NATION NFL TELEVISION Vaping illnesses Backup quarterback Burns’ ‘Country Music’ top 500 in US; Minshew, defense share series includes stories 8th death reported spotlight in Jags victory of Americans at war Page 8 Back page Pages 15-18 Imelda leaves 2 dead in Texas, others stranded and trapped » Page 9 Volume 78, No. 112A ©SS 2019 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas Trump signals restraint on possible Iran strike BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Speaking in the Oval Office ahead of an Morrison. “Much easier to do it the other The U.S. response could Associated Press early afternoon meeting with his national way, and Iran knows that if they misbehave security team, Trump laid out new sanc- they are on borrowed time.” involve military, political WASHINGTON — President Donald tions on the Iranian central bank and said Trump spoke just before he gathered his and economic actions, and Trump signaled Friday that he’s not in- the easiest thing to do would be to launch national security team at the White House clined to authorize an immediate mili- military strikes. to discuss how to respond to the weekend the military options could tary strike on Iran in response to the “I think the strong person’s approach drone and missile attack on oil facilities in range from no action at all attacks on the Saudi oil industry, saying and the thing that does show strength Saudi Araba that the administration has he believes showing restraint “shows far would be showing a little bit of restraint,” to airstrikes or less visible blamed on Iran. more strength” and he wants to avoid an Trump told reporters during a meeting moves such as cyberattacks. all-out war. with Australian Prime Minister Scott SEE IRAN ON PAGE 5 Trump officials consider plan to divert billions in military funds to border wall Page 5 President Donald Trump and Douglas Harrison, acting San Diego Sector Chief Patrol agent for Customs and Border Patrol, walk between the primary and secondary border fence east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego on Wednesday. JOHN GIBBINS, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Saturday, September 21, 2019 MILITARY Civilian who Colt ends died in Qatar civilian is identified BY CHAD GARLAND Stars and Stripes sales A U.S. Air Force civilian who died this week in a noncombat incident at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was identified Friday as 32-year-old intelligence analyst of AR-15 Jason P. Zaki. Zaki died Wednesday while deployed to the base’s 609th Air BY WYATT OLSON Operations Center from the Pen- Stars and Stripes tagon to support operations in Gunmaker Colt announced the Middle East, U.S. Air Forc- Thursday that it was discontinu- es Central Command said in a ing retail sales of its AR-15 line of statement. semi-automatic rifles. “I would like to express our The company will continue heartfelt sympathies to the fam- to manufacture them for the ily and friends of our fallen team- military and law enforcement mate,” said Lt. Gen. Joseph T. agencies, Dennis Veilleux, Colt’s Guastella, AFCENT and Com- president and CEO, said in a bined Forces Air Component statement. commander. The high-velocity AR-15 has Zaki’s hometown was Atkinson, gained notoriety as the weapon N.H., said Capt. Samantha Morri- carried by gunmen in certain son, an AFCENT spokeswoman. mass shootings in recent years. His family had not yet cleared It was used in the Parkland, Fla., DEANDRE PIERCE/U.S. Army Reserve further information for release. His is the second Air Force high school shooting last year that A soldier fires an M4 carbine, the military’s version of Colt’s AR-15, at range on Qayyarah West Airfield, death at the Qatar air base this left 17 dead. Iraq, on June 4 . Mass shooters possessed AR- year. Air Force Staff Sgt. Albert 15-style rifles in attacks in Las J. Miller, 24, a C-17 Globemaster law-enforcement sales. for modern sporting rifles for the nel is high, “and we are fortunate Vegas, Orlando, Fla., and New- III crew chief from Richmond, Colt’s announcement on Thurs- foreseeable future.” town, Conn. enough to have been awarded sig- N.H., died at the base in April . day was a pushback on criticism The company sought to reas- The weapon made headlines nificant military and law enforce- It’s also the second Defense De- again last week during the Dem- that the company was misman- sure customers that its commit- ment contracts,” the statement partment civilian death reported ocratic presidential primary aged and that it was not suffi- ment to the consumer market said. “Currently, these high-vol- in U.S. Central Command’s area debates when candidate Beto ciently committed to private gun remains “unwavering.” ume contracts are absorbing all of operations this year. A January O’Rourke said, “We’re going to ownership. “We want to assure you that of Colt’s manufacturing capacity bombing in the northern Syrian “The fact of the matter is that Colt is committed to the Second take your AR-15, your AK-47. for rifles.” town of Manbij killed Defense over the last few years, the mar- Amendment, highly values its We’re not going to allow it to be Colt continues to expand both Intelligence Agency civilian used against our fellow Ameri- ket for modern sporting rifles has customers and continues to man- and former Navy SEAL Scott A. its network of dealers in the Unit- cans anymore.” experienced significant excess ufacture the world’s finest quality Wirtz. Shooting Illustrated reported manufacturing capacity,” the firearms for the consumer mar- ed States and its line of handguns, Further details about Zaki’s last week that firearms distribu- statement said. “Given this level ket,” the statement said. the statement said. death were not available as the tor RSR Group said Colt was of manufacturing capacity, we But demand by “our warfight- [email protected] incident was under investigation, going to focus on military and believe there is adequate supply ers” and law enforcement person- Twitter: @WyattWOlson AFCENT said. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 14 Business .......................... 13 Comics ............................. 22 Crossword ........................ 22 Music ............................... 19 Opinion ............................ 20 Sports .........................24-32 Television .................... 15-18 Weather ........................... 13 Saturday, September 21, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Navy asks Congress for 3 new destroyers BY CHRISTIAN LOPEZ will come equipped with the next Stars and Stripes generation air and missile de- fense radar, the SPY-6. The Navy is asking Congress The SPY-6, produced by Ray- for more than $5 billion next theon, requires “considerable fiscal year to build three more changes to the ship’s hull, me- Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, chanical, and electrical systems,” according to a Congressional Re- according to a May report from search Service report published the Government Accounting Of- Tuesday. fice. The research service cited Building the warships would the GAO study in its report to bring the number of guided- Congress. missile destroyers the Navy has The SPY-6 must also work procured to 85, according to the alongside Aegis, but a software report. The latest version, or glitch the Navy identified in 2018 Flight III, incorporates a new air delayed Navy tests of that ability and missile defense radar system by a year. Nonetheless, the GAO that requires further changes to reported, the Navy plans to in- the destroyer design. stall the reworked SPY-6 system Two shipbuilders — General on new destroyers first and test Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in its integration with Aegis at sea Maine and Huntington Ingalls rather than on land. Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi — are capable of The GAO report found that plan the job if Congress approves the entails a risk of having to make costly retrofits if problems arise. estimated $1.8 billion for each OLYMPIA MCCOY/U.S. Navy vessel. The Navy wants the destroyers Construction of Arleigh Burke- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Kidd, foreground, and USS Pinckney sail ahead funded under a multiyear pro- class destroyers started in of the littoral combat ship USS Omaha in the eastern Pacific Ocean on July 25. curement contract, which must 1985 and their design has been also be approved by Congress. A modified over time. The Navy Destroyers and cruisers are 66 destroyers, according to the on a new class of large warship, multiyear contract has the poten- stopped building Arleigh Burkes considered “large surface com- updated report, “Navy DDG-51 according to the report. tial to show savings of 5-15% over from 2007-09 while it procured batants,” as opposed to “small and DDG-1000 Destroyer Pro- The guided-missile destroy- a single-year contract, according three Zumwalt-class destroyers surface combatants,” which in- grams: Background and Issues ers specialize in air defense and to the Congressional Research instead. clude frigates, littoral combat for Congress.” If it sticks to its come equipped with the Aegis Service, “Multiyear Procure- Originally planning to put 32 ships and other vessels. The Navy 30-year plan, the Navy will have combat system, which uses com- ment and Block Buy Contracting Zumwalts to sea, the Navy cur- in 2016 set a goal of 355 ships, of 104 large warships by fiscal year puters and radar to track and de- in Defense Acquisition: Back- tailed their production when the which 104 would be large ships. 2029. stroy targets. ground and Issues for Congress,” price per ship continued to rise, At the end of the 2018 fiscal However, the Navy expects to For defense against enemy air updated Monday.