MLB NATION FACES Jeter one vote shy of Washington man is New album and unanimous election 1st in US to catch 2020 world tour to Hall of Fame virus from China on tap for Keys Back page Page 13 Page 14 Senate hears opening arguments in Trump impeachment trial » Page 8 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 199 ©SS 2020 THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas IRAN MISSILE ATTACK DOD makes $35 trillion in accounting adjustments BY TONY CAPACCIO Bloomberg The Pentagon made $35 trillion in accounting adjustments last year alone — a total that’s larger than the entire U.S. economy and underscores the Defense Depart- ment’s continuing difficulty in balancing its books. The latest estimate is up from $30.7 trillion in 2018 and $29 tril- lion in 2017, the first year adjust- ments were tracked in a concerted way, according to Pentagon fig- ures and a lawmaker who’s pur- sued the accounting morass. The figure dwarfs the $738 bil- lion of defense-related funding in the latest U.S. budget, a spending plan that includes the most ex- pensive weapons systems in the world including the F-35 jet as well as new aircraft carriers, de- stroyers and submarines. “Within that $30 trillion is a lot of double, triple and quadruple counting of the same money as it got moved between accounts,” QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA/AP said Todd Harrison, a Pentagon budget expert with the Center U.S. soldiers stand near their residence area last week that was hit by Iranian missiles at al Asad Air Base in Anbar, Iraq. The Iranian for Strategic and International attack came in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Studies. The Defense Department ac- knowledged that it failed its first- Trump minimizes severity of injuries ever audit in 2018 and then again last year, when it reviewed $2.7 trillion in assets and $2.6 tril- as more troops leave Iraq for treatment lion in liabilities. While auditors found no evidence of fraud in the review of finances that Congress required, they flagged a laundry BY STEVE BEYNON AND COREY DICKSTEIN the two Iraqi bases where American service list of problems, including ac- Stars and Stripes ‘ I heard they had members are deployed. The CENTCOM an- counting adjustments. nouncement was more than a week after the Although it gets scant public at- WASHINGTON — President Donald headaches and a couple of attack on Jan 8. On Tuesday, CENTCOM of- tention compared with airstrikes, Trump on Wednesday downplayed the in- other things. I can report ficials acknowledged an additional number troop deployments, sexual assault juries sustained by U.S. troops during the of troops had been transported from Iraq statistics or major weapons pro- Iranian missile strikes on two military bases it is not very serious. ’ to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in grams, the reliability of the Pen- in Iraq as he was pressed by reporters about President Donald Trump Germany for further medical treatment and earlier claims no service members were hurt tagon’s financial statement is an evaluations related to the missile strikes. It in the attacks. indication of how effectively the was unclear Wednesday how many more ser- “I heard they had headaches and a couple military manages its resources vice members were injured, and CENTCOM of other things. I can report it is not very se- amputations. considering that it receives over officials declined to answer questions about rious,” Trump said at a news conference in On Friday, U.S. Central Command offi- half of discretionary domestic Davos, Switzerland, arguing that potential cials said 11 U.S. troops were suffering with their conditions. spending. traumatic brain injuries are less severe than head injuries from Iran’s missile barrage on SEE INJURIES ON PAGE 7 SEE ACCOUNTING ON PAGE 7 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Thursday, January 23, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Delta workers to get bonus worth 2 months’ pay Military rates Switzerland (Franc)........................... 0.9699 Euro costs (Jan. 23) ..........................$1.1378 Thailand (Baht) .................................... 30.39 Dollar buys (Jan. 23) .........................€0.8789 Turkey (New Lira) .............................. 5.9257 British pound (Jan. 23) ........................ $1.35 (Military exchange rates are those BY JENA MCGREGOR ing pool on record and one that performance and payable to all Japanese yen (Jan. 23) ...................... 107.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Jan. 23) ..........1,136.00 facilities in the country of issuance The Washington Post handily tops what many other employees in major work groups. Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the companies offer their employees. Last year, United Airlines paid Bahrain (Dinar) ................................... 0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Delta Air Lines’ banner year This year’s pool translates out $334 million in profit-sharing, British pound .................................... $1.3127 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) .................................. 1.3057 purchasing British pounds in Germany), — propelled by lower fuel prices, into a 16.6% cash payout for eli- Southwest Airlines paid out $544 China (Yuan) ....................................... 6.9058 check with your local military banking higher travel demand and no side- gible employees — or about two million and American Airlines Denmark (Krone) ............................... 6.7488 facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ................................... 15.7679 rates provided for reference when buying lined Boeing 737 Max planes in currency. All figures are foreign currencies months’ pay — which will be paid paid out $175 million Euro .......................................... $1.1073/.9031 its fleet — led the carrier to beat to one dollar, except for the British pound, out on Valentine’s Day. The pay- Delta spokeswoman Savannah Hong Kong (Dollar) ............................ 7.7725 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, earnings estimates and notch its out represents the sixth year in a Huddleston said the carrier’s Hungary (Forint) ................................ 303.54 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Israel (Shekel) .................................... 3.4614 10th consecutive profitable year. row that the airline has paid more profit-sharing payout is avail- Japan (Yen) .......................................... 109.89 But those results won’t just pay than $1 billion in profit-sharing. able to all full-time, part-time or Kuwait (Dinar) .................................... 0.3037 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................. 8.9975 off for shareholders: The carrier Unlike individual incentive “ready reserve” employees other Philippines (Peso)................................ 51.00 Prime rate ................................................4.75 said that employees are set to re- plans, profit-sharing plans are than officers and directors, who Poland (Zloty) ......................................... 3.82 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) .......................... 3.7512 Federal funds market rate ...................1.54 ceive $1.6 billion in cash payouts, typically based on corporate have a different compensation Singapore (Dollar) ............................. 1.3490 3-month bill .............................................1.53 its largest employee profit-shar- profits rather than individual plan. South Korea (Won) ......................... 1,164.73 30-year bond ...........................................2.23 WEATHER OUTLOOK THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY IN EUROPE FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 39/33 Kabul 39/10 Seoul 40/31 Baghdad 55/47 Kandahar 57/37 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 41/31 52/45 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 46/40 37/34 51/38 Iwakuni 55/52 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 63/60 Brussels 37/34 Guam 60/47 38/35 Ramstein 56/53 80/77 Lajes, 36/32 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 60/47 71/59 57/54 34/26 37/30 Aviano/ Vicenza 43/30 Naples 55/42 Okinawa Morón 71/68 54/49 Sigonella Rota 59/42 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 81/70 56/46 58/51 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 15 Crossword ................. 15 Faces ........................ 14 Opinion ..................... 16 Sports ...................17-24 Thursday, January 23, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Large exercise in Europe kicks off at US motor pools Soldiers begin loading tanks, military gear for transport to Continent for Defender-Europe BY JOHN VANDIVER troops from 17 allied nations, the Stars and Stripes Army said. Once in Europe, personnel will STUTTGART, Germany — The take part in drills focused on de- largest exercise in Europe for fending NATO territory, such KELVIN RINGOLD/U.S. Army U.S. forces in 25 years will kick as the so-called Suwalki Gap, a off Thursday at motor pools in the 40-mile stretch of borderland be- Sgt. Maj. Erick M. Detrich, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, hands in his duffle bag inventory U.S., where soldiers will begin tween Lithuania and Poland. sheet as he loads his bag into a connex at Fort Hood, Texas, on Jan. 13. The loading of tanks and other loading tanks and other gear for The Suwalki Gap abuts the Rus- gear for transport to Europe marks the beginning of Defender-Europe