News of the Force: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - Page 1

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Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - Today is World Poetry Day

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Safety first for South Korea

    

    South Korea is taking steps to ensure the safety of its soccer players and fans as its national men's and women's teams prepare for matches in China and North Korea amid tense diplomatic relations between the Asian neighbors.

 

Is Mr. Tillerson going to Russia?

    

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Russia next month, a week after a NATO summit meeting he is skipping, State Department officials said yesterday. But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today he had not heard about the potential visit to Russia by Tillerson.

 

Inherent Resolve airstrikes target ISIS in Iraq

     

    U.S. and Coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 53 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government: Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and three ISIS sniper teams, destroyed 14 fighting positions, five rocket-propelled grenade systems, three vehicle bombs, a supply cache, an anti-air artillery system and a heavy machine gun, damaged six supply routes and two fighting positions, and suppressed four ISIS mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units; Near Qaim, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle; and near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held building.

 

European Union marking 60 years

    

    European Union leaders will gather in Rome this week to proclaim their "common future" on the bloc's 60th birthday, despite a wave of crises including Britain's looming exit from the bloc.

    Meanwhile, after a lot of speculation, a big date in Britain's path to Brexit has been set: On March 29th, Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the E.U.'s charter.

    And big investment banks will begin the process of moving some London-based operations into new hubs inside the European Union within weeks after the U.K. leaves the E.U.

 

Many fear Syria's civil war will spill into Israel

By Lisa Levine, News of the Force Tel Aviv

    

    There are fears here that Syria's civil war will spill into our country, and Iran is trying to make sure that happens.

    In Syria yesterday, coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes consisting of 28 engagements against ISIS targets: Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed three wellheads and a pump jack. And near Raqqa, 19 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units, destroyed four pieces of oil lubricant equipment, three barges, three fighting positions, three ISIS headquarters, two vehicle-bomb facilities, two vehicle-bombs, a vehicle-bomb factory, a tunnel, a vehicle, a weapons storage facility and a command-and-control node, and damaged two supply routes.

    And Intel is "talking up" its partnership with Israel. "We think of our ourselves as an Israeli company as much as a U.S. company," Intel has said.

 

Peru has worst floods in 20 years

    The worst flooding in 20 years is scouring the arid landscape of coastal Peru. Exceptionally warm water in the Pacific Ocean is fueling torrential rain in western South America, which then comes pouring down out of the mountains.

 

Airliner crashes in South Sudan

    A commercial plane yesterday made a crash landing in poor weather at an airport in South Sudan, causing several injuries - but no deaths- among the 43 people on board.

 

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    Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Antonym, n.: The opposite of the word you are trying to think of.

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Homeland insecurity

    

    Every airplane passenger who arrives in Mexico is vetted against U.S. criminal and national security databases, a daily dose of intelligence sharing aimed at finding fugitives and suspected terrorists.

    And The U.S. Government is ordering passengers on nonstop, U.S.-bound flights from a handful of mostly Middle Eastern and North African countries to pack electronic devices other than cell phones in their checked baggage. Senior Trump administration officials said that starting this morning airlines flying directly to the United States from 10 airports in eight countries could allow only cell phones and smartphones in carry-on bags for U.S.-bound flights. Other electronics, including laptops and tablets, will be indefinitely banned from the passenger cabin. The officials said the airlines were to have 96 hours to implement the security order or face being barred from flying to the United States. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the security ban despite President Trump's repeated insistence that anonymous sources should not be trusted. The electronics ban affects flights from international airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. About 50 flights a day, all on foreign carriers, will be impacted. The officials said no U.S.-based airlines have non-stop flights from those cities to the United States. The officials said the decision was prompted by "evaluated intelligence" about ongoing potential threats to airplanes bound for the United States. The officials would not discuss the timing of the intelligence or if any particular terror group is thought to be planning an attack. The ban would affect laptops, iPads, cameras and most other electronics. Royal Jordanian Airlines tweeted about the ban yesterday, telling passengers that medical devices would also be allowed onboard with passengers. Details of the ban were first disclosed by Royal Jordanian Airlines and the official news agency of Saudi Arabia. In its statement, Royal Jordanian said the electronics ban would affect its flights to New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal. Across the Atlantic early today, problems and confusion ensued. Egyptian officials at the Cairo International Airport said they had not received any instructions on banning passengers from bringing laptops, iPads, cameras and some other electronics on board direct flights to the United States. The officials said a New York-bound EgyptAir flight departed and that passengers were allowed to take their laptops and other electronics on board in their carry-on luggage. A spokes-man for Royal Jordanian says the airline has not yet started to enforce the new U.S. regulation. Basel Kilani said the airline was still awaiting formal instructions from the relevant U.S. departments, which could possibly come later today. However, the Mideast's biggest airline is confirming that U.S.-bound passengers will be prevented from carrying electronic gadgets aboard aircraft. Dubai-based Emirates said today the ban takes effect on Saturday. That guidance differs from the information provided by senior Trump administration officials, who have said the ban is in place from today. Brian Jenkins, an aviation-security expert at the Rand Corp., said earlier that the nature of the security measure suggested that it was driven by intelligence of a possible attack. There could be concern about inadequate passenger screening or even conspiracies involving insiders - airport or airline employees - in some countries, he said. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly phoned lawmakers over the weekend to brief them on aviation security issues that have prompted the impending electronics ban, according a congressional aide briefed on the discussion. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The administration officials who briefed reporters about the ban said foreign officials were told about the impending order starting on Sunday. A U.S. Government official said such a ban has been considered for several weeks. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the internal security discussions by the federal government. The ban would begin just before tomorrow's meeting of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Washington, D.C.. A number of top Arab officials were expected to attend the State Department gathering. It was unclear whether their travel plans were related to any increased worry about security threats. Another aviation-security expert, Jeffrey Price, said there could be downsides to the policy. "There would be a huge disadvantage to having everyone put their electronics in checked baggage," said Price, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colo. He said thefts from baggage would skyrocket, as when Britain tried a similar ban in 2006, and some laptops have batteries that can catch fire - an event easier to detect in the cabin than the hold. Most major airports in the United States have a computer tomography, or CT scanner, for checked baggage, which creates a detailed picture of a bag's contents. They can warn an operator of potentially dangerous material, and may provide better security than the X-ray machines used to screen passengers and their carry-on bags. All checked baggage must be screened for explosives.

 

U.S. Army

    

    Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Boniface, 34, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., died on March 19th in Logar Province, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

    Lockheed Martin has built a 60 kW-class beam-combined fiber laser for the U.S. Army, capable of obliterating targets from miles away.

    The first version of the U.S. Army's newest spy plane is in action in Africa and Latin America.

    The U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) is expected to conduct a limited capability demonstration of the JTARV.

    Coeur D'Alene (Idaho) high school four-star quarterback Colson Yankoff is the newest addition to the U.S. Army's All-American Bowl roster.

    Hornell, Alaska, native Lt. Col Bill Kays is retiring from the U.S. Army after 28 years of Army Medical Department work.

    The Army says nationwide, plans are to increase the force by 28,000 in the Army, Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. Active Army personnel will increase by 16,000, the Army National Guard will add 8,000 soldiers, and the U.S. Army Reserve will add 4,000.

    Having a brother can be an adventure. Big brothers are always showing off, and little brothers are always tagging along. And brothers fight - all the time. For brothers Noel and Justin Larson, growing up was no different. "We fought constantly as children - our poor mother. At the same time, we always had each other's back," Noel said. "We could have a knock-down fight one minute, and the next minute be building a fort together." It was their competitive nature that brought out the drive to be successful and made the afternoon of Feb. 11th special for the Larson brothers. With more than 54 years of combined military service, 10,000 flying hours and multiple overseas deployments, Noel and Justin Larson were promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 5 and Chief Warrant Officer 4, respectively, during a short and casual ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

    As artillerists from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, build interoperability with other NATO forces ahead of multinational exercises this spring in Germany and Romania, they also are building solidarity with the Polish community near a training area in Drawsko Pormoskie, Poland. Since arriving in Poland in January as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, have partnered with the Mielenku Drawskim Primary School near the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area. It’s a relationship that carries forward the 4th Infantry Division’s Adopt-a-School program back at their home station of Fort Carson, Colo.

    And The 75th anniversary of World War II’s infamous Bataan Death March was observed by 7,200 people who gathered at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in the early-morning hours to participate in an 8.5-mile walk, on March 19th. Once again, Ben Skardon, a retired Army colonel, was the oldest participant and the only living survivor of the Bataan Death March to walk in the event. Skardon, 99, walked through the unforgiving New Mexico desert as temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit, refusing to quit until he'd finished the same distance he'd covered in his previous nine marches. Skardon is a beloved alumnus and professor emeritus of Clemson University in South Carolina, so Clemson orange was the color of choice for the 64 members of "Ben’s Brigade" - his die-hard support group made up of friends, family, former students and relatives of his fellow prisoners of war. The swarm of orange T-shirts was only given competition as Skardon crossed through several bright yellow fields of blooming California poppies between the four- and six-mile markers. The Bataan Memorial Death March event honors a special group of World War II heroes responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino troops were forced to surrender to Japanese forces. The U.S. service members were soldiers, sailors, airmen from the Army Air Corps, and Marines. Among the surrendering troops were large numbers of the New Mexico Army National Guard’s 200th Coast Artillery - the reason the memorial march is held in New Mexico. Often overlooked are the four months of fierce fighting that took place before the American and Filipino forces surrendered. Skardon earned two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars during that short time span. After their surrender, the troops were force-marched 65 miles to confinement camps throughout the Philippines. They were deprived of food, water and medical care. About 10,000 men died on the march, while thousands of others died in the camps. Those who survived weren't freed until 1945. This was Skardon’s 10th, and he insists, not his last time walking in the march there, which marks its 28th year.Skardon said he considers a personal pilgrimage to participate in the walk. He also said it’s his obligation to attend every year, and walk with the thousands of others who come to honor his brothers-in-arms who didn't survive the Bataan Death March or the years of confinement that followed.

 

Police stories

    

    An arrest has been made in the deaths of two Colorado teenagers. The deaths were ruled homicides, but the cause was not clear.

    Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch pledged to be independent or "hang up the robe" as the U.S. Senate began his confirmation hearing.

    President Trump has taken to Twitter to declare the possibility of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign "fake news."

    Three-year-old twins are dead after apparently wandering into a pond in Missouri. The Kansas City Star reports the twins' father woke up yesterday morning and realized the twins, a son and daughter, were missing from their Platte County home. County Undersheriff Maj. Erik Holland says both toddlers were found in the pond. The girl was found first and was rushed to a local hospital where she later died. Responders did not immediately see the boy until a dive team arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Holland says authorities are investigating but don't have information that indicates anything other than an accident. The private pond sits behind a few houses, including the one where the children lived.

    A man who was shot after a gun went off during an assault inside the MetroLink train near Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., on Sunday died today, police say. Police identified the victim as Mac Payne, 57. The events began after a man, 51, and his 29-year-old son, boarded a westbound train in Belleville shortly before 10:30 p.m. Four males and two females who appeared to know one another boarded in East St. Louis, police said. The group wanted the man and his son to give them money, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said at the crime scene. About the time the train arrived at the Stadium station at 400 South Eighth Street shortly before 11 p.m., the son reached to give them $5. Someone grabbed the money from the son and began pistol-whipping him in the face. The gun apparently went off during a struggle between the group and the son, and the bullet went through a train window, hitting the victim, who had just exited the train. The attackers fled. The man and his son who had been assaulted stayed on the train and met up with police at the Central West End station. They were treated at a hospital for injuries to their faces and released.

    The new Kevin Spacey production, Manifesto, is now casting for men between the ages of 28 and 58 to play U.S. Marshals for a 3-day scene shooting.

    Four Ohio children called 911 after finding their parents unresponsive.

The four children woke up and were about to start getting ready for school when they found their parents, Brian and Courtney Halye, unresponsive and cold in their bedroom. The children, ages 9 to 13, dialed 911. "My mom's on the floor and my stepdad's basically pale and they're not waking up," Courtney Halye's daughter told an emergency dispatcher through tears. Indeed, they were dead, and Montgomery County Coroner's Office Director Ken Betz told The Dayton Daily News that the "preliminary indication is probable accidental drug overdose." Authorities think the culprit may be heroin that was mixed with fentanyl - a deadly combination that has claimed countless lives across the country. In a second 911 call last Thursday from the home in southwestern Ohio, another child, a 13-year-old, tried to answer a dispatcher's questions as his siblings could be heard wailing in the background. "Are they breathing?" the dispatcher asked. "I don't think so," the boy responded. "Have they been feeling ill?" a medic asked. "No, they were just fine," he replied. He called out to his sisters, "Guys, did you see anything? What was wrong with them? They said that my stepdad's face was pale and there was black lines all over his face," the boy then said. "Are they warm or cold to the touch?" the medic said. "They were very cold," he responded. "Do you guys have gas appliances?" the medic asked. "What's a gas appliance?" he replied. When authorities arrived, the boy could be heard directing them to his parents' bedroom at their home in Centerville, not far from Dayton: "My parents are upstairs to the left - the last door to the left." The boy continued talking to the dispatcher, telling her that he had stepped outside. When asked whether he was cold, he replied, "A little bit; I'm fine." He could be heard sniffling as the recording cut out. As with much of the United States, Ohio is in the throes of a ruthless opioid epidemic that shows no signs of abating. Children have become innocent victims; some have seen their parents shoot up and overdose, occasionally with fatal consequences. Others have unwittingly faced overdoses themselves. In September 2016, a chilling photograph distributed by the authorities captured the innocence lost on a 4-year-old's face in East Liverpool, Ohio, where a man and woman were seen slumped over after overdosing in a vehicle, the boy still strapped into his car seat in the back. A week later and 600 miles away, at a Family Dollar store in Lawrence, Mass., a hysterical toddler was captured on a cell phone video as she tried to wake her mother after an apparent drug overdose. The video showed the toddler, dressed in pink-and-purple "Frozen" pajamas, pulling her mother's fingers, then sitting down beside her and shaking her mother's face. In October, a 7-year-old girl in McKeesport, Pa., told her school bus driver that she hadn't been able to wake the adults in her house for days, and that their bodies were beginning to change colors. She had been caring for three other children in the home - ages 5, 3 and 9 months - and had gotten herself back and forth to school, police said. Her parents were dead. Then, a couple in Washington state made news when authorities said they had been injecting their young children with heroin, reportedly calling it "feel good medicine." Synthetic opioids, including heroin and its deadlier cousin, fentanyl, are the main drivers of overdose deaths across the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Ohio Department of Health reports that the number of opioid-related deaths in the state sky-rocketed from 296 in 2003 to 2,590 in 2015 - a 775 percent jump over a 12-year period. These numbers include deaths involving prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl, which is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Centerville police spokesman John Davis said Brian and Courtney Halye were the city's fifth and sixth fatal overdose victims this year. Last year, there were just five. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you are - this epidemic knows no boundaries," Davis told The Washington Post, adding that the Centerville case illustrates that. Davis said the couple's deaths appeared to be drug-related because drug paraphernalia was found at the scene and that it "meets all the criteria" for a heroin-fentanyl overdose. But authorities are awaiting the toxicology results, he said. Davis said the danger is that, in many cases, drug dealers have no idea what they are selling - and users have no idea what they are buying. Brian Halye, a 36-year-old pilot for Spirit Airlines, married Courtney in 2013, according to his obituary. Each had two children from previous relationships, police said. Spirit Airlines said in a statement that Halye had worked for the company for more than nine years and had flown his final flight on March 10th. "Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Halye," Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said in a statement. Berry said that Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration regulations require airlines to conduct tests for pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and dispatchers, including "random and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing." If someone in one of these "safety-sensitive positions" tests positive, that person would be "immediately removed from their position," he said. Another spokesman said the company would not be providing any further comment. Courtney Halye, 34, was described in her obituary as "a kind loving generous soul. She had a smile that lit up a room which made her very much loved by all her family and friends," it read. "Courtney was a wonderful nurturing mother to two beautiful children." The Dayton Daily News reported that Courtney Halye apparently had a history that involved drugs. In 2007, Jacob Castor, her then-husband and father of her children, died of a drug overdose, the newspaper reported, citing the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. In 2009 she was convicted of felony drug possession, although the case was later expunged, according to The Dayton Daily News. Nancy Casey, Courtney Halye's mother, recently told NBC News that Courtney Halye had Type 1 diabetes and was on medication for depression; but she said she did not think her daughter and son-in-law had a persistent drug problem. "I don't know if they decided they were going to party, or went and they got a hold of this bad stuff going around town," Casey said. But she added that she had been concerned since she talked to them the day before the couple was found dead. "I had this dreadful feeling all day," she told NBC News. "Something was off with her and something was off with him."

    The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Police say U.S. Marshals have arrested a man accused of shooting and killing 25-year-old Jahiml Ismailibn Almin.

    The U.S. Marshals need your help to find Diego Cruz-Cavazos after he allegedly violated the conditions of his supervised release.

    Pomona, Calif., has ended an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to house federal prisoners - who may include undocumented aliens.

    A 44-year-old man living in the Myerstown area has been arrested as a Rhode Island Megan's Law violator, the U.S. Marshals Service said yesterday.

    And the U.S. Marshals Service's Regional Fugitive Task Force captured Wayne Marc Williams, 25, of Biloxi, yesterday in Jackson County, Miss. The Biloxi police said he was arrested on a warrant charging him with burglarizing a home in Biloxi.

 

U.S. Coast Guard

    

    An MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., has assisted a damaged charter boat off the state's coast, with help from the U.S. Navy.

    The U.S. Coast Guard, which controls a drawbridge's operating schedule in St. Augustine, Fla., is looking for public comments about whether to adjust how often the bridge opens and closes.

    The U.S. Coast Guard continues ice-breaking activities this week, in anticipation of the opening of the Soo Locks on Saturday.

    The U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted 65 Cubans trying to reach Florida or Puerto Rico since Jan. 12th.

    And Airman Gregory Jacquet was named the U.S. Coast Guard's Enlisted Person of the Year, yesterday.

 

Exercise commences in Nepal

    

    Shanti Prayas III, a multinational peacekeeping exercise, kicked off yesterday with an opening ceremony at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Center in Panchkhal, Nepal.

    Shanti Prayas III is a Global Peace Operations Initiative capstone exercise designed to train defense personnel for participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

    At the ceremony, U.S. Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, reaffirmed the U.S.' commitment to U.N. peacekeeping initiatives and the importance of working together. "The United States is committed to U.N. peacekeeping missions, mandates and tasks that support the rules-based international order, a system that benefits all nations," the admiral said. "That’s why we continue to work together with partners from the countries you all represent. Here in a center where the motto is ‘Peace with Honor’ and involved in an exercise whose name translates as ‘Efforts for Peace,’ you will enhance our interoperability and engage in vital, realistic training."

    Multinational peacekeeping exercises supporting the Global Peace Operations Initiative have been conducted annually in Pacom’s area of responsibility since 2006. Previous iterations of Shanti Prayas took place in Nepal in 2000 and 2013. Exercise participants train in skills required to carry out U.N. peacekeeping mission mandates and tasks during staff and field training events and U.S.-Nepalese bilateral U.N. capabilities enhancement courses that run concurrently.

    U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B. Teplitz said the United States is a proud partner in the production of the Shanti Prayas III exercise. "Support to peacekeeping falls in line with the United States’ goals in the Asia-Pacific region," she said. "Peacekeeping affects the stability of regions and thereby can set the conditions where democracy and prosperity can flourish. United Nations peacekeeping is very important to the U.S.," she continued, "and we routinely put valuable resources into partnering with the global community to ensure peacekeepers have the resources they need to accomplish this very important mission." Teplitz also praised members of the Nepalese army for their selfless service and dedication to peacekeeping. In particular, she paid tribute to Major Kabindra Jung Thapa, who lost his life in the line of duty on June 1, 2005, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A training complex in the Birendra Peace Operations Training Center is dedicated to Thapa, and Teplitz said that’s a fitting way to honor his life and sacrifice. "His willingness to give his life in defense of the defenseless and sacrifice to peace cannot be forgotten," Teplitz said. "I think it’s appropriate that the building shares his name.”

    Shanti Prayas III provides an opportunity for participating nations’ militaries to train together, building interoperability and establishing good working relationships. Military personnel from Nepal, the United States, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Fiji, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zambia are participating.

    In total, some 68 U.S. service members and 540 Nepalese army personnel will participate, along with 460 personnel from the other participating nations.

 

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