Volume 9, No. 38 ©SS 2017
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
THE AFTERMATH OF HARVEY
‘A LONG-TERM EFFORT’ Military response to Harvey could grow as large as Katrina deployment A Coast Guard rescue team evacuates people from a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Monday in Houston. C HARLIE RIEDEL /AP
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COVER STORY
Military out in full force for Harvey BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Several thousand troops will soon join about 3,500 servicemembers responding to Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts in southeastern Texas in an operation that could equal the size of the military’s response to Hurricane Katrina, a National Guard general said Tuesday. Air Force Gen. James Witham, domestic operations director for the National Guard Bureau, said military efforts could last several weeks and grow as large as the Pentagon’s involvement in 2005 to Katrina, when 50,000 guardsmen and 20,000 activeduty servicemembers participated in the response to the devastating storm in Louisiana. “This will be a long-term effort,” Witham told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon. “Usually when the Guard responds to hurricane-type events we normally talk about that first 72 to 96 hours for life-saving and sustainment then we’re into a recovery effort. Due to the nature of this storm as it spins across southeast Texas for days and dumps record or historical levels of rainfall … our response to this hurricane has been very different than ever before.” As of Tuesday, about 3,000 Texas National Guard troops and about 500 active-duty soldiers and airmen were participating in rescue operations, primarily by boat but also by helicopter, Witham said. The bureau Tuesday was in the process of alerting 20,000 to 30,000 additional National Guard troops, primarily from states around Texas, to prepare to deploy should Texas Gov. Greg Abbott request them. Witham said Abbott is likely to request the aid of those servicemembers in the coming days, alongside about 12,000 Texas guardsmen who will be phased into the operations as needed. As of Tuesday, the National Guard had helped rescue about 3,500 people stranded by massive flooding through-
C HARLIE RIEDEL /AP
A member of the Texas Army National Guard carries Daniel Lopez to dry ground as people evacuate a neighborhood that was inundated on Tuesday after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir when it reached capacity due to Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston. out the region, the general said. Among those, about 300 were rescued by National Guard helicopter hoist operations. The response efforts have been especially difficult because the storm has remained in the area and contin-
‘ This will be a long-term effort. ... Due to the
nature of this storm as it spins across southeast Texas for days and dumps record or historical levels of rainfall … our response to this hurricane has been very different than ever before.
’
Air Force Gen. James Witham domestic operations director for the National Guard Bureau
ues to dump rain along the Texas coast and into southwest Louisiana, Witham said. The National Weather Service reported Tuesday that Harvey has already dropped more than 25 inches of rain along the coast and some areas could receive as much as 50 inches by Friday. The National Guard will soon double the number of high-profile trucks to 400. The trucks can drive through 2 to 3 feet of standing water and are being used to evacuate stranded residents. It is also using about 30 National Guard helicopters and 21 Coast Guard helicopters. Witham said he expected more than 100 helicopters will be supporting rescue and medical evacuation operations this week.
National Guard troops from Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon and Utah have joined or will join rescue operations by Wednesday, according to the Guard Bureau. Meanwhile, Louisiana had activated about 400 National Guard troops by Tuesday and was staging vehicles and supplies to respond to flooding in its southwestern region anticipated by state officials in coming days. Witham said the Pentagon is prepared to assist Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards with anything he needs, just as it has pledged to Abbott in Texas. dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC
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MILITARY
Navy warship successfully tests ship-killing missile BY T YLER HLAVAC Stars and Stripes
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The USS Coronado put its lethality on display Aug. 22, successfully launching a ship-killing missile off the coast of Guam. The USS Coronado tested a Harpoon block 1C missile, striking a target beyond the littoral combat ship’s visual range, Navy officials announced. “The missile test was significant because it was the first time a U.S. Navy surface command deployed the combination of both unmanned and manned helicopters together to locate and pass targeting and conduct analysis of an over-the-horizon long-range anti-surface missile shot,” Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, the Task Force 73 commander, told Stars and Stripes on Aug. 25. The Navy describes the harpoon missile as an “all-weather, over-the-horizon weapon designed to execute anti-ship missions against a range of surface targets.” It is used by a large number of cruisers and destroyers and a few littoral combat ships. The Aug. 22 test was round two for the Coronado, which conducted a similar test during Rim of the Pacific drills in July 2016 in which it launched a harpoon missile that did not hit its over-the-horizon target. This time, the ship struck its target, an important development for the LCS. An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial system and an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter helped the Coronado strike its target, the Navy statement said. The LCS is a relatively new ship for the Navy. The first LCS, the USS Freedom, was commissioned in 2010, according to the Navy’s LCS website. The service has four “Freedom variant” and five “Independence variant” LCSs in the fleet, although more than a dozen ships are being developed. The Coronado, which is stationed in Singapore, is the only forward-deployed LCS. The LCS trades in some armor and armament for
K ALEB STAPLES/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
A Harpoon missile launches Aug. 22 from the missile deck of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado off the coast of Guam. speed and is designed to operate in shallow waters to access areas Navy cruisers and destroyers cannot. Gabrielson said that makes the LCS a good fit for Southeast Asia. He noted there are more than 50,000 islands between the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and in that chain there are fewer than two dozen places where a destroyer or a larger ship can safely navigate. The LCS can operate in more than 1,000 locations in that arc, and the ship’s speed allows it to function as a “ninja” for the Navy, Gabriel-
son said. “When we really use LCS to its full potential, we use it like a ninja warrior,” he said. “It sneaks in from the shadows, it attacks from the shadows and then it disappears. It’s gone immediately or before anybody has a chance to locate it. It gets lost in the clutter of the islands, so that it complicates anyone’s ability to attack it.” Some analysts have expressed concerns over the LCS’ light armament. The LCS Forth Worth was shadowed by a more heavily armed Chinese frigate during a May
2015 patrol in the South China Sea. The Coronado’s missile test aligns with a push by the Navy to give LCSs more firepower. “We’re here to show that there’s a reason why LCS has combat as its middle name, and the harpoon shot is one example of that,” Gabrielson said. The Coronado also can work alongside partner nations on anti-piracy missions and can ensure freedom of navigation in the area, Gabrielson said. In June, the Coronado conducted an anti-piracy patrol with the
‘ When we really use LCS to its full potential, we use it like a ninja warrior. It sneaks in from the shadows, it attacks from the shadows and then it disappears.
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Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson Task Force 73 commander
Philippine Navy Frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz. “The Coronado has already assisted the Philippines with a counterpiracy mission, and we are ready to do more,” he said. “The ship is ideally suited (for anti-piracy missions) because of its ability to launch and recover not just unmanned and manned helicopters, but also rigid-hulled inflatable boats that can go pretty far to conduct either boardings or monitoring.” Gabrielson said he expects LCSs to become a mainstay in the Pacific. “We look forward next year to having two LCSs here and in future years getting four,” he said. “It won’t be long and it’ll be a regular fixture out here in large numbers.” hlavac.tyler@stripes.com
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MILITARY
Soldiers compete in Warrior Challenge BY M ARTIN EGNASH Stars and Stripes
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The U.S. Army announced on Aug. 25 the winners of a grueling five-day contest that tested troops on their fundamental soldiering skills. Twenty-two U.S. soldiers from across Europe and Africa competed in the U.S Army Europe Best Warrior Challenge. The competitors had to fire a variety of weapons, demonstrate first-aid procedures and push themselves through several physical training challenges to make it to the end. The soldiers competed in four categories: soldier, noncommissioned officer, warrant officer and officer. The winners were Spc. Jacob Henriksen, Sgt. Jonathan Reneria, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kristopher Gillespie and Lt. Christian Reeves. Henriksen and Reneria will go on to represent U.S. Army Europe in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., in early October. “For me, reaching the end of my career in the Army, it’s just great to see these soldiers still have these skills at such a high level,” said Sgt. Maj. Micheal Sutterfield, sergeant major of the Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment
Lt. Jean Domguia, with the 2nd Theater Signal Brigade, conducts firstaid procedures on a dummy. Command. “It’s a tough challenge, and we really don’t let up on them during the competition. It’s a huge honor for the soldiers competing here in Europe and the ones moving on to the Army event in October.”
PHOTOS
BY
M ARTIN EGNASH /Stars and Stripes
Lt. Maclean Lalor, with the 173rd Brigade Combat Team, throws a practice grenade during the U.S. Army Europe Best Warrior Challenge at Grafenwoehr, Germany.
egnash.martin@stripes.com Twitter: @Marty_Stripes
Lt. Christopher Finseth, with U.S. Army Africa, fires a .50-caliber machine gun during the U.S. Army Europe Best Warrior Challenge.
Sgt. Antonio Hernandez advances through the smoke during the Best Warrior Challenge.
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MILITARY
US airmen in the sky, on the ground at Slovak air show BY JENNIFER H. SVAN Stars and Stripes
SLIAC AIRFIELD, Slovakia — With an eye toward building relationships with a key NATO partner, a few U.S. airmen braved the heat and the crowds at one of the largest air shows in central Europe, taking in the sights while mingling with spectators and military officials. About 15 countries and 115 aircraft participated in Slovak International Air Fest 2017. An estimated 100,000 visitors turned out for the show’s opening Aug. 26, according to local news reports. Many of the aerial stunts and static displays at the combined military and civilian airfield, ringed by mountains in the Slovak countryside, were put on by Slovakia’s NATO and allied military partners. A steady parade of aircraft took to the sky throughout the day, including a dazzling show of aerobatics and colorful smoke trails by the United Arab Emirates’ demonstration team Al Fursan, said to have trained under Italy’s famed Frecce Tricolori pilots. The U.S. Air Force made a brief overhead appearance when a B-52 Stratofortress conducted a flyover in the early afternoon, making one long, low pass over the airfield before disappearing from view almost as quickly as it arrived. The bomber, from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., is deployed to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. While in Europe, it’s participating in military exercises hosted by Slovakia’s neighbor, the Czech Republic. Two B-1 Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, are also involved in the exer-
cise, and a B-1 flyover was on the air fest schedule for Aug. 27. Most of the U.S. presence, however, was on the ground. A team of maintainers from Aviano Air Base, Italy, joined two F-16 pilots and their jets from the base’s 510th Fighter Squadron for a static display that drew lots of curious bystanders and requests for selfies with the Americans. “This is our first air show in general in a while,” said Capt. Mike Radosevich, a pilot. “It’s cool for us to be here and be the face not only of Aviano, but the U.S. Air Force F-16 community.” The Air Force also sent one of its more senior officers in Europe, Maj. Gen. Timothy Fay, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa deputy commander, to the show. “It is important for us to highlight our commitment, not only to our Slovak teammates but also to NATO in general,” Fay said. “This is about teamwork,” he added. “This is about the alliance. This is about how we’re postured and ready here in this theater to give regional security.” Slovakia has been a member of NATO since 2004, but its strategic location next to Ukraine and Poland has made it increasingly important in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling said Slovakia, part of the former Warsaw Pact, “has cast its lot with the trans-Atlantic alliance.” But given its history and location, “the Russians have a particular interest here,” he said during a brief interview at the air show. “We deal with a lot of Russian disinforma-
PHOTOS
BY
JENNIFER H. SVAN /Stars and Stripes
From left, John Gonzalez and Jean Moise-Morel, both senior airmen, and Tech. Sgt. Ryan Forsse have fun with Valentine Hulk, a Slovak with an obvious fondness for the U.S., on Aug. 26. tion here, so there’s still a debate and struggle for hearts and minds, if you will.” Fay spent part of the day meeting informally with senior Slovak defense officials and a few air chiefs from other Eastern European countries. He also made a point of walking through the crowds to watch the show and speak to U.S. and other military personnel about their jobs and aircraft. He climbed up the side of a hulking 155 mm self-propelled howitzer to peer inside the cab at the invitation of a Slovak army staff sergeant. “It’s great to meet the hosts and get to know them a little bit on a personal level … and also just to chat with some of the folks here in the crowd,” he said. The airmen from Aviano appeared just as busy. “A lot of people are very welcoming,” said Senior Airman John Gonzalez, an electrical environmental specialist. The photo requests were “really surprising to us,” he said. “I’ve been to an air show once before, and it’s totally different. That was in the States.” svan.jennifer@stripes.com Twitter: @stripesktown
A steady parade of aircraft took to the sky throughout the day, including the United Arab Emirates’ demonstration team Al Fursan, which put on a colorful show.
U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling, right, talks to U.S. Air Force Capt. Garen Payton Jappesen at the air show. Jappesen is an F-16 pilot with the 510th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
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MILITARY
A Paladin awaits duty during Exercise Combined Resolve 9.
Fire and fog Paladins unleash their fury as brigade winds down rotation BY M ARTIN EGNASH Stars and Stripes
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team conducted its last major live-fire exercise Aug. 23 before it returns to the United States this month. Combined Resolve 9 is the final event of 3ABCT’s sixmonth rotation to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. During the training,
11 M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers conducted an artillery raid to simulate forcing the enemy to move to a target area. Other armor assets and close air support then engaged them. The brigade has conducted six full live-fire exercises, either in preparation or during their rotation in Europe. “At the end of our (rotation) here, you could argue that
PHOTOS
BY
M ARTIN EGNASH /Stars and Stripes
Smoke and fog envelope an M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer after it fired a round during Exercise Combined Resolve 9 at Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Aug. 23. we’ve had the best training of any unit in the Army,” said Capt. Scott Walters, 3ABCT spokesman. “All of this training makes us a greater deterrent to any aggression in Europe while we work in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.”
2nd Lt. Nikki Parkman, left, and Pfc. Madeline Hoaglen discuss plans during the exercise.
egnash.martin@stripes.com Twitter: @Marty_Stripes
Air Force seeking retired pilots for staff positions BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The Air Force is hoping some retired pilots will return temporarily to active duty to serve in staff positions in a move aimed at keeping its current, middle-ranked pilots in the air, the service’s top civilian said Aug. 25. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced the service is looking for up to 25 retired pilots to return to the service on 12-month contracts to fill staff jobs that require the expertise of a military pilot. It is the Air Force’s latest attempt to keep experienced,
midlevel officers in their cockpits as it faces continued pilot-retention issues. “We’d like to keep our pilots who are currently in the aircraft in the aircraft and try to fill some of these vital flight slots with people who have the experience needed but who have subsequently retired from the service,” Wilson told reporters at the Pentagon last week. “… Come on back to active duty, give us another year of service in a staff job.” Retired pilots who volunteer to return to work in those jobs would not be allowed to fly. Wilson also announced the Air Force would increase flight pay for officers
and enlisted airmen for the first time since 1999. The service will boost the maximum aviation career incentive pay for officers to $1,000 per month beginning Oct. 1. The maximum now is $840. Career enlisted flyer incentive pay also will increase from a maximum of $400 per month to $600. The Air Force largely blames attractive jobs in commercial aviation for its pilot-retention issues, which has left the service short more than 1,200 fighter pilots and 300 tanker and cargo aircraft pilots. But in addition to attractive civilian pilot jobs, Air Force pilots also have
blamed limited flight training time, increased administrative duties and long, recurring overseas deployments for leaving the service, Air Force officials have acknowledged. Wilson said the service is tackling the issue head-on. The Air Force announced in July it would pay eligible pilots retention bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $35,000 to remain in the service. The service also said it has cut some of the administrative duties for pilots in 2017. dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC
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USAF 4-star visits former boss, bags groceries BY JENNIFER H. SVAN Stars and Stripes
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Clarence “Charlie” Searchwell has worked with countless military kids who were looking to earn a few bucks bagging groceries at the commissary. Many have gone on to become colonels and chiefs, he said, and one now wears four stars. “I’ve been through so many kids,” said Searchwell, the graying but sprightly supervisor of the commissary’s legion of baggers for nearly five decades. Searchwell, 79, started working at the commissary on Sept. 15, 1967, shortly after leaving the Air Force. He’s held other jobs on Ramstein over the years, even as he kept on bagging. He remembers one kid in particular, the one who now wears four stars. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, bagged for Searchwell in the mid-1970s while he was a teenager living at Ramstein and attending Kaiserslautern High School. “I remember him very well,” Searchwell said of Goldfein. “He was a very good worker.” Searchwell also recalls Goldfein because he still sees him on occasion. Even as Goldfein’s career has taken him around the world, he stops to see his old boss any chance he gets. Goldfein made time to see Searchwell last month, on his way back from a whirlwind tour of the Middle East with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, a trip that included stops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan. A few shoppers looked on with surprise as the Air Force’s top officer gave Searchwell a big hug outside the commissary entrance. “How did you do all this?” Searchwell asked Goldfein at one point, playfully gesturing toward the four stars on his uniform. “Because I learned from the best,” Goldfein said. “I always
‘ I always tell
people you taught me the three most important lessons: Be professional, be polite and don’t mix the meat with the soap, right?
’
Gen. David Goldfein Air Force chief of staff
tell people you taught me the three most important lessons: Be professional, be polite and don’t mix the meat with the soap, right? It hasn’t changed.” Searchwell presented Goldfein the same German treats he always does, Happy Hippos and Ritter Sport chocolates, packaged in a commissary brown bag. He told Goldfein he plans to keep working as long as his health allows him. “You’ve got to raise the next generation of generals,” Goldfein said. “I won’t be around then,” Searchwell replied, with a hearty laugh. “But if you’re going for president, I’ll vote for you. And watch those guys in Congress, OK?” With the conversation heading toward political hot water, Goldfein said, “Oh, now we’ve got to be careful.” Searchwell said he wouldn’t get into politics but told Goldfein to “please be careful. I’m amazed at what’s happening.” Goldfein didn’t talk politics, either. But he said of his trip downrange that he has renewed optimism about the campaign in Iraq after seeing Iraqi security forces begin their offensive to take back the western city of Tal Afar from Islamic State militants. Responding to a question from a reporter, Goldfein reiterated the message he and the other service chiefs tweeted after the violence in Charlottesville, Va., that the military is “stronger together.” Then it was into the commis-
PHOTOS
BY
MICHAEL B. K ELLER /Stars and Stripes
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, left, stopped by the commissary recently at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to see his former supervisor, Charlie Searchwell. Goldfein worked as a grocery bagger under Searchwell in the 1970s. sary with Searchwell to work. Remembering to ask “paper or plastic,” Goldfein bagged a few groceries for an unsuspecting Mitchell Trotter, an Army private first class who works at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. “That was crazy,” Trotter said when he found out who Goldfein was. “Any time you meet a four star ... that’s a great experience.” Goldfein noticed that Trotter had loaded up on ramen noodles. “He said when he was younger and he biked around Europe, he used to eat them, but he hasn’t eaten them since,” Trotter said with a laugh. svan.jennifer@stripes.com Twitter: @stripesktown
Goldfein, left, jokes with Pfc. Mitchell Trotter about his grocery selection at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
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VETERANS
Women take reins of two major vets groups BY NIKKI WENTLING Stars and Stripes
RENO, Nev. — Hundreds of veterans paraded through a large conference hall to Sister Sledge’s “We are Family,” arms wrapped around one another Aug. 24 when the American Legion, a 99-yearold organization representing 2 million veterans, elected its first female national commander at the conclusion of its annual convention. Denise Rohan, an Army veteran living in Wisconsin, now leads what President Donald Trump just called “a very powerful organization.” She will represent the Legion for one year, traveling the country to visit posts and testifying before Congress. “When our organization was started back in 1919, our founders said, ‘A veteran is a veteran,’ ” Rohan said. “So ever since then, women have been part of our organization. Women could vote for national commander of the American Legion before they could vote for president of the United States, and there are females leading this organization across the nation. I just happen to be the lucky one that gets to do this.” Disabled American Veterans elected its first female commander, Army veteran Delphine Metcalf-Foster, on Aug. 1. Before August, the first — and last — female commander of a major national veterans organization was Mary Stout, who led Vietnam Veterans of America in 1987, when the organization had about 30,000 members. Together, Rohan and Metcalf-Foster represent 3.3 million veterans nationwide.
First denied, now in charge In 1980, an American Legion recruiter knocked on Rohan’s door to ask her husband, Mike, to join the local post. The couple met while serving in the Army. When Rohan asked to join the post, she was told to join
the American Legion Auxiliary, a group for veterans’ spouses. She told that story before the thousands of veterans gathered in Reno, Nev., on Aug. 24, with the message to not exclude female veterans. “Here I am today, the newly elected national commander of the largest veterans service organization in this nation,” Rohan said. “And that post that denied me membership 37 years ago? Well, they have a picture of me up in their post with a sign under it that says, ‘She could have been a member here.’ Remember, women are veterans, too.” Rohan, 61, joined the American Legion in Sun Prairie, Wis., in 1984 and held leadership positions there and in Verona, Wis. During the nomination process, a couple of hundred veterans from Wisconsin held fans with Rohan’s photo on them and waved them wildly each time a state’s delegation voted for her. As national commander, Rohan sets the theme for the year. She chose “Family First,” with a renewed focus on supporting families of deployed servicemembers. Metcalf-Foster “American Legion needs to step up, find out who those families are and make sure we’re there for them,” Rohan said. “It’s a matter of national security.” Rohan talked about some of the Legion’s success this year, including advocacy for legislation that Trump signed onstage at the Reno convention Aug. 23 aiming to shorten the amount of time veterans wait to hear decisions on their claims for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and health care. She also praised the new “Forever GI Bill,” signed in August, which eliminates a
NIKKI WENTLING /Stars and Stripes
Denise Rohan addresses American Legion members Aug. 24 in Reno, Nev., after being elected national commander of the organization. 15-year cap on veterans to tap into their education benefits. The American Legion was one of a handful of veterans organizations that championed the measure. By the time Rohan was ready to go back to school after her military service, she had only one month remaining of GI Bill eligibility, she said. “I love the fact that just got passed,” Rohan said. “I can appreciate that.”
Expanding services for women Metcalf-Foster, 74, remembers sitting on her father’s lap at their home in Vallejo, Calif., as a young child, while he showed off photos of his experience as a Buffalo soldier in the Spanish-American War. Her father was 70 when she was born and died when she was 7, but she can still recall the pride he showed while telling her about his time in the military. That’s part of the reason Metcalf-Foster became
a nurse, and then joined the Army at 34, when she was married with children. “He was so proud,” she said. “He’d always tell me, ‘You have to do something to help people.’ I remembered that as I got older.” Metcalf-Foster served for 21 years. In 1991, a nerve was cut in her leg while she was in Saudi Arabia as part of the Persian Gulf War. She joined Disabled American Veterans when she was discharged in 1992 after a DAV member approached her unit to tell the servicemembers about the group. She was the first female commander of DAV in California in 2004. As the first female national commander, Metcalf-Foster wants to bring some attention to issues specific to women at the VA — and she’s already had some success. Years ago, when she went to the VA for a knee replacement, Metcalf-Foster asked her doctor if they had a gender-specific knee replacement
implant. “The surgeon looked at me and said, ‘Excuse me?’ ” Metcalf-Foster said. “I took this issue up with my Washingon, D.C., staff, and they jumped right on it. We got resolutions and worked with the VA to ensure there are gender-specific prosthetics.” DAV will advocate for an expansion of obstetric and gynecological services at the VA, she said. A major focus for the organization during the past year was to extend VA caregiver benefits to veterans injured before 9/11. The VA currently offers compensation and other support services to caregivers of post-9/11 veterans. Metcalf-Foster said that advocacy would continue. “We’re fighting to get that changed,” she said. “The groundwork has been laid. I’m just continuing what our great organization has done.” wentling.nikki@stripes.com Twitter: @nikkiwentling
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MILITARY
Report: EUCOM undermanned for expanding mission BY JOHN VANDIVER Stars and Stripes
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. European Command force levels could be too small to maintain the military’s push into Eastern Europe, where operational tempo and unpredictable funding put a 3-year-old campaign at risk, a Defense Department watchdog said. An Inspector General report released last week cautioned that the European Reassurance Initiative may not be resourced well enough to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is reassessing EUCOM’s troop mix, the IG said. The initiative began in 2014 to bolster the military’s position in Europe, where U.S. forces had been on a steady post-Cold War drawdown. Russia’s intervention in Ukraine altered regional security perceptions and prompted the Pentagon to augment a EUCOM mission that had been in decline. “The sustainability of ERI is at risk because support for ERI imposes new requirements on USEUCOM and its subordinate commands
without an equivalent increase in force authorizations,” the IG report stated. For EUCOM, the Eastern Europe mission has shifted from reassuring nervous allies to deterring potential Russian aggression. EUCOM found itself stretched as military operations grew and intensified. Senior military officials in Europe raised concerns with the IG about “too few operational forces available to support ERI.” Shortages meant an unsustainable operational pace and less oversight on a growing number of exercises, EUCOM officials told the IG. In the White House’s 2018 budget, $4.8 billion was marked to fund the European Reassurance Initiative, $1.4 billion more than this year. ERI has grown each year; however, the money comes out of an annual contingency fund rather than the Defense Department’s regular budget, which plans for five years forward. “As a result, USEUCOM and (Operation Atlantic Resolve) countries may be unable to sustain ERI’s contribution to allied and partner military capabilities,” the report said.
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M ARTIN EGNASH /Stars and Stripes
American soldiers stand in front of their vehicles at a live-fire exercise in January in Zagan, Poland. The IG review highlighted the need to better measure the effectiveness of exercises, including tracking whether U.S. assistance is helping partners build better forces. The report also recommended agreements on sharing facilities with partner nations and transportation agreements to improve the movement of military hardware through the region.
This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DOD or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
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The IG said EUCOM and other military authorities were taking steps to address issues raised in the report. Countries that fall under Atlantic Resolve campaign, which is funded by the Euro-
pean Reassurance Initiative, are Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria. vandiver.john@stripes.com Twitter: @john_vandiver
MICHAEL S. DARNELL /Stars and Stripes
U.S. Army Strykers belonging to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment cross the Vistula River in Chelmno, Poland, on June 8, 2016.
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Fri Sep 1
6pm - 10pm Ben Folds in Concert
Jessye Norman Amphitheater Part of Friends with Benefits’ Riverwalk Revival Series. $35, day of show. Visit fwbpro.com.
5pm - 9pm First Friday
Downtown Augusta A family-friendly arts event that includes musicians, dancers, artists and other vendors. First Friday Fire, presented by Arcane Arts, will be at the corner of 11th and Broad at 8 p.m. and will feature feats of fire, spinning poi, staff, hoop, fan and more in a family-friendly show to the music of DJ Codec. Visit artistsrowaugusta. com.
8pm and 10pm xTreme Theatre Games
Friday, September 1, 2017
downtown Augusta; We Are the Wav, 10 p.m., Sky City. Saturday, September 2: Saturday Morning Swing at the Augusta Market, 8 a.m., 8th Street; James Brown Family Historical Tour, 11 a.m., Augusta Museum of History; Riverwatch Brewery Tour, 5-8 p.m.; Pop-Up Jazz, 7:30 p.m. (venue available with ticket purchase). Sunday, September 3: Candlelight for a Cause Music Festival and White Dinner featuring The Georgia Horns, 6 p.m., Augusta Common; Rooftop Soiree, 9 p.m., Sprint Metro Market. For more information and tickets, call 762233-5299 or visit gardencityjazz. eventbrite.com.
Sat Sep 2
10am Slide the City
Le Chat Noir First Friday improv comedy by Schrodinger’s Cat. $12 online and at door. Call 706-722-3322 or visit lcnaugusta.com.
Columbia County Exhibition Center Slide the City is a family-friendly slip-and-slide water party event with live music, food trucks and drinks. Tickets start at $30. Visit slidethecity.com/columbia-county to register.
Fri Sep 1 - Sun Sep 3
Mon Sep 4
Various Locations A Garden City Jazz event featuring the following events. Friday, September 1: Riverwatch Brewery Tour, 5-8 p.m.; First Friday Block Party and Gallery Crawl, 6 p.m.,
Lake Olmstead Stadium It’s the very last GreenJackets game at Lake Olmstead Stadium. $8-$12. Call 706-922-9467 or visit greenjacketsbaseball.com.
Labor Day Jazz Weekend
7:05pm Augusta GreenJackets vs. Charleston RiverDogs
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