Stars & Stripes - 12.15.17

Volume 10, No. 1 ŠSS 2017

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017

On the range in Romania Stray dogs, cold temperatures just part of the experience at live-fire training Page 2

A stray dog watches as U.S. soldiers wait for orders on top their M1A2 Abrams tank Dec. 6 during training in Smardan, Romania.

M ARTIN EGNASH /Stars and Stripes

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Friday, December15, 15,2017 2017 Friday, December

COVER STORY

PHOTOS

BY

M ARTIN EGNASH /Stars and Stripes

U.S. soldiers move M1A2 Abrams tanks on a live-fire range. The “Dagger Brigade” soldiers plan to wrap up training on Dec. 24.

US tankers train in remote area of Romania

BY M ARTIN EGNASH Stars and Stripes

SMARDAN, Romania — Moldavia is far removed from the picturesque mountain monasteries, Transylvanian castles and Black Sea resorts that most Americans, including soldiers, know of Romania.

But 142 U.S. troops with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team are getting a close look at Moldavia — and its dogs.

The troops are in Romania’s northeastern region to train in support of operation Atlantic Resolve, the U.S. effort to defend Eastern Europe and reassure its NATO allies in response to a more assertive Russia.

The training is taking place in Smardan, which is less than 20 miles from the border with the Republic of Moldova, a nation that includes the Trans-Dniester region now controlled by pro-Russia separatists.

When U.S. tank crews are firing on this military range in Moldavia, they are constantly reminded they’re a long way from home. Packs of stray dogs, an all too common sight in Eastern Europe but unusual in the United States, roam the barren training area, looking for scraps and vying for the busy soldiers’ attention.

The soldiers training on the base have been told not to pet the wild dogs, regardless of how cute they look, as some of them could have fleas or diseases.

“It’s pretty tempting to pet them sometimes, but our medics tell us not to,” said infantryman Cpl. Joshua Redkey.

Spc. Brandon Furr, a U.S. Army tanker, warms himself by the M1A2 Abrams tank exhaust during training.

The dogs don’t seem to interfere in the live-fire training the soldiers are conducting. “They stay out of the way when it’s time to fire, so it hasn’t been an issue yet,” Redkey said.

Some soldiers joke that the dogs are there to safeguard the base and protect it from any leftover Meals, Ready to Eat. “The presence of U.S. forces in Romania, and training with Romanian forces shoulder to shoulder, serves as a demonstration of U.S. commitment to our allies and partners,” said Maj. Jonathon Knapton, the public affairs officer for the command element of Atlantic Resolve.

The “Dagger Brigade” soldiers began their live-fire sequence Dec. 4, and the plan is to finish Dec. 24. During that time, they are firing .50-caliber mount-

ed machine guns and 120 mm cannons from their M1A2 Abrams tanks across an eerie, overcast landscape, with dogs of all shapes and sizes shadowing their every move.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Kansas-based soldiers is the cold weather, which each one handles differently.

“I got my first taste of snow here yesterday. It came out of nowhere and hit me right in the face,” said 1st Lt. Fidencio Mendez, the executive officer of Dagger Brigade’s “Chaos Company.”

“It’s cold out here, but it’s fun,” Sgt. 1st Class Anton Kiren said. “Being on the range is the only time outside of a deployment when we can do our job and shoot our guns.”

To pass the time, the soldiers compete for best shot on the range and fastest

times to identify targets. The tank that gets the highest score earns the title of “top tank” and exercises bragging rights to the rest of the company.

“Getting ‘top tank’ is very competitive,” Kiren said. “Everyone out here does their job great, but when they’re done, it’s all about camaraderie, and talking ... about how much better you shot than everyone else.”

For many soldiers, including Pfc. Christian Alarid, a communications specialist, this rotation to Europe is the first time they’ve deployed with the Army.

“It’s very different than what I’m used to. I haven’t spent a lot of time in climates like this, but I like it,” Alarid said. “I think it’s interesting to be here and learn about Romanian culture and what their Army is like.”

He added: “We have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in. It could always be worse.”

The Americans have been working closely with the Romanians to do everything from shooting on the range to securing supplies.

“The American soldiers and Romanian soldiers have a good relationship,” said Romanian Capt. Vatavu Razvan, the base’s range control officer.

Razvan believes the soldiers from both nations bring different strengths to the alliance. He said American soldiers have the best equipment and are very effective, but the Romanians adapt more quickly to situations.

“It is good to have an ally with the greatest equipment in the world. I just hope that if we ever need them, they aren’t too far away,” Razvan said. egnash.martin@stripes.com Twitter: @Marty_Stripes

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MILITARY

Report shows Pentagon can’t track 44K troops

BY STEPHEN CARLSON Stars and Stripes Courtesy of NATO Special Operations Component

The Taliban’s “Red Unit’’ commander in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Mullah Shah Wali, was killed in a kinetic strike on Dec. 1. One of Wali’s deputy commanders and three other insurgents were also killed in the strike seen in this screen grab.

Video shows strike on Taliban leader

BY CHAD GARLAND Stars and Stripes

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. military has released a video of a strike that killed the leader of the Taliban’s elite “Red Unit” a week ago in Helmand province.

The 15-second black-andwhite strike video released Dec. 5 shows cross hairs centered on a speeding vehicle that suddenly erupts in a white flash and sparks.

The flaming vehicle slows and rolls to a stop near the edge of the frame.

The military said in a statement that the strike, conducted Dec. 1 in Helmand’s Musa Qala district, killed Mullah Shah Wali, commander of the crack Taliban unit, and his deputy and three others. It said the Red Unit is responsible for planning numerous bombings and coordinating assaults against civilians and Afghan and allied troops.

Wali coordinated operations and resupplied Taliban fighters with munitions and explosives throughout the province.

Helmand, site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the 16-year Afghan war, is the most productive area for poppy cultivation, which fuels the Taliban’s opium trade and finances its insurgency.

Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Wali’s death would

disrupt the Taliban’s activities in Helmand, including its narcotics trafficking and its ability to attack Afghan forces.

U.S. forces have been targeting the insurgents’ revenue streams since last month, when U.S. and Afghan warplanes began bombing Taliban-controlled opium production facilities in Helmand under new rules granted under President Donald Trump’s strategy for the region. .

Trump’s strategy is meant to shift the balance in the war, which has ground to a stalemate in recent months.

The strike video was released by the NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan, which oversees special operations forces in the country.

The military statement that accompanied the video also announced that Afghan forces had killed Omar Khatab, which it said was the secondmost senior leader of al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, along with several other alQaida operatives, in a series of operations in Ghazni, Paktia and Zabul provinces.

Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency said that the operation was a joint mission involving Afghan and foreign forces.

Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report. garland.chad@stripes.com Twitter: @chadgarland

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has more than 44,000 troops across the globe that the Pentagon claims it cannot track, according to a recent report.

“We are not at a point where we can give numbers other than those officially stated,” said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

The report — compiled by the Defense Manpower Data Center under the Office of the Secretary of Defense — shows more than 44,000 personnel in a category labeled “Unknown.”

Active-duty military personnel number slightly more than 1.3 million in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, and hundreds of thousands more civilian personnel fall under the Defense Department. That number does not include Reserve and National Guard formations that might be active at any particular time.

The United States has military personnel in nearly every country in the world, ranging from two liaison officers in Fiji to tens of thousands from all of the service branches in Japan and Germany, according to the report.

Manning said during a news briefing Nov. 6 that troop numbers in Syria are about four times higher than reported by the Pentagon, with 2,000 present in the country. He also clarified that there are 5,200 in Iraq, up from about 5,000 reported earlier.

The Pentagon’s previous number of troops in Syria was 503. Though the additional 1,500 acknowledged Wednesday is small compared with the size of Defense Department manpower — more than 246,000 in California alone, according to the data center — such discrepancies could help explain why 44,000 are unaccounted for.

‘No easy way’ The data center is charged with accounting for troops and civilian personnel who fall under the Defense Department. The numbers are updated quarterly on the center’s website, www.

DMDC.osd.mil.

“Our commitment is to be as transparent as we can, within the constraints of operation security,” Manning said.

The Pentagon acknowledged in a statement that it has no good way to track how many servicemembers are stationed overseas, where they are and when they were there.

“There is no one personnel system in the [Defense Department] that tracks the daily location of all DoD personnel. There is no easy way to track all deployments, training exercises, TDY (being attached to another unit for training or specific missions, typically for less than six months) or temporary assignments,” according

to the statement. “If you take the total numbers assigned in the United States and assigned overseas, and add the ‘Unknown,’ you get the total force numbers for each service.”

However, another Pentagon spokesman questioned the value of the data center numbers.

“Those numbers are not meant to represent an accurate accounting of troops currently deployed to any location,” said Eric Pahon. “They should not be relied upon for a current picture for what is going on.”

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis ordered a review of how personnel are counted in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Complicated numbers The murkiness of the posted numbers of personnel in locations across the world follows a congressional outcry over a lack of knowledge of how many soldiers are stationed in Niger, where four Special Forces soldiers were killed Oct. 4 in an attack by militants thought to be associated with radical Islamics.

Prominent members of Congress claimed they had no idea that so many soldiers — about 800, according to Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — were deployed to Niger. The U.S. has maintained troops there since 2013 and has been involved in the country on and off for decades, Dunford said.

Pentagon officials say “accounting procedures” make knowing actual end strength difficult.

The use of contractors in place of regular troops also complicates the issue. They do not typically fall under the total number of personnel deployed to war zones, and often take the place of normal unit personnel such as mechanics and truck drivers, as Afghanistan commanding officer Army Gen. John Nicholson told Congress earlier this year.

The U.S. maintains 23,659 contractors in Afghanistan and 4,609 in Iraq, according to a fourth-quarter 2017 report from the Defense Department. Many of them are local residents and foreign nationals hired to provide basic services at U.S. bases, but they also include many skilled workers, pilots, technicians and private security forces, according to the report.

The percentage of Defense Department personnel deployed to combat zones is small

by Post-9/11 standards of that previously saw hundreds of thousands of troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. But smaller numbers of troops consisting of “train-and-equip” specialists such as Special Forces and contractors are becoming ubiquitous in many countries in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to the data center report. carlson.stephen@stripes.com Twitter: @swcarlson1

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PACIFIC

Airmen get bombs from bunker to jet in war games

BY M ARCUS FICHTL Stars and Stripes

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Rows and rows of earthen bunkers filled to the brim with bombs sit in a small corner at Osan Air Base, the U.S. Air Force’s headquarters in South Korea.

The 285 airmen of the 51st Munitions Squadron are tasked with getting them from bunker to jet during annual war games known as Vigilant Ace, joint Air Force drills that began Dec. 4 in South Korea.

“We provide munitions capability to the flight line,” said Capt. Daniel Crouch, 51st Munitions’ operations officer, calling the exercise the squadron’s World Series.

That means supplying 30 mm rounds to the monstrous guns of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and filling the Warthogs and F-16s with defensive countermeasures such as flares in between exercises, said Crouch, 30, from Richmond, Va. The airmen also practice building everything from laser-guided 500pound bombs to hulking, 2,000-pound “bunker busters.”

The live bombs built during the drills won’t be dropped — they won’t even leave the bomb pads, Crouch said.

Instead, blue inert bombs were to be loaded onto the planes. The yellowtipped live bombs were torn down at the end of the week and readied to be reassembled for the next exercise. Live munitions are generally dropped only in the United States at exercises such as Red Flag in Alaska.

At the bomb pads, groups of eight to 10 airmen dressed head to toe in chemical protective gear and combat armor piece together bombs and other munitions assembly-line style, adding fuses and guidance systems.

“We can build these in 10 to 15 minutes,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Hibbard, pointing to a row of 500-pound Guided Bomb 54s, which have both GPS and laser-guidance systems. It made its combat debut in Iraq in 2008.

“We can guide this to wherever it needs to go,” said Hibbard, 28, of Indianapolis.

Airman Ezequiel Acosta, just six months on the job, said he’s already had his hand in the construction of about 200 bombs and is proud of his handiwork.

“I build bombs for a living. How many people can say that?” said the Colts Neck, N.J., native.

The squadron’s headquarters on this base about 30 miles south of Seoul is decked out for war to make it as realistic as possible.

Massive, maze-like barricades sur-

PHOTOS

BY

M ARCUS FICHTL /Stars and Stripes

Staff Sgt. Justin Hibbard of the 51st Munitions Squadron stands in front of bombs Dec. 6 at Osan Air Base, South Korea. round the building, protecting it from artillery fire. A specially designed airlock keeps a team of controllers tracking the movement of hundreds of pieces of ordnance safe from chemical attack. Racks of M16s sit ready in case of a last stand.

Crouch declined to say how many bombs are produced in a given year, citing operational security. But he said the squadron can outfit jets from other branches, including the Navy’s EA-18 Growler, which is at Osan during Vigilante Ace. They also could outfit South Korean jets with approval from U.S. Forces Korea, he said.

Since it involves a rotational unit with roughly yearlong tours, the exercise includes new people each year, which poses a unique challenge to the Air Force in South Korea. “At a stateside base, a lot of people start to homestead and there’s potential for bad habits to set into place,” Crouch said. “[In South Korea] because we’re always training on the new way to things to do things, we’re always on top of our game.” fichtl.marcus@stripes.com Twitter: @marcusfichtl

Bombs weighing 2,000 and 500 pounds are displayed at Osan Air Base.

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Friday, December15, 15,2017 2017 Friday, December

PACIFIC

Okinawan protesters rally after plane part falls from sky

BY M ATTHEW M. BURKE, H ANA KUSUMOTO AND SETH ROBSON Stars and Stripes

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Okinawan protesters took to the streets Dec. 7 after a part that might have come from a U.S. military aircraft fell from the sky and landed on the roof of a day care facility in Ginowan, Japan.

About 100 protesters from various civic groups staged a rally in front of the Marine Corps’ Camp Foster, which serves as headquarters for the U.S. military on Okinawa.

“Don’t fly U.S. military helicopters!” they chanted, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The demonstrators were responding to reports that a plastic cylindrical aircraft part measuring 9.5 centimeters long, 7.5 centimeters in diameter and weighing less than half a pound landed on the day care’s roof shortly before the incident was reported to police at approximately 10:20 a.m. Thursday, a Ginowan police spokesman said.

The day care, which is

about 1,000 feet from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma’s fence line, was in session at the time, but there were no injuries and no damage to the building, the spokesman said.

It is believed that the part came from an American military aircraft because it says “U.S.” on it along with other English phrases like “remove” and “use to reset,” according to police and media reports.

“We take this report very seriously and are still actively investigating this incident, working closely with local authorities,” Marine 1st Lt. Karoline Foote, a spokeswoman from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, said Dec. 8 in an email to Stars and Stripes. “We care deeply about the safety of our friends and neighbors in the communities around which we live and operate.”

Officials from the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the local arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, declined to comment Friday because they were still awaiting confirmation from their U.S. counterparts, a spokesman said.

Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga has called for a thorough investigation and

for Japanese government officials to strongly urge the U.S. military to stop flying the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, which he believes was involved in the incident.

“Even though there has not been reports of injuries, one wrong move could have led to a serious accident that could have affected people’s lives,” he wrote Friday in a letter addressed to Foreign Ministry and Okinawa Defense Bureau officials.

The prefecture “strongly urges the U.S. military to halt the flight of aircraft such as CH-53Es until the facts involved are made clear,” he added.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 3, personnel at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo discovered that a part was missing from an aerial flare that had been affixed to a C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane, 374th Airlift Wing officials said in a statement Friday.

The aircraft had departed Yokota on the morning of Dec. 1 and made stops at Misawa Air Base, Japan, and Osan Air Base, South Korea, before returning to Yokota the next evening.

“It is unknown when or

Screenshot from NHK

This image from Japanese broadcaster NHK shows an object that reportedly fell onto the roof of a preschool on Okinawa. where the piece went missing, and the C-130J’s flight path was mostly over the ocean,” officials said.

Airfield sweeps at Yokota, Misawa and Osan did not find the missing part, which is about 12 to 13 inches long and weighs just under a third of a pound, officials said.

The part contains hazardous material and shouldn’t be picked up or touched, although it poses no risk if it isn’t disturbed.

“Aerial flares are inspected before they are affixed to

aircraft and then again prior to and following every flight,” the statement said. “Any abnormalities are addressed immediately.”

Tokyo Shimbun — a Japanese newspaper — reported that Tokyo and six other Japanese cities and towns have complained about the incident. Local governments also complained about missing parts from Yokota aircraft in June and July, the report said. burke.matt@stripes.com kusumoto.hana@stripes.com robson.seth@stripes.com

Air Force: Raptor towed as a precaution at South Korean base

BY K IM GAMEL Stars and Stripes

SEOUL, South Korea — A stateof-the-art U.S. stealth fighter jet was towed to a hangar during joint war games as a precaution, but an inspection determined nothing was wrong, the 7th Air Force said Dec. 5.

The F-22 Raptor stopped after touching down about 8 a.m. Dec. 4 at a South Korean base in Gwangju, 170 miles south of Seoul, and had to be towed, a South Korean official said.

Three other Raptors that landed about the same time taxied by themselves as usual, according to the Yonhap News Agency, which published photos of the F-22 being towed.

“It was just a precaution. Maintenance looked at the jet and nothing was wrong,” Lt. Col. Jennifer Lovett, an Air Force spokeswoman, said in an email without elaborating.

Six Raptors were participating for the first time in the five-day annual training exercise known as Vigilant Ace, which began Dec. 4 amid rising tensions with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

The drills involved 12,000 U.S. servicemembers along with South Korean airmen and more than 230 warplanes, including for the first time the Raptors, six F-35A Lightning IIs and 12 F-35Bs. The B variant is the short-takeoff, vertical-landing version of the stealth

aircraft.

South Korean media also reported that B-1B bombers would join the drills, but Lovett denied that. “No B1 bombers are participating in this exercise,” she wrote.

North Korea, which is always infuriated by joint military exercises, condemned Vigilant Ace, saying it would push the divided peninsula “to the brink of nuclear war.”

On the eve of the exercise, the staterun Korean Central News Agency said Pyongyang will “seriously consider” countermeasures against the drills and warned that Washington and Seoul will “pay dearly for the provocations.”

U.S. and South Korean officials

insisted the drills are defensive in nature.

“This realistic air combat exercise is designed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and [South Korean] forces and increase the combat effectiveness of both nations,” the 7th Air Force said in a statement.

“It is not in response to any incident or provocation.”

North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 28 that officials and experts said had the potential to reach Washington although it reportedly broke up before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. gamel.kim@stripes.com Twitter: @kimgamel

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MILITARY

Special delivery

Santa Claus may be grounded, but conditions don’t prevent paratroopers from bringing gifts to kids in Germany

BY WILL MORRIS Stars and Stripes

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A group of paratroopers spread holiday cheer to local children Dec. 6 and won themselves qualification to wear foreign jumping wings when they landed in a field here to deliver Christmas presents.

Santa, the event’s main draw, did not qualify for his wings because he couldn’t get out of the plane.

About 100 paratroopers conducted a series of static and free-fall jumps run by the 5th Quarter Master Theater Arial Delivery Company, based at Rhine Ordnance Barracks.

They came from the Army, Marines and Air Force, along with jumpers from Germany and the Netherlands The culminating event was a low-level cargo drop of toys, to be followed by a free-fall by Santa Claus from a C-130 transport aircraft in front of a group of screaming, happy German children. If only the jump had gone according to plan.

The drop time was pushed back an hour because of bad weather. When the planes finally arrived and two crates popped over the drop zone, a group of about 70 fourth-graders from a public school in Flomborn began running down a road to intercept the crates, briefly delaying the jump.

Once the children were cleared from the drop zone, two Air Force C-130s and a German C-160 began making passes over the field. Chute after chute opened, but the man in red was nowhere in sight.

Santa couldn’t safely make a free-fall jump because the cloud base was too low. If he had done a static-line jump, as had everyone else, he would have likely landed in a pile of mud. Instead, he made a delayed appearance in the back of a cargo truck.

The paratroopers contributed the gifts themselves and handed out the presents to the group of children, some Ameri-

PHOTOS

BY

MICHAEL B. K ELLER Stars and Stripes

Santa Claus reveals a box of toys near Alzey, Germany, on Dec. 6. Santa visited local schoolchildren via cargo truck. can, some German. One soldier said the event was “awesome.”

The girl who got his gift was crying because it was so cold.

The U.S. jumpers from the training activity will qualify to wear foreign jump wings, a coveted distinction among paratroopers. The wings are awarded for jumping under direction of a foreign jumpmaster, for jumping from the plane of another county or for using a foreign parachute.

Part of the payoff in the training, paratroopers said, was comparing notes and jump techniques.

“It’s really great because it helps get everybody on the same page,” said Staff Sgt. Brent Gogin, of 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment.

First Lt. Kelly Washington, of the 5th QMTADC, said jumping out of a German plane was different than it is from a U.S. plane.

“You have to be more aggressive,” he said. “You have to clear the plane yourself, so you have to make an aggressive exit.” morris.william@stripes.com Twitter: @willatstripes

A German soldier lands in a field near Alzey. About 100 paratroopers from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands provided the gifts for local schoolchildren.

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MILITARY

Army OKs direct commissions for cybersecurity experts

BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — The Army has approved a program to recruit experienced cybersecurity experts directly into the service as cyber officers in an attempt to bolster a growing field that military leaders see as vital to national security.

U.S. Army Cyber Command will directly commission five civilians in the coming months, aiming to bring its first batch of officers into military training

by February, said Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, the Army’s Cyber Command chief. The pilot program, approved by the Pentagon and Congress, seeks to bring in five new officers each year for five years.

“It’s an ability for us to go after some of the most technical and adept talent out there that would like to serve our nation,” Nakasone told reporters Dec. 5 at the Pentagon. “What we are looking for is someone who has experience, who has operated within cyberspace, who has the drive and the dedication … and has the inclination that they want to serve the nation.”

The candidates the Army is hoping to attract should have at least a bachelor’s degree and

real-world experience in computer science or similar fields such as data science or industrial control systems, said Nakasone and Maj. Gen. Patricia Frost, the service’s cyber director for operations and planning.

Candidates should be skilled in teamwork and innovative thinkers who are prepared to help the Army shape its defensive and offensive cyberoperations for years.

“So it’s, what are you bringing that’s a new idea to gain us the advantage in the cyberspace domain?” Frost said.

Earlier this year, the Army began developing the pilot program based on other directcommission programs for medical doctors, lawyers and chaplains, which place experts in those fields into the Army at a rank that is commensurate with their experience in the civilian workforce.

However, at least initially, candidates chosen to directly commission into the service will start their Army career as second lieutenants. In other fields, the services have allowed direct commissions at ranks as high as colonel. Nakasone said that could change as the Army examines its processes during

the pilot program.

Candidates seeking to apply to the program can do so on the Army’s recruiting website, goarmy.com. The requirements for consideration include U.S. citizenship, a four-year college degree, the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance and the ability to meet Army physical fitness standards, Nakasone said. Applicants must be younger than 41 years of age.

Individuals selected for the pilot program will spend six weeks in the direct commission course at Fort Sill in Oklahoma and then attend the 12-week Cyber Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Most cyber officers will be stationed either at Fort Gordon or Fort Meade in Maryland, Nakasone said.

Direct commissioning will allow candidates chosen to forgo the Army’s 10-week Basic Combat Training Course, receive an expedited security clearance and expedited promotion to first lieutenant. It also guarantees placement as a cyber officer, whereas recruits who commission through other routes, such as Officer Candidate School or ROTC, cannot

STEVEN STOVER /Courtesy of U.S. Army Cyber Command

Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone of U.S. Army Cyber Command said most cyber officers will be at Fort Gordon, Ga., or Fort Meade, Md. be guaranteed a slot within the cyber corps, Nakasone said.

The Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy will offer similar pilot programs in the cyber field, officials said.

The pilot programs all follow on former Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s 2016 commitment that the Pentagon would broaden its direct commission program, seeking to attract leaders with proven track records in the private sector, especially in fields like cybersecurity with a need for rapid improvement. Congress has given the Pentagon through 2020 to study the potential of expanding direct commissioning programs.

The Army is looking at incentives that it could offer people interested in the program, Nakasone said, but the biggest attraction for people interested should be uniformed service in a critical field.

“Every single day you’re going to go toe-to-toe with the best hackers in the world, and you are defending our nation,” he said. “Whether it’s against a nation-state or a non-nationstate actor or terrorists, if you want that opportunity come join us … to go against the best in the world, because you won’t do that necessarily in another place.” dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC

California guards members train with French forces

BY M ARTIN EGNASH Stars and Stripes

California National Guards members with the 40th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Sunshine Division,” are assisting France’s Rapid Reaction Corps to train in crises response techniques in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

About 30 guards members, acting as a subordinate unit of a NATO Joint Task Force, are working with the French unit during the two-week Citadel Bonus mission, which began Dec. 4.

During the time, the U.S. soldiers helped with planning and guidance as the French soldiers train to secure

and stabilize a place called “Arnland.”

“NATO is in the fictitious country of Arnland, utilizing a Joint Task Force construct, in order to expel opposition forces from part of the country, restore order and then conduct stability operations,” said Col. Michael Leeney, chief of staff of the 40th Infantry Division.

The troubled country faces several threats, including an enemy occupation and chemical attacks.

“My position is chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear. I work hand in hand with (French) CBRN representatives,” Master Sgt. Fernando Ravega said. “We are working together to decide courses of action

we would take to either neutralize chemicals or cordon off the area to ensure the security of allied forces from a chemical attack.”

Their mission in Arnland, which is constantly changing, aims to simulate the real-world unpredictability of an unstable nation. The soldiers are working around the clock, gathering information for their French counterparts as the mission evolves, Ravega said.

This is one of several European exercises in which National Guards members are participating before their deployment to Afghanistan in April as part of NATO’s Resolute Sup-

port mission. The Californians will focus on training, assisting and advising their Afghan counterparts.

Being attached to a French-led unit in the Citadel Bonus mission is preparing the soldiers to work more closely with NATO allies and gives them a taste of what to expect on their coming deployment, Ravega said.

Once Citadel Bonus is over, the soldiers will continue working with the French during the follow-on Citadel Gilbert mission in eastern France, where they will serve as the division headquarters for the exercise. egnash.martin@stripes.com Twitter: @Marty_Stripes

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MILITARY

Pearl Harbor vets ‘back home’ for anniversary

BY WYATT OLSON Stars and Stripes

PEARL HARBOR VISITOR’S CENTER, Honolulu — Sitting in the front row reserved for surviving Pearl Harbor veterans, Delton Walling said he was “back home” during a ceremony Dec. 7 commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

“I’m back with my comrades,” said Walling, 95, a sailor whose battle station that day was Walling 180 feet in the air in a communications tower on Ford Island. “When you’re in the boondocks in the United States, who do I talk to?

Nobody. Nobody understands.

I’m in a different world.”

If not understood, this evershrinking group of survivors is certainly appreciated, with 2,000 visitors cramming the seating overlooking the harbor that holds the wreck of the USS Arizona, sunk during the attack and now a memorial.

Hundreds of other visitors stood and watched.

“You and I have come to call these Americans our Greatest Generation, but I doubt in those first early months — or ever — they went around wearing T-shirts that proclaimed, ‘We’re awesome!’ ” said Stephen Twomey, the ceremony’s keynote speaker and author of “Countdown to Pearl Harbor.”

“They simply got on with it — with the fighting and the rationing and the manufacturing and the bond-buying and, yes, the dying,” he said.

During an interview before the ceremony, Walling said he thought he would die that day.

“I didn’t know they was only after the ships.” Had the enemy bombers known, however, that the tower that day was acting as the communications center for Adm. Husband Kimmel, who was commander in chief of the U.S. Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, “I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

For two USS Arizona survivors — Donald Stratton and Lauren Bruner — this year’s ceremony is the long-awaited chance to witness the recognition of one sailor’s actions that saved their lives.

Chief Boatswain’s Mate Joseph George, who died in 1996, was awarded a Bronze Star with “V” device for valor for helping six sailors reach safety from the Arizona to the USS Vestal, the repair ship upon which George was stationed.

“I think he deserves it, and I think it’s long overdue,” Stratton said.

For the past 16 years, Stratton and Bruner had been petitioning the Navy to award George a medal for helping six sailors climb hand-overhand on a rope connecting the flaming Arizona to the Vestal.

It was George who had thrown them the line.

George, who spent 20 years in the Navy, retiring in 1955 as a chief petty officer, had a penchant for brawling and faced several courts-martial for it. Two days before the Dec. 7 attack, he had gotten

W YATT O LSON /Stars and Stripes

A sailor honors a World War II veteran departing a ceremony Thursday commemorating the 76th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. into a drunken fight and was confined to the Vestal.

“I could care less about that,” Stratton said. “He was the gentleman who saved my life, and whether he was a hell-raiser or not, it didn’t make no difference to me.

He’s a hero to me.”

U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift told the audience that same word was applicable to all servicemembers who fought that day, of whom more than 2,400 died.

“Make no mistake, though they all awoke that morning as ordinary sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, by the time the guns fell silent, they were heroes all,” Swift said.

He highlighted the actions of the crew aboard the USS Ward, a destroyer credited with firing America’s first shot in World War II when

it blasted a hole through a Japanese midget submarine in Pearl Harbor about 90 minutes before the main aerial attack began on Dec. 7, 1941.

“What I find compelling about Ward’s story is that the crew overcame the culture of peacetime fleet posture so quickly and effectively,” he said. “Ward’s experience reminds us today that the transition from operation as a peacetime Navy to conducting wartime missions can happen in an instant, and we as a fleet need to be prepared to act.”

Twomey also singled out the actions that day by the commander of the USS Ward, the wreck of which was filmed by a research vessel on Dec. 1 for the first time since it was sunk near the Philippines in 1944.

William Outerbridge had assumed command of the Ward only two days before the sur-

‘ ... whether he was a hell-raiser or not, it didn’t make no difference to me. He’s a hero to me. ’

Donald Stratton USS Arizona survivor

prise attack and had taken it to sea for the first time on Dec. 6.

“It was 6:37 a.m. and the country had been enjoying peace for decades,” Twomey said in describing the new commander’s actions on Dec. 7.

“Suddenly there was a conning tower poking just above the surface, almost directly ahead,” he said. “It clearly was not American.”

Outerbridge was summoned to the bridge.

“The brand new captain was face with a momentous decision: what should he do about this submarine?” Twomey said. “Could this really be the Japanese? Was the long, long peace finally over?”

Outerbridge hesitated “not one second,” and “Billy told his sailors to open fire,” Twomey said. The submarine turned over and sank.

A few days later, Outerbridge wrote an update to his wife.

“Joined the ship Friday, got underway Saturday morning and started the war on Sunday.” olson.wyatt@stripes.com Twitter: @WyattWOlson

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MILITARY

Pearl Harbor warship wreckage found

BY WYATT OLSON Stars and Stripes

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — Just days before the 76th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, marine researchers found and explored the undersea wreckage of the U.S. ship that was the first to fire upon a Japanese vessel that day.

On Dec. 1, the crew of the research vessel Petrel sent an underwater drone 650 feet below to explore and document the remnants of the USS Ward, according to a statement by the USS Ward Expedition.

The Ward has rested unseen at the bottom of Ormoc Bay — just off the island of Leyte, Philippines — since it was destroyed by kamikaze planes in 1944. It was the end of the line for a ship that played a historic role in the beginning of World War II. During the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 1941, the Wickes-class destroyer was patrolling the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Just after 6:30 a.m., the officer of the deck spotted the periscope of a Japanese 80foot midget submarine trailing the cargo ship USS Antares into the harbor, which was home to the Pacific Fleet.

The Ward fired on the sub and dropped several depth charges.

“We have attacked, fired upon and dropped depth charges on a submarine operating in defensive sea areas,” the Ward’s commander radioed a few minutes after the

sub rolled over.

The submarine was sunk almost two hours before the first wave of Japanese fighters and bombers attacked the island of Oahu and decimated the Pacific Fleet’s Battleship Row. The Ward’s shots are regarded as the first fired by America during World War II, even though the United States did not officially declare war on Japan until the next day.

After Pearl Harbor, the Ward sailed to the West Coast and was converted into a highspeed transport. It returned to the war, ferrying troops and equipment to island battles in the Solomons.

Three years later to the day, on Dec. 7, 1944, the Ward was attacked near Leyte by several Japanese kamikazes — suicide aircraft loaded with explosives.

One slammed into the ship’s hull, igniting a fire that could not be contained. The crew was ordered to abandon ship, and the Ward was intentionally sunk by a fellow Navy ship.

“The USS Ward found herself in the crucible of American history at the intersection of a peacetime Navy and war footing,” Adm. Scott Swift, Pacific Fleet commander, said in a statement issued by the expedition’s organizers.

“She took decisive, effective and unflinching action despite the uncertain waters. Now 76 years on, her example informs our naval posture.”

The Petrel is owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The 250-foot ship is one

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Terry Leonard, Editor Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content Doreen Wright, U.S. Edition Editor Michael Davidson, Revenue Director CONTACT US 529 14th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20045-1301 Email: stripesweekly@stripes.com Editorial: (202) 761-0900 Advertising: (202) 761-0910 Michael Davidson, Weekly Partnership Director: davidson.michael@stripes.com Additional contact information: stripes.com

Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

The USS Ward runs speed trials off the California coast in September 1918. of the few capable of exploring waters as deep as 3.5 miles.

The Petrel began its five-day expedition in the Philippines on Nov. 28, first surveying five Japanese destroyers sunk during World War II’s Battle of Surigao Strait, the statement said. The research vessel then surveyed the Ward on Dec. 1 before returning to port in Surigao City on Dec. 2.

Searchers verified the wreckage by cross-referencing historic drawings and schematics of the Ward.

Allen has also spearheaded expeditions that discovered the wreckages of the USS Indianapolis in August and the Japanese battleship Musashi in 2015.

Courtesy of Paul Allen

A machine gun on the USS Ward is visible.

olson.wyatt@stripes.com Twitter: @WyattWOlson

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.

© Stars and Stripes, 2017

Courtesy of Paul Allen

The bow of the USS Ward is seen Dec. 1. The Ward has been at the bottom of Ormoc Bay in the Philippines since it was sunk during World War II in 1944.

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Fri Dec 15

7:30pm Suzy Bogguss

Imperial Theatre $15-$40. Visit imperialtheatre.com or call 706-722-8341.

9pm Tunes for Tots

Sky City This music fest benefits the James Brown Christmas Toy Drive and features Bethany and the Southside Boys, Mason Jars, Happy Bones and more.

Free admission with the donation of one children’s toy; $5 without a toy. Visit skycityaugusta.com.

Sat Dec 16

11am Christmas in the Quarters

Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site An event that brings to life the holiday experience of enslaved families at Redcliffe Plantation during the Civil War. Centered on the site’s historic slave cabin, visitors will enjoy special tours, demonstrations and games. $7.50, adults; $5, S.C. seniors and those ages 6-16; free, 5 and under. Call 803-8271473 or visit southcarolinaparks.com/ redcliffe.

2pm - 6pm Toy Shoppe at Towne Center

Evans Towne Center Park Event includes full Christmas vendor village, free Santa photos, free train rides, cookies with Mrs. Claus, ornament decorating, food and beverage vendors, nine holes of North Pole Mini Golf, a giant maze and more. Bring a new,

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Friday, December 15, 2017

unwrapped gift to the ticket booth for Toys for Tots collection. Visit evanstownecenterpark.com or call 706868-3484.

Mon Dec 18

7:30pm ‘O Holy Night: A Classical Christmas’

Covenant Presbyterian Church, Augusta Emmy nominated and award-winning tenor Marco Panuccio performs. $25, general; $15, students. Visit augusta. brownpapertickets.com.

Ongoing

Lights of the South

633 Louisville Road, Grovetown See millions of lights, roast marshmallows, take a hay ride, and more. $12, adults; $9, kids 4-17; free, kids 3 and under. Open through Dec. 30 from 6-10 p.m. (closed on Christmas). Visit lightsofthesouth.com or call 706-5566623.

Augusta on Ice

Augusta Common Daily through Jan. 6, The Augusta Common is a winter wonderland, complete with an ice skating rink, live music, dancing, beer and wine, Santa selfies and more. Passes to all activities cost $20 for one day or $50 for a season pass. General admission for those who just want to watch the skaters, enjoy the entertainment and visit the Elves Lounge (aka alcohol tent) can pay $5 for a day or $20 for the season. Kids under 3 get in free. Visit augustaonice.com.

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