GAMES: Ratchet and Clank is a pure PS5 spectacle Page 19 MUSIC: Danny Elfman spews ‘venom’ Page 28 NBA PLAYOFFS FOOD: Domino’s Japan has Injuries, COVID taking toll on stars a tasty twist on pizza Page 24 Page 48 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 45 ©SS 2021 FRIDAY,JUNE 18, 2021 $1.00 PACIFIC AFGHANISTAN Al-Qaida could regroup in 2 years, Austin says BY ROBERT BURNS AND LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON — An extre- mist group like al-Qaida may be able to regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the U.S. homeland within two years of the American military’s withdrawal from the country, the Pentagon’s top leaders said Thursday. It was the most specific public forecast of the prospects for a re- newed international terrorist threat from Afghanistan since President Joe Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops would withdraw by Sept. 11. At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley whether they rated Borrowing from the likelihood of a regeneration of al-Qaida or Islamic State in Af- ghanistan as small, medium or large. “I would assess it as medium,” Austin replied. “I would also say, the Green Berets senator, that it would take possi- bly two years for them to develop JOSEPH TOLLIVER /U.S. Army that capability.” Milley, the chairman of the Staff Sgt. Brandon Williams of the 1st Battalion, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade leads a team training in small-unit tactics at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, India, on Feb. 9. The brigade aims to strengthen alliances with foreign militaries to counter China and Russia. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said he agreed. Rank-and-file soldiers begin Special Forces-style security missions across Indo-Pacific “I think that if certain other things happen — if there was a BY SETH ROBSON 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade out of build ties to militaries around the world. If a SEE AL-QAIDA ON PAGE 4 Stars and Stripes Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. conflict arises, it will be vital for American Small teams of soldiers have been deploy- Activated in May 2020, the unit was estab- troops to know how to work with their foreign ■ Biden must ing across the Indo-Pacific this year on mis- lished as part of a defense strategy that calls counterparts. sions akin to those performed by the Green for a shift away from counterinsurgency mis- The brigade’s mission, which involves order evacuation Berets. sions taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan, strengthening alliances and finding new mil- The troops, who have already been sent to said brigade spokesman Maj. Willian Leasure. itary partners, is seen as crucial to that strate- of Afghan allies, places like India, Thailand, the Maldives, In- China and Russia have ramped up strategic gic competition, Leasure said in a telephone donesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philip- competition with the United States and its al- lawmakers say pines, are assigned to the 820-soldier strong lies, making it important for U.S. forces to SEE BORROWING ON PAGE 5 Page 4 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, June 18, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates South Korea (Won) 1133.14 Germany $3.344 $3.763 $4.019 $3.561 Azores .. .. $3.919 .. Switzerland (Franc) .9157 Euro costs (June 18) $1.16 Change in price +3.4 cents +2.5 cents +3.2 cents +1.2 cents Change in price .. .. +3.2 cents .. Thailand (Baht) 31.41 Dollar buys (June 18) 0.8167 Turkey (NewLira) 8.6930 Netherlands .. $4.236 $4.538 $4.203 Belgium .. $3.157 $3.387 $3.249 British pound (June 18) $1.36 Japanese yen (June 18) 107.00 Change in price .. +6.3 cents +6.1 cents +9.9 cents Change in price .. No change No change No change (Military exchange rates are those available South Korean won (June 18) 1099.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the U.K. .. $3.662 $3.918 $3.460 Turkey .. .. $3.804 $4.102* Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ Change in price .. +2.5 cents +3.2 cents +1.2 cents Change in price .. .. +3.2 cents No change many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ Britain (Pound) 1.3942 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2329 your local military banking facility. Commercial China(Yuan) 6.4421 rates are interbank rates provided for reference PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) 6.2327 Egypt (Pound) 15.6491 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro .8281 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Japan .. $3.809 .. $3.349 South Korea $3.149 .. $3.819 $3.369 Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7638 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Change in price .. +3.0 cents .. +1.0 cents Change in price +4.0 cents .. +3.0 cents +2.0 cents Hungary (Forint) 298.15 Israel (Shekel) 3.2671 Okinawa $3.139 .. .. $3.3.49 Guam $3.149 $3.559 $3.819 .. Japan (Yen) 110.44 INTEREST RATES Kuwait(Dinar) .3012 Change in price +4.0 cents .. .. +1.0 cents Change in price +4.0 cents +2.0 cents +3.0 cents .. Norway (Krone) 8.5138 Prime rate 3.25 Philippines (Peso) 48.41 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.25 *DieselEFD **Midgrade Poland (Zloty) 381 Federal funds market rate 0.09 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7503 3­month bill 0.04 For the week of June 18­24 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3404 30­year bond 1.57 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 61/56 Kabul Seoul 82/69 76/59 Baghdad 100/74 Osan Tokyo Drawsko Kandahar Mildenhall/ 77/58 70/66 96/61 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 82/64 74/67 58/53 Iwakuni Kuwait City 73/69 Bahrain Zagan Sasebo Guam 102/83 88/85 Brussels Ramstein 84/62 74/70 83/68 85/64 84/81 Riyadh Lajes, 101/77 Doha Azores Stuttgart 99/86 68/65 87/64 Pápa Aviano/ 85/65 Vicenza 77/66 Naples 80/66 Okinawa Morón 81/78 79/64 Sigonella Rota 87/57 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 70/64 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 101/83 73/65 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES Classified .................... 12 Comics ................... 38-39 Crossword ............. 38-39 Faces .......................... 35 Opinion ....................... 40 Sports .................... 41-48 Friday, June 18, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Top US admiral bristles at GOP criticism BY PAULINA VILLEGAS tive lawmakers. The Washington Post “Holy crap,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R- Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of Texas, said in a tweet. “Perhaps a Naval Operations, rebuffed point- woke, emasculated military is not ed interrogations by GOP lawmak- the best idea. ...” ers who grilled him over his deci- Cruz was referring to a TikTok sion to recommend sailors read a video that compared the U.S. Ar- book deemed by some conserva- my ad with a Russia campaign that tives as anti-American. showed buff soldiers doing push- The U.S. Navy’s top admiral also ups and leaping out of airplanes, defended moves to address and adding that the contrast made the root out racism and extremism in American soldiers “into pansies.” the forces as well as its efforts to The confrontation Tuesday is al- bolster inclusion and diversity, so the latest in reproaches by which have prompted criticism Banks, who is a Naval Reserve offi- from some conservatives and Re- cer, and other GOP members over publican lawmakers. Gilday’s recommendation to in- “Do you personally consider ad- clude Kendi’s book in the Chief of vocating for the destruction of Naval Operations Professional American capitalism to be extre- Reading Program. mist?” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., In February, Banks sent a letter asked Gilday during a House to Gilday arguing that the views Armed Services Committee hear- promoted in the book are “explicit- ing Tuesday, referring to a passage ly anti-American” and demanded from Ibram X. Kendi’s book “How Gilday explain the Navy’s decision to Be an Antiracist,” which argues MARVIN LYNCHARD/Department of Defense to include it on the reading list or capitalism and racism are interlin- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, shown at the Pentagon last year, faced questions from remove it. ked. lawmakers Tuesday about moves to address racism and extremism. Gilday responded to Banks in a Banks continued to interrogate letter obtained by Fox News saying the admiral over specific quotes specific quotes from the book and ideology, as the military takes across the Defense Department that the book was included on the from Kendi’s book, which was a asked him how those ideas laid out steps to address issues of racial in- pausing regular activities to ad- list because “it evokes the author’s No. 1 New York Times best seller in by Kendi would further advance or clusion, extremism, racism and dress extremism and white nation- own personal journey in under- 2020, and statements he had made improve the Navy’s power. white supremacy. alism in the ranks — an issue Aus- standing barriers to true inclusion, elsewhere in the past. Gilday responded by arguing And only last week, Sen.