s top civil- ian leader on Thursday toured a guided-missile destroyer under- going maintenance during his first-ever visit to the service’s largest overseas base. Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite met USS Milius sail- ors with a congenial, “Hi, I’m Ken,” aboard the ship that has been in dry dock since early May. As the Navy pushes to grow its fleet, maintaining existing war- ships and extending their service lives are a continuing priority. Braithwaite told Milius sailors that while he understood their desire to be at sea, spending time training ashore and working on the ship are crucial to success. “I know you’re in the ‘yards now, but what you’re doing here will make you better prepared,” Braithwaite told crews in the de- stroyer’s bridge during his tour. Congress in 2018 made law the Navy’s goal of a 355-ship fleet, now due by 2035. Last week, De- fense Secretary Mark Esper an- nounced a new modernization CAITLIN DOORNBOS/Stars and Stripes plan — dubbed “Battle Force Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite speaks with Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Radai, a fire controlman, aboard the guided-missile destroyer 2045” — that boosted that goal to USS Milius at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Thursday. a mixture of 500 manned and un- manned ships within 25 years. and shipbuilding plans published “We work our ships out here growing. The Pentagon’s China vantage in this complex global The Navy had 296 ships in ser- Oct. 7. in 7th Fleet like nowhere else,” report released Sept. 1 deter- security environment.” vice as of Oct. 6, according to the In his speech, Esper called ship- Niemeyer said Thursday. “This mined that Beijing aims to have “For more than 75 years, the Naval Vessel Register. yard capacity and maintenance maintenance period is a critical a “world-class” military on par United States has maintained While shipbuilding will be a delays the Navy’s Achilles’ heel time for us to reset so that we are with the United States by 2049. a continuous forward presence top priority, Esper said during his necessary to overcome to “main- ready to get back in operation.” The Defense Department con- throughout the Pacific,” he said. speech Oct. 6, quick and efficient tain a high level of readiness.