Predictions, the prospects of a ‘Parasite’ win and the case for each best picture nominee Pages 21-27 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 210 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020 $1.00 President Donald Trump holds up a newspaper reporting the outcome of his impeachment trial at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday at the Washington Hilton. EVAN VUCCI/AP Trump takes victory lap After acquittal, president unleashes fury at impeachment Page 10 US-Iraqi military alliance not broken, but showing strain BY SAMYA KULLAB there said, came not from the constellation and intensified demands that American sociated Press — a sign that authorities AND QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA of militant sleeper cells embedded in the troops leave the country. are serious about rethinking the strategic Associated Press landscape but further afield in Iran. Since then, Iraqi leaders have scaled relationship. U.S. forces in Iraq have been on guard back the saber-rattling rhetoric. But be- At stake are vital U.S.-provided weap- BAGHDAD — A new watchtower rose for retaliation by Iran or its Shiite militia hind closed doors, the bitterness has poi- ons, military technologies and aircraft over an American military base in north- allies since the U.S. killed Iran’s top gener- soned the partnership. The government that have been key in countering the ern Iraq, and cranes lifted hefty slabs of al in Iraq with an airstrike in Baghdad last told the Iraqi military not to seek U.S. help threat of ISIS militants trying to make concrete to reinforce the barricades in month. The Jan. 3 strike also fueled a wave in operations fighting Islamic State, two a comeback in northern and western beefed-up protections. The danger, soldiers of outrage among Iraq’s Shiite leadership senior Iraqi military officials told The As- SEE ALLIANCE ON PAGE 7 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, February 7, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................ 0.9751 Germany $2.718 $3.135 $3.388 $3.219 Azores -- -- $3.379 -- Euro costs (Feb. 7) ............................$1.1279 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.13 Change in price -5.1 cents -3.9 cents -3.8 cents -5.4 cents Change in price -- -- -3.8 cents -- Dollar buys (Feb. 7) ......................... €0.8866 Turkey (Lira) .........................................5.9882 British pound (Feb. 7) ..........................$1.33 Netherlands -- $3.816 $4.026 $3.984 Belgium -- $2.878 $3.196 $3.217 (Military exchange rates are those Japanese yen (Feb. 7) ........................107.00 Change in price -- -2.5 cents -2.0 cents -5.7 cents Change in price -- No change No change No change available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Feb. 7) ............1,153.00 facilities in the country of issuance U.K. -- $3.045 $3.298 $3.129 Turkey -- -- $3.189 $3.020* Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Change in price -- -3.9 cents -3.8 cents -5.4 cents Change in price -- -- -3.8 cents -5.4 cents Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2954 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3293 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ........................................6.9686 check with your local military banking Denmark (Krone) .................................68008 facility. Commercial rates are interbank PACIFIC GAS PRICES Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7698 rates provided for reference when buying Euro .........................................$1.0987/0.9101 Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7630 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Japan -- $3.179 -- $3.009 South Korea $2.539 -- $3.209 $3.039 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Change in price -- -4.0 cents -- -5.0 cents Change in price -5.0 cents -- -4.0 cents -5.0 cents Hungary (Forint) .................................306.94 Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4303 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Okinawa $3.519 -- -- $3.009 Guam $2.519** $2.939 $3.189 -- Japan (Yen) ...........................................109.93 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Change in price -4.0 cents -- -- -5.0 cents Change in price -5.0 cents -4.0 cents -4.0 cents -- Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3042 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.2410 Philippines (Peso)................................. 50.75 Prime rate ................................................4.75 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.87 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7515 Federal funds market rate ...................1.50 For the week of Feb. 7 - 13 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3856 3-month bill .............................................1.53 South Korea (Won) ..........................1,184.18 30-year bond ...........................................2.13 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 29/20 Kabul 41/24 Seoul 36/28 Baghdad 69/52 Kandahar 53/30 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 36/30 44/30 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 46/38 39/35 42/32 Iwakuni 46/42 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 67/62 Brussels 42/38 Guam 73/59 46/32 Ramstein 47/43 82/78 Lajes, 40/30 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 82/63 75/57 61/57 40/27 42/34 Aviano/ Vicenza 45/29 Naples 52/37 Okinawa Morón 66/62 62/47 Sigonella Rota 52/33 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 82/70 61/54 50/46 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............18 Classified .........................48 Comics ..................42, 46-47 Crossword .............42, 46-47 Faces ...............................43 Opinion .......................44-45 Sports .........................54-64 Weekend ..................... 21-42 Friday, February 7, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY DOD mulls name for Space Force members BY COREY DICKSTEIN from the language department space operations to officially ning transfer processes.” Stars And Stripes at the Air Force Academy, from transfer into the new service by Thompson also said planners the Defense Language Institute the end of 2020, according to the are deciding on criteria for how WASHINGTON — The newly and they have conducted crowd- report provided to Congress on Space Force members will be established Space Force will sourcing with troops expected to Monday and obtained by Stars judged for promotion, as airmen grow from one member to an es- transfer into the Space Force to and Stripes. The officials expect will compete with longtime mem- timated 15,000 to 16,000 troops in determine what their service’s space operators now serving in bers of the Army and the Navy, the coming years, but it remains equivalent will be to soldiers, sail- the Army and Navy will begin which use different criteria for SETH ROBSON/Stars and Stripes unclear what Space Force mem- ors, airmen, Marines and Coast transferring into the Space Force advancing their troops. bers will be called. Guardsmen. A space operations occupational in fiscal year 2022. While troops working in space Space Force planners are tak- They have made a few deter- badge . The transfer process is some- operations, which includes space ing the naming of their troops minations on what Space Force what complicated, and Thompson intelligence, space engineering, very seriously, said Air Force Lt. members will not be called. medical, logistics and security said it will take some time to sort space communications, and space Gen. David Thompson, who is as- Thompson ruled out naming them troops, Thompson said. it out to ensure it is done smoothly acquisition, among other jobs, signed as the vice commander of “spacemen” or “space cadets.” But it will still be months be- and “everyone gets paid,” once it will be expected to transfer into the Space Force. He declined to identify names fore the Space Force has actual is completed. the Space Force, they will not be “It’s something we’ve spent that officials are considering. troops. Now, about 16,000 per- The report lays out the trans- forced to do so, Thompson said. some serious time and energy on,” It is just one aspect of many sonnel — about 3,400 Air Force fer process for troops who will “As a general principle, if you Thompson told reporters Wednes- unknowns that remain in the de- officers, 6,200 enlisted airmen join the Space Force: “To do so, are in space operations — offi- day at the Pentagon. “There are a velopment of the first new mili- and some 8,000 civilians — are those members will formally cers or enlisted members — the couple of really strong options on tary service established since the assigned to the Space Force but resign their commission or ter- assumption and the expectation what we might be called and some Air Force’s creation in 1948. The remain a part of the Air Force. minate their enlistment with the is that you will transfer into the pretty strong opinions. What we’d service aims to be much smaller To date, only one person has Air Force, Army, or Navy, and re- Space Force,” he said. “For those like to do is ensure we’ve thought than the others,