Volume 79, No. 85B ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas Navy will lead UFO task force Stars and Stripes The Navy will lead a new task force charged with detecting, analyzing and cataloging encoun- ters with what used to be called UFOs that could threaten the United States, the Pentagon an- nounced in a statement Friday. The Unidentified Aerial Phe- nomena Task Force, approved Aug. 4 by Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist, was es- tablished so the Department of Defense can improve its “under- standing of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins” of mys- terious flying objects, the state- ment said. The Department of the Navy will head up the task force and report to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelli- gence and Security. The announcement comes about two months after the Sen- ate Intelligence Committee voted to require the Defense Depart- ment and intelligence agencies to compile an unclassified analysis of data on “unidentified aerial phenomena” that includes several unexplained encounters recorded by Navy pilots over the years. In April, the Pentagon declas- sified and released three video clips that had been unofficially Pompeo sets path to Poland SEE UFO ON PAGE 4 US troops to be redeployed under defense cooperation deal BY MATTHEW LEE In Warsaw at the end of a four-nation tour Associated Press of central and eastern Europe, Pompeo and REALLOCATION OF RESOURCES Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak WARSAW — U.S. Secretary of State Mike signed an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Around 4,500 U.S. troops are currently based Pompeo on Saturday sealed a defense coop- Agreement that sets out the legal frame- in Poland, with about 1,000 more being added eration deal with Polish officials that will work for the additional troop presence. under a bilateral decision announced last year. pave the way for the redeployment of Amer- Last month, in line with President Trump’s ican troops from Germany to Poland. SEE PATH ON PAGE 4 demand to reduce troop levels in Germany, the DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE/TNS Above: U.S. and allied soldiers from NATO Battle Group Poland take part in a course in Pentagon announced the withdrawl of some The Pentagon released three Gizycko, Poland, in February. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday signed an 12,000 troops from Germany with about videos on April 27 which depict agreement that lays the groundwork for moving more U.S. troops to Poland. 5,600 moving to other European countries. unexplained “unidentified aerial TIMOTHY HAMLIN/U.S. Army SOURCE: Associated Press phenomena” recorded by pilots between 2004 and 2015. MILITARY MILITARY MUSIC Attempt made on life Houston high school Country star Bryan says of female member of memorializes slain he’s not done pushing Afghan peace team service member genre’s boundaries Page 3 Page 3 Page 12 Pricey NFL vets looking to prove they’re worthy investments » Back page PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Sunday, August 16, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9090 Apple, Google drop Fortnite from app stores Euro costs (August 17) ........................$1.15 Thailand (Baht) .................................... 31.11 Dollar buys (August 17) ................... €0.8239 Turkey (Lira) .........................................7.3733 British pound (August 17) .................. $1.28 (Military exchange rates are those Associated Press oper, Epic Games, said in a blog lating the App Store guidelines Japanese yen (August 17) ................104.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (August 17) ....1,156.00 facilities in the country of issuance post Thursday that it was intro- regarding in-app payments that Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the NEW YORK — Apple and ducing Epic Direct payments, a apply to every developer who Bahrain (Dinar) ...................................0 .3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Google dropped the popular British pound .....................................$1.3124 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., direct payment plan for Apple’s sells digital goods or services,“ Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3243 purchasing British pounds in Germany), game Fortnite from their app iOS and Google Play. Epic said China (Yuan) ........................................6.9488 check with your local military banking stores after the game’s developer Apple said in statement. Denmark (Krone) ................................6.2924 facility. Commercial rates are interbank the system is the same payment Google said Fortnite will re- Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.9305 rates provided for reference when buying introduced a direct payment plan system it already uses to process Euro ........................................$1.1836/0.8449 currency. All figures are foreign currencies main available on Android, just Hong Kong (Dollar) ............................ 7.7504 to one dollar, except for the British pound, that bypasses their platforms. payments on PC and Mac com- which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Hungary (Forint) .................................292.44 not through its app store. Android and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Apple and Google both take a puters and Android phones. Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4053 30% cut from in-app revenue pur- Apple and Google said the ser- users can download the app from Japan (Yen) ...........................................106.50 chases in games, which has long other app stores, although that’s Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3057 vice violates their guidelines. Norway (Krone) .................................. 8.8915 INTEREST RATES been a sore spot with developers. “Epic enabled a feature in its generally not an option for iPhone Philippines (Peso).................................48.70 Prime rate ................................................3.25 Fortnite is free, but users can app which was not reviewed or users. Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.72 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) .......................... 3.7501 Federal funds market rate ...................0.09 pay for in game accoutrements approved by Apple, and they did Epic Games did not immediate- Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3710 3-month bill .............................................0.09 like weapons and skins. Its devel- so with the express intent of vio- ly return a request for comment. South Korea (Won) ...........................1186.57 30-year bond ...........................................1.43 WEATHER OUTLOOK SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUNDAY IN EUROPE MONDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 77/72 Kabul 100/64 Seoul 84/75 Baghdad 107/80 Kandahar 107/75 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 85/74 88/76 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 74/64 78/59 86/74 Iwakuni 84/78 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 95/90 Brussels 75/59 Guam 107/84 79/65 Ramstein 87/79 84/81 Lajes, 81/63 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 108/80 108/84 74/71 80/62 75/66 Aviano/ Vicenza 82/65 Naples 88/74 Okinawa Morón 84/81 89/55 Sigonella Rota 96/73 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 102/87 77/64 82/75 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Comics/Crossword ...... 15 Movies ...................... 14 Music ....................12-13 Opinion ..................... 17 Sports .................. 18-24 Technology & Gadgets ..16 Sunday, August 16, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Woman on Afghan peace team survives attack BY RAHIM FAIEZ team charged with representing Both Taliban and an Islamic cruit the Taliban to fight Islamic Prisoner releases on both sides Associated Press the Afghan government in up- State group affiliate continue State militants in Afghanistan, a are part of the agreement signed coming peace talks with the Tal- to carry out attacks against Af- mutual enemy. The Taliban and in February between the U.S. KABUL, Afghanistan — A fe- iban, following a U.S. deal with ghan government figures, but IS are staunch rivals. and the Taliban. It calls for the male member of Afghanistan’s the militants that was struck in Zabihullah Maujhid, a Taliban The peace deal also paved the release of 5,000 Taliban held by peace negotiating team was light- February. spokesman, denied the group was way for U.S. and NATO forces to the government and 1,000 gov- ly wounded in an assassination attempt, officials said Saturday. The head of the Afghan peace involved. begin withdrawing from Afghan- ernment and military personnel Tariq Arian, a spokesman for delegation, Mohammad Masoom Koofi is also a women’s rights istan and for the Taliban and Af- held by the insurgent group as a the Interior Ministry, said Fawzia Stanekzai, tweeted that Koofi had activist who has been a vocal ghan government to begin direct good will gesture ahead of intra- Koofi, who is also a former parlia- survived the attack and was “in Taliban critic. A message on talks. Afghan negotiations. mentarian, was attacked Friday good health.” her Facebook page said she suf- The Afghan government said Talks are expected to be held in afternoon near the capital Kabul Fawzia Koofi and her sister fered a wound to her right arm. on Friday that it had released Qatar where the Taliban maintain while returning from a visit to the Maryam Koofi stopped at a mar- “Thankfully