More Army cuts at Lewis-McChord starting to feel inevitable, as Congress stands by

(Tribune News Service)— When post-Iraq War defense cuts hit the Pentagon, Congress took steps to protect a jet that the Air Force said it could do without.

Lawmakers also blocked cuts to the perks troops receive for joining the military.

And they forbade the Defense Department from closing a single domestic military installation.

But so far, Congress has not stopped a plan that could result in the loss of up to 11,000 soldiers and civilians at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, on top of 5,000 already gone. It’s a part of steep drawdown in the size of the active-duty Army that could slash as many as 90,000 more soldiers from today’s force of 510,000 active-duty troops around the world.

That looming force reduction is the reason military officials are hosting a town hall in Lakewood this week. They want to hear from residents about how the cuts could impact local communities so the Army can decide what steps to take next and how to meet its budget.

Lawmakers and military officials say some losses are inevitable unless Congress repeals the forced federal budget cuts known as sequestration. It would slash about $500 billion in planned military spending by 2021 and could start to compel more force reductions next year.

The broad cuts to Army personnel, though unpopular in military communities like the South Sound, represent the “path of least resistance” for a Congress that wants post-war defense savings but won’t commit to reducing any specific military program, said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Bellevue, the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.

It’s easier to allow general cuts to the size of the Army than it is for lawmakers to condone distinct programs being canceled in their home districts, Smith said.

“Since Congress is not allowing those things to happen, then the Army’s got do to what it’s got to do,” said Smith, who voted against the 2011 budget compromise that set the stage for the Army force reductions.

Lawmakers of both parties say they deplore sequestration, and that’s no surprise. It was designed in the Budget Control Act of 2011 to be so unappealing that political leaders would feel compelled to strike long-term deals.

Yet the cuts are still in play.

Democrats want to protect social services that also are subject to sequestration, while Republicans have declined to consider raising taxes to offset the cutbacks.

“There’s no question that we’re going to be downsizing; it’s just a question of, ‘are we going to be downsizing in a smart way?’” said Rep. Denny Heck, D-Olympia, whose district includes JBLM.

Sequestration, he said, is “a blunt instrument. It’s a stupid instrument. It’s not a strategic instrument.”

Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, used similarly strong language.

“I’m pretty sure that sequestration is a Latin word for stupid,” said Kilmer, who this month was given a seat on the House committee that makes major decisions about spending. “Making deep, across-the-board cuts without any thoughtful prioritization or strategy is another example of Congress failing to make the tough decisions.”

Smith and his counterpart, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, will be key players in figuring out a way to stave off the cuts. Both oppose sequestration and say at least a short-term fix is possible in the new Congress.

“I think Republicans and most Democrats in Congress believe the current law needs to be changed, and I think there is a clear majority in both parties to do that,” Thornberry said. “Then the question is how you do it.”

Two years ago, a budget deal negotiated by Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan bought some time for the Pentagon by delaying some of sequestration’s most immediate cuts.

Now the Army is getting ready for that grace period to lift.

The path to Wednesday’s town hall on cuts to JBLM began in 2012 when then Defense Secretary Leon Panetta proposed shrinking the Army from its peak in 2011 of 570,000 soldiers to a force of 490,000.

The Army in 2013 published a report on how to reach that target, largely by taking roughly one combat brigade from every major Army installation while drawing down units stationed overseas.

That plan has already cost JBLM about 5,000 soldiers who were assigned to now-inactivated Stryker, artillery and aviation units.

Last year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for an even smaller force of 450,000 active-duty soldiers. If the sequestration cuts persist, Hagel last year said the Army would have to drop to a force of 420,000 soldiers by 2020, which in a worst case could mean as many as 11,000 positions cut at JBLM.

That is the plan up for discussion at this week’s forum in Lakewood.

JBLM now has about 27,600 active-duty soldiers assigned to it, down from a peak of about 34,000 in 2011. The base could have as few as 16,000 soldiers if it’s hit with the full cuts that are now under consideration.

Since Hagel announced his budget proposal last year, Congress blocked a number of his other budget-saving recommendations, such as:

• Retiring the Air Force’s A-10 jet. It’s an aircraft popular among ground forces because it is used to support troops in close combat.

• Embarking on a Base Closure and Realignment Commission to close some military installations.

• Making significant cuts to housing allowances and spending on commissaries at defense installations.

Lawmakers rejected or significantly reduced each of those proposals in a process that Smith argues will prevent the Pentagon from properly managing necessary spending cuts.

“This is the way the Army is likely to be cut given the way Congress acts,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t say this is the way Congress wants it to be done, but if we don’t start allowing some of the other cuts that have been proposed, it’s what will be done.”

Thornberry said Congress was right to question Hagel’s recommendations. He pointed out that the Pentagon has sent A-10 aircraft to Iraq to help against Islamic State militants.

“(Defense officials) recommend retiring the A-10 and then, lo and behold, they have sent the A-10 to participate in the military actions in Iraq and Syria,” he said. “Sometimes congressional judgment is right.”

Thornberry also said he’d prefer to wait on significant changes to service members’ pay and benefits until Congress receives an expert report on military compensation that’s due this month.

Meanwhile, as complicated world events continue to unfold, military units keep preparing to respond.

At JBLM, a division headquarters is adding staff to prepare for a possible overseas deployment, other units train for operations with Asian allies in the Pacific, and still others deploy in small numbers to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Our mission is not over,” said retired Brig. Gen. Oscar Hilman of Tacoma, an Iraq veteran. “We’re going to a post-war world when we’re still at war.”

Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646

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©2015 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)

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Obama tells Congress that sanctions on Iran could lead to war

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama vowed Friday to stop any attempt by Congress to ratchet up sanctions against Iran while the U.S. and partner countries negotiate over its nuclear program.

Obama also warned lawmakers that they would be responsible if a sanctions drive were to lead to the collapse of the ongoing talks. A diplomatic failure could even lead to a war, which “Congress will have to own” if it passes a new sanctions bill, he said.

“It will jeopardize the possibility of providing a diplomatic solution to one of the most difficult and long-lasting national security problems we have faced in a very long time,” Obama said in a news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron. “My main message to Congress at this point is, ‘Just hold your fire.’”

Obama’s language and forceful tone marked a sharp intensification of the White House effort to preserve the prospect of a deal with Iran and signaled deep anxieties about Congress’ plans.

The presence of Cameron, who acknowledged that he has taken the unusual step of contacting U.S. senators about the possible sanctions, illustrated the high-stakes nature of Obama’s tough talk. Many countries are watching closely to see whether the discussions fail, which many fear could lead to Iran building a nuclear bomb that could further destabilize the Middle East.

The charge that Congress is risking war is an explosive one aimed at lawmakers who mostly contend they are increasing the chance that diplomacy will succeed by building economic pressure on Tehran.

“This is where I have a fundamental disagreement with the president,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., noting that sanctions would be set to go into effect only if the discussions produce no agreement.

Iran and six powers — the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — have been negotiating under the terms of an interim agreement worked out in November 2013. It gave Iran limited relief from sanctions in exchange for a halt to some of its most worrisome nuclear activities.

Iran and the world powers missed deadlines twice last year to complete a deal, and critics of the diplomatic effort contend that these failures show Iran is unwilling to yield and that more sanctions are required.

But administration officials argue that the clamor for tougher sanctions stands to disrupt the negotiations.

For Obama, the next months of the nuclear talks are about keeping options alive, even if the odds are long, on an issue he sees as significant to his own legacy. He noted that the likelihood of diplomatic success on the nuclear negotiations stands at less than 50-50.

“I don’t think anybody’s optimistic that we’re going to fix this problem any time soon,” said Jon Alterman, Middle East specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But we’re much better working together to capitalize on the moment rather than fumbling the moment with political grandstanding.”

Administration officials argue that new sanctions would be seen as a gesture of bad faith not only by Iranian officials, but also by the other world powers at the bargaining table and many other countries around the world. The United States, in this view, would end up with the blame for the collapse of the talks.

In trying to make that case, Obama got an assist from Cameron.

He said he spoke to a couple of senators “to make the point as a country that stands alongside America in these vital negotiations” that additional sanctions won’t help the talks succeed.

Yet the strategy of bringing Cameron into the lobbying effort could backfire, said Nile Gardiner of the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

“The degree to which David Cameron has been roped into selling Obama’s message is striking, and it’s a risky move,” Gardiner said. “There could be a backlash against what could be seen as an intervention by a foreign leader in a U.S. debate.”

Some lawmakers were likely to be unmoved by Cameron’s argument.

The end of negotiations is the whole point of such congressional action, Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, has said. “It is very much an intended consequence — a feature, not a bug, so to speak,” Cotton said in a recent address to a conservative policy summit.

Senate Republicans say they are moving toward a sanctions vote this month or next and may also vote soon to restrict the Obama administration’s ability to strike any kind of pact with Iran over its nuclear program.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., new chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, argued this week that giving Congress approval power over the deal would be comparable to the current process required if the U.S. arranges to sell nuclear products to friendly countries.

“Should Congress not have the same ability to weigh in on an agreement that’s far more important?” Corker asked.

U.S. negotiators met with Iranian officials Friday in Geneva to try to advance the negotiations, and Secretary of State John F. Kerry also met in Paris with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In the news conference, Obama insisted that he would accept only a deal that ensured Iran would be prevented from developing a bomb, noting the U.S. refusal to accept the terms offered by Tehran so far.

“I’ve already shown myself willing to walk away from a bad deal,” Obama said.

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Tribune Washington Bureau staff writers Paul Richter and Michael A. Memoli contributed to this report.

©2015 Tribune Co. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Typhoon cuts short Pope Francis' visit to Philippines city leveled by Haiyan

TACLOBAN, Philippines — Pope Francis cut short his visit to a typhoon-hit region of the Philippines on Saturday because of an approaching typhoon.

In brief, unscripted comments, Francis took the microphone soon after arriving at the main cathedral in Leyte province and told a surprised crowd that he would have to leave at 1 p.m., four hours ahead of schedule.

"I apologize to all of you," he said, speaking in Italian through a translator. "I am sad about this, truly saddened."

Typhoon Mekkhala is barreling toward the area, already dumping rain on a papal Mass in the morning, and is expected to make landfall on nearby Samar Island late afternoon or early evening with winds of 60-80 mph, the weather bureau said.

RELATED: Get updates on Typhoon Mekkhala at Stars and Stripes' Pacific Storm Tracker blog

The pope said the pilots of the Philippine Airlines jet told him the weather would worsen after 1 p.m. "We barely have time to get to the airplane," he said.

Some of the priests, nuns and others in the cathedral groaned, though mostly in a good-humored way.

After a quick exchange of gifts, in which Francis received a wood image of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception made from the debris from the typhoon-damaged church, his motorcade sped to the airport in Tacloban.

Francis traveled to the far eastern Philippines to comfort survivors of devastating Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, himself braving rains and heavy winds from the approaching storm and conceding that it was hard to find the right words when surrounded by so much pain.

"So many of you have lost everything," Francis told 150,000 Catholic faithful gathered before Mass under a steady rain in an open field near the airport in Tacloban, the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan. "I don't know what to say to you, but the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silent. And I walk with you all with my silent heart."

Many in the crowd wept as Francis spoke, overcome by the memory of the Nov. 8, 2013, storm that leveled entire villages with ferocious winds and 21-foot waves and left more than 7,300 people dead or missing. Francis joined them in solidarity, even donning the same yellow rain poncho over his vestments that Mass-goers were given to protect them from the storm.

He drew applause when he told them that he had decided to visit the city of 200,000 in the eastern Leyte province in the days immediately after the storm.

"I wanted to come to be with you. It's a bit late, I have to say, but I am here."

Francis spoke in his native Spanish — which he reverts to when he wants to speak from the heart. He ditched his prepared homily and instead composed a brief prayer off the cuff that began: "Thank you, Lord, for sharing our pain. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope..."

As he spoke, the winds whipped the altar cloth and threatened to topple over the candlesticks.

Ferry services were suspended to Leyte, stranding thousands of travelers including some who wanted to see the pope.

A police official estimated the crowd at 150,000 before the pope's arrival and said tens of thousands more were lined up outside the airport area. Wearing plastic raincoats, the festive crowd in the city clapped in unison to blaring music welcoming the pope, cheering when his plane landed after the hour-long flight from Manila.

The pope blew kisses, waved and flashed the thumbs up sign to the crowd while riding on a covered popemobile from the airport terminal to the nearby altar.

"I hope the pope can help us forget and help us accept that our loved ones are gone," said Joan Cator, 23, weeping as she spoke. She lost two aunts and four nieces and nephews. "We still cry often and don't talk about what happened."

Villagers hung banners welcoming the pope from the bow of a steel-hulled cargo shop that smashed houses when it was swept in by Haiyan and remains on shore.

"Pope Francis cannot give us houses and jobs, but he can send our prayers to God," said Ernesto Hengzon, 62. "I'm praying for good health and for my children too. I am old and sickly. I'm praying that God will stop these big storms. We cannot take any more of it. We have barely recovered. Many people are still down there."

Francis is visiting the Philippines after stopping in Sri Lanka earlier in the week.

On Sunday, he is due to celebrate the culminating Mass of the visit in Manila's Rizal Park, where as many as 6 million people are expected. St. John Paul II drew a record 5 million people to his final Mass in Manila in 1995, and organizers say they think Francis may top that record.

During his visit, Francis has condemned the corruption that deprives the poor and he issued his strongest defense yet of church teaching opposing artificial contraception. He also made a surprise visit to meet with street children cared for by a Catholic foundation. Photos of the event show a beaming Francis sitting with two boys on his lap, and another with children embracing his belly.

Security has been tighter than it has ever been for this pope. It appeared to let up a bit outside of Manila: Cellphones worked in Tacloban and the police presence appeared to be less intrusive, though Mass-goers were told not to bring umbrellas.

Associated Press writers Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

Massive crowds greet Pope Francis in Philippine city leveled by Typhoon Haiyan

TACLOBAN, Philippines — Pope Francis arrived in the typhoon-hit Philippine city of Tacloban on Saturday, where he was met by a huge crowd drenched from waiting for hours in the rain.

The pope will celebrate a Mass in an open field near the airport, and have lunch with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, the November 2013 storm that leveled entire villages and left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

A police official estimated the crowd at 150,000 and said tens of thousands more are lined up outside. Wearing plastic raincoats, the festive crowd clapped in unison to blaring music welcoming the pope, cheering when they heard the pope's plane land.

RELATED: Get updates on Typhoon Mekkhala at Stars and Stripes' Pacific Storm Tracker blog

Villagers hung banners welcoming the pope from the bow of a steel-hulled cargo shop that smashed houses when it was swept in by Haiyan and remains on shore.

"Pope Francis cannot give us houses and jobs, but he can send our prayers to God," said Ernesto Hengzon, 62. "I'm praying for good health and for my children too. I am old and sickly. I'm praying that God will stop these big storms. We cannot take any more of it. We have barely recovered. Many people are still down there."

The rains were brought by approaching Typhoon Mekkhala, which has prompted authorities to suspend ferry services to Leyte province, where Tacloban is located, stranding thousands of travelers including some who wanted to see the pope.

Francis is on the second full-day of a three-day visit to the Philippines. He was in Sri Lanka earlier in the week.

He issued his strongest defense yet of church teaching opposing artificial contraception on Friday, using a rally in Asia's largest Catholic nation to urge families to be "sanctuaries of respect for life."

Francis also denounced the corruption that has plagued the Philippines for decades and urged officials to instead work to end its "scandalous" poverty and social inequalities during his first full day in Manila, where he received a rock star's welcome at every turn.

Security was tighter than it has ever been for this pope, who relishes plunging into crowds. Cellphone service around the city was intentionally jammed for a second day on orders of the National Telecommunications Commission and roadblocks along Francis' motorcade route snarled traffic for miles (kilometers).

Police vans followed his motorcade while officers formed human chains in front of barricades to hold back the tens of thousands of wildly cheering Filipinos who packed boulevards for hours just for a glimpse of his four-door Volkswagen passing by.

Police said another 86,000 gathered outside one of Manila's biggest sports arenas, capacity 20,000, where Francis held his first encounter with the Filipino masses: a meeting with families. There, he firmly upheld church teaching opposing artificial contraception and endeared himself to the crowd with off-the-cuff jokes and even a well-intentioned attempt at sign language.

Francis has largely shied away from emphasizing church teaching on hot-button issues, saying the previous two popes made the teaching well-known and that he wants to focus on making the church a place of welcome, not rules. But his comments were clearly a nod to the local church, which recently lost a significant fight when President Benigno Aquino III pushed through a reproductive health law that allows the government to provide artificial birth control to the poor.

"Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death," Francis exhorted the crowd. "What a gift this would be to society if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation."

He then deviated from his prepared remarks to praise Pope Paul VI for having "courageously" resisted calls for an opening in church teaching on sexuality in the 1960s. Paul penned the 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which enshrined the church's opposition to artificial birth control.

Francis noted that Paul was aware that some families would find it difficult to uphold the teaching and "he asked confessors to be particularly compassionate and understandable for particular cases."

But he nevertheless said Paul was prescient in resisting the trends of the times.

"He looked beyond. He looked to the peoples of the Earth and saw the destruction of the family because of the lack of children," Francis said. "Paul VI was courageous. He was a good pastor. He warned his sheep about the wolves that were approaching, and from the heavens he blesses us today."

Francis also urged families to be on guard against what he called "ideological colonization," an apparent reference to gay marriage, which isn't legal in the Philippines. The church opposes gay marriage, holding that marriage is only between man and wife.

The government has declared national holidays during the pope's visit, which culminates Sunday with a Mass in Manila's huge Rizal Park, and the crowds responded by turning out in droves to welcome him. Authorities estimated that between 700,000 and 1 million people lined his motorcade route in from the airport Thursday night.

"It is the wish of every Filipino to see him, and if possible, to interact with him, talk to him," said Alberto Garcia, a 59-year-old electrician who was among a crowd of about 100 people who gathered in front of a giant screen mounted on a truck at a public square to watch Friday's Mass. "Because that is impossible, just by being here we can take part in his mission to visit and bring grace to this country."

Francis was clearly energized by the raucous welcome, stopping several times Friday to kiss children brought up to him once he entered the presidential palace grounds. His motorcade didn't stop along the route, though, for him to get out to and greet the crowd as he likes to do.

It remains to be seen if he will chafe at the intense security provided by authorities, who appeared to leave nothing to chance. They have good reason to go overboard after Pope Paul VI was slightly wounded in an assassination attempt during his visit in 1970 and St. John Paul II was the target of militants whose plot was uncovered days before his 1995 arrival.

About 50,000 police and troops have been deployed to secure the pope in a country where relatively small numbers of al-Qaida-inspired militants remain a threat in the south despite more than a decade of U.S.-backed military offensives.

Associated Press writers Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano in Manila contributed to this report.

Visa waivers could help terrorists enter US, Homeland Security chief says

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson acknowledged concerns Friday that terrorists might use the visa waiver program to enter the United States, and said his department is taking steps to address weaknesses in the program.

Johnson told an aviation industry luncheon that he doesn't want to discard the program, which makes it easier for Americans to travel to friendly countries and for citizens of those countries to travel to the U.S. "It represents an important element of lawful commerce between and among our international partners," he said.

But he noted that some of those countries also have citizens or legal residents who have left to fight or train with terrorist groups in the Middle East, Asia or Africa, then returned home intent on violence. For example, some citizens or residents of France and Germany have traveled to the Middle East to fight or train with al-Qaida or Islamic State militants. The concern is that those fighters will return to their home countries and from there travel to the U.S.

In November, the department added new information fields to the electronic system for travel authorization, Johnson said. He said he has also asked his staff to tighten the security assurances the U.S. has with countries that participate in the waiver program.

"To deal with the foreign fighter potential, the foreign fighter threat presented now globally, we need to develop more robust information sharing with our key counterterrorism allies overseas to share information about individuals of suspicion," Johnson said. "There is much work to be done."

Foreign fighters already known to the U.S. are less likely to enter the U.S. without a visa than those unknown to intelligence agencies. For example, the two brothers French authorities said conducted the deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris — Said Kouachi, 34, and his brother Cherif, 32 — were already on the U.S. no-fly list. Said Kouchaci had traveled to Yemen and Cherif Kouachi had served 18 months in prison for recruiting militants to fight the U.S. in Iraq.

Johnson also said the 15 Customs and Border Protection clearance centers established at overseas airports to screen airline passengers bound for the U.S. have been successful. The center the agency opened last year in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, prevented 450 people from boarding planes to the U.S., including several who were on the terror watch list, he said.

Some U.S. airlines opposed the Abu Dhabi center, saying it benefited their Middle Eastern competitors.

Few options for US drivers in Germany whose US licenses expired

Americans in the crosshairs of a dispute between the U.S. and Germany over a change in driving rules face few options now that an expired U.S. license means it’s illegal for them to drive in some German states.

So far, military officials don’t have a ready solution either since the U.S. command seems to have been caught off guard by the sudden change in policy.

While many U.S. states grant automatic license renewal to active duty members while they’re living outside that state, such leniency is rare for civilians. Requirements for renewing a driver’s license vary by state and often include multiple proofs of residency, such as utility bills and bank statements. Those rules put some Defense Department civilians who have spent long careers overseas in a difficult spot.

Michael Spears, 64, a civilian at Ramstein Air Base, who has been in Germany for 25 years,no longer owns property in Texas.

“Unless I show residency in Texas, I cannot renew it,” he said an employee from Texas’ motor vehicle office told him.

An untold number of other civilians are in the same position.

“It’s all very frustrating,” said Todd, a Defense Department contractor in the Kaisersalutern area who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of being targeted by German police.

Todd’s Florida license expired four years ago and he hasn’t been back to his home state in years. Now, he said, he will likely have to make an unplanned trip to get a new license, but establishing residency remains a problem.

In Florida, two pieces of evidence are needed to establish proof of residency. He already has one: a voter registration card.

“My mom still lives in Florida,” said Todd, saying that having his name added to her bank account or utility bills could offer a solution.

In the meantime, Todd, whose work requires him to drive across Germany and other parts of Europe, said he has no choice but to keep on driving, even if the Germans say he is breaking the law.

“If I get caught I’ll have to deal with it,” Todd said.

German law enforcement officials in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate have warned that violators could have their cars impounded or towed and could face fines or even confinement for repeat offenses.

While several other German states have indicated that they also will impose the new license policy, there have been no signs yet of enforcement outside Rhineland-Palatinate, according to U.S. Army Europe.

USAREUR requires a valid stateside license when a member of the military community first applies for a USAREUR license, but generally has not asked to see a valid stateside license for renewal.

On Thursday, USAREUR warned personnel without a current stateside driver’s license to avoid driving on public roads while the U.S. seeks to clarify with Germany what USAREUR says is a new policy governing driving rules in the country.

The German Foreign Ministry, however, said the decision to require valid stateside licenses in conjunction with a USAREUR license was taken in Spring 2013 and was communicated to the U.S. Embassy at that time.

U.S. military and diplomatic officials have so far not said if they were informed about the change in 2013, and if so, why the issue is only now coming to light.

“The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany prefers not to make public diplomatic correspondence,” Jackie McKennan, the embassy spokeswoman, said in a statement.

USAREUR said the dispute over the new policy is being negotiated at the diplomatic level.

Spears asked, if it’s true the U.S. was notified of the changes in 2013, “why wasn’t anything put out since then?”

An auto mechanic at Ramstein, Spears said that about half his shop of 14 employees is in the same boat as he. Carpooling isn’t an option, with employees scattered all over the Kaiserslautern area.

“What am I going to do? That’s my biggest concern,” he said. “I can’t stop driving, because I’ve got to go to work.”

Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether obtaining a German license is a viable alternative to flying back to the States to renew a U.S. license.

The supplement to the U.S. Status of Forces Agreement states such an option should be possible with force approval.

However, in practice, that may not be so.

“We tell people to check with the locals first,” said Thomas Lorenzini, registrar at the U.S. Army Europe Registry of Motor Vehicles. Some jurisdictions have in the past refused to give licenses to U.S. personnel.

“Some places have said you have to be separating from the service or they won’t give it. So people really need to check first with their town,” Lorenzini said.

Employees at city driver licensing offices in two German states, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hessen, said Friday that Americans who are in Germany under the SOFA cannot obtain a German driver’s license because they are not registered as residents.

And, procuring a German license can be costly in terms of time and money.

Some states have a reciprocal agreement with Germany, which exempts drivers from theoretical and behind-the-wheel lessons, but that requires a valid stateside license, an official with the Kaiserslautern motor vehicles department said.

The full training costs at least 1,500 euros and includes a first-aid course, a vision test and at least 12 hours of on-road training, said Ilse Weber a employee at a Kaiserslautern driving school.

Military officials said Friday they don’t yet know how many people are in violation of the law. The U.S. military community in Germany is comprised of about 90,000 active duty, civilian personnel and family members.

“At this level, we haven’t got a lot of calls where people are in that position,” said Capt. Sheryll Klinkel, a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Forces in Europe — U.S. Air Forces Africa at Ramstein.

The command is urging airmen and civilian employees to ensure their stateside licenses are current, and if not, check state requirements to see if one can renew online or get an extension, Klinkel said.

“In the worst case, look at other options for transportation,” she said. “Try to find alternate ways to work, such as carpooling or having a spouse drive or getting a German’s driver’s license.”

Officials recommend that people check with the base legal office if they have specific questions about whether they’re compliant, said 2nd Lt. Clay Lancaster, spokesman with the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein. “If they’re invalid according to the German government, get compliant with the German law as it stands now,” he said.

Thirty-six states extend automatic renewal to military members while serving on active duty outside that particular state. However, a German police official said he was unaware of such extensions and did not know if that would be recognized under German law.

Some states allow drivers to renew their licenses online, as long as they haven’t yet expired or have only been expired for a certain period.

One state that offers to renew expired licenses for both active duty troops, DOD civilians, contractors and dependents is Delaware, so long as official orders show the expiration occurred while on assignment overseas.

Reporter Marcus Klockener contributed to this report.

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Women to be allowed to take Army Ranger course for first time

About 60 women will be allowed to take the next Army Ranger course assessment, giving female soldiers their first opportunity in the all-male area of special operations forces — even though they will not become members of the regiment and will not serve as Rangers in combat.

Under current, still evolving military policy, only men can serve as part of the 75th Ranger Regiment — the special operations forces unit based at Fort Benning, Ga. However, women who graduate from the course, set to begin in April, will be allowed to wear the vaunted tab of Army Ranger.

“Secretary of the Army John McHugh approved the participation of both men and women in the spring 2015 Ranger course assessment,” the Pentagon announced Thursday. “The course has approximately 60 women scheduled to participate. Those who meet the standards and graduate from the course will receive a certificate and be awarded the Ranger tab.”

Though it is somewhat of an experiment, the course is considered an important step as the U.S. military moves to combine men and women into combat units. The Pentagon lifted its ban on women in combat in 2012 but gave the military services time to integrate.

By January 2016, the military must open all combat jobs to women or seek an exception. It remains uncertain what the military will do with some infantry units, especially those with elite teams such as the Rangers.

“This is a very exciting development because it is the first time women have breached the walls of this all-male elite training course,” said Ariela Migdal, senior staff attorney for the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s great that they are being let in at all, but the next question is, will they be allowed to join?”

In November 2012, the ACLU, acting on behalf of four military women and the Service Women’s Action Network, a group that works for equality in the military, filed suit to allow women to serve in combat. The suit is pending as the military launches various programs to see which units can be integrated and what exceptions will be sought.

Though the military policy was to ban women from combat, they were no strangers to the recent theaters of war. Although women were assigned to noncombat units, more than 800 were wounded during the active phases of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and at least 130 women were killed.

“There was a need for the policy to reflect what was actually happening,” said Greg Jacob, a former infantry captain who is policy director of the Service Women’s Action Network. “Over 14 years, we’ve seen women employed in tactical roles. In the past, breaking that was breaking the law. There was a need for the policy to catch up with what was happening on the ground.”

Jacob said it was crucial for gender integration to take place, including in the infantry and in elite units. Some of the women who have served in combat may not have a record of their full service because it was barred.

“Without documentation of their participation, no one knows of what they have done,” he said. “That can affect benefits or promotion. It’s pretty critical.”

Jacob said women going to the Ranger course in April is a first step toward gender neutrality and eventual admission to what are now all-male units.

The action had been expected.

Thirty-one female soldiers were selected last fall as advisers and observers and participated in a week of training at the Ranger school. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno also sent a signal about the action during a virtual town hall meeting with soldiers this month.

“We’re just going to let the statistics speak for themselves as we go through this,” he said, in response to a question from a soldier. “The main thing I’m focused on is the standards remain the same. In order to earn that tab, you have to do all the things necessary to earn that tab. We want to try a pilot to let women have the opportunity to do that.”

The Ranger regimen is grueling. To get in, a candidate must be able to do 49 push-ups and 59 sit-ups, each within two minutes. He or she must do a 5-mile run in less than 40 minutes and six chin-ups with palms in.

“Men and women soldiers will be given the same opportunity to succeed and will be equally postured for success. All soldiers must be treated equally,” according to the Army statement, which also said that “female Ranger students would be graded and evaluated under the same standards as the male Ranger students.”

The Ranger course is 62 days long. The Ranger test is also being closely watched in Congress, where there is some disagreement about the role of women in combat.

©2015 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Korean city irked by slow handover of vacated US base

SEOUL, South Korea — Angered by the U.S. military’s continuing possession of a long-vacated base, a city near the North Korean border is taking steps to “show its will,” from canceling friendship activities to forcing troops to go to municipal hall to register their cars.

Dongducheon, home to the 2nd Infantry’s Camps Casey and Hovey, notified the military Jan. 9 that it would withdraw its staffer handling private vehicle registrations for troops from Casey on Monday, forcing them to travel to city offices about a mile away.

“It was the quickest and easiest measure we could take under the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) and Korean domestic law,” the chief of a city office handling U.S. Forces Korea affairs said.

Dongducheon also plans to halt tours of the city for incoming 2ID soldiers and will no longer invite U.S. troops to take part in its annual Lunar New Year’s Day ceremony next month, he said. The city is also considering halting other friendship events with 2ID.

At issue is when U.S. Forces Korea will return Camp Castle, which it said closed in 2010, to South Korean control. The city says negotiations on the return that have been going on for several years have been postponed.

USFK said in a statement it is ready now to turn over 38 acres about 1.8 miles from city hall.

“Camp Castle will be returned as soon as the (South Korean) government agrees to accept the return,” the statement said. The command would not elaborate on why the handover has apparently stalled and referred questions to South Korea.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries are currently discussing the handover of the base through Status of Forces Agreement channels including an environmental subcommittee, but the timing of the return has not been decided. The ministry did not provide further details.

Dongducheon had hoped to turn the vacant base into a university campus that city officials believe would bolster the local economy.

In a Dec. 20 letter to USFK commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, Mayor Oh Se-chang wrote that “the close relationship between Korea and the U.S. is facing a challenge at the moment” because USFK has not returned Castle, thus jeopardizing its development plans. He called reviving the local economy “the most important task I have been promoting since I became the mayor.”

USFK is scheduled to return a number of bases to South Korea in coming years as it consolidates the bulk of its troop presence to regional hubs, including Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek, where a major expansion is under way.

Concerns about the threat posed by North Korea led Washington and Seoul to agree last fall to keep 2ID’s 210th Field Artillery Brigade at Casey after the relocation. The 8th Army said last month no decision has been made on whether other units will remain behind in Area I, which extends from just north and east of Seoul up to the Demilitarized Zone.

Approximately 5,900 soldiers are assigned to 2ID in that area.

Dongducheon has asked the national government for $2.7 billion in compensation to offset alleged damage to its economy and delays in its development plans caused by the lingering U.S. military presence.

Plans to indefinitely delay the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea and to leave the combined forces headquarters in Seoul until the transfer occurs, also announced in the fall, have also contributed to uncertainty within South Korea about troop movements.

In his letter, Oh said delaying negotiations on the return of Castle, along with “aggressive sentiment” about the residual 210th Field Artillery Brigade forces, will increase anti-American feelings.

“If that happens, even I, who have been at the forefront of promoting friendship between Korea and the U.S., will face great difficulties,” said Oh, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dongducheon officials said last month the city is considering a large-scale protest and a nonbinding referendum on whether the U.S. troop presence should remain. Officials said Wednesday they are waiting for a response from the national government before moving forward.

City officials also expect to meet with representatives of several national ministries this month to discuss local concerns about the residual U.S. presence.

rowland.ashley@stripes.com

chang.yookyong@stripes.com

North Korea's apparent willingness to talk raises questions

North Korea appears to be thinking about agreeing to international talks for the first time since 2007, although what it wants, what it’s willing to give up and whom it would meet are unclear.

In the past, the North has used brinksmanship to obtain food, fuel and other aid from the West in exchange for promises to freeze or curtail its worrisome nuclear program. Each time, it has broken its promises and the aid has been cut off, with international sanctions imposed.

George W. Bush was president the last time that North Korea was willing to sit down almost eight years ago for six-party talks with South Korea, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia on its nuclear weapons.

The last North-South summit was held later in 2007, focusing on improving relations with a goal toward reunification.

Since then, Pyongyang has conducted two increasingly powerful underground nuclear tests and two failed rocket launches before finally succeeding two years ago. It has sunk a South Korean navy ship and shelled civilians on a border island. Suspected North Korean drone surveillance aircraft have been found crashed in the South, one with photos of the presidential palace.

U.S. military officials have called 2013 the most dangerous period on the peninsula since the Korean War, with rising tit-for-tat actions with the North, which threatened to use nuclear weapons on both South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

Although tensions have eased since then, the North continues to stage provocations, and the two Koreas have exchanged fire along their maritime border as recently as last fall. The possibility of similar small-scale confrontations spiraling into all-out war remains a key concern for the U.S. and South Korea.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has followed a strategy of “strategic patience” that has fundamentally meant no engagement with North Korea, which some analysts have criticized as giving North Korea time to improve its nuclear and missile technology, possibly in concert with Iran.

There has been speculation that Pyongyang no longer is willing to negotiate shelving its programs and instead wants to be accepted as a world nuclear power, possibly as a precondition for talks. Most recently, it has offered to stop its underground testing only in exchange for a halt to joint U.S.-South Korean nuclear exercises, which Washington has rejected and called a veiled threat.

The U.S. and South Korea clearly don’t trust the North, as shown by Seoul’s reluctance to take over operational control of the allies’ forces in the event of war and U.S. Forces Korea’s decision to leave behind a residual force near the demilitarized zone when most American troops are relocated to regional bases south of the capital, planned for next year.

But Washington recently said it’s now open to talks with Pyongyang, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday that she was willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with no preconditions, though both say they would bring up denuclearization. That leaves the possibility of one-on-one talks between the North and either the South or the U.S. or some tripartite arrangement.

When North Korea dropped out of the six-party talks, it swore it would never rejoin them but gave indications in 2012 and 2014 that it might be willing. There also have been unconfirmed reports that Kim may make his first foreign visit soon — to Russia.

Athough it isn’t as desperate for aid as during famine that reportedly devastated the country in 1994-98, the communist North remains one of the world’s poorest countries and likely would be looking at aid of some sort and a relaxation of sanctions and might be interested in expanding the joint economic zone arrangement with the South to bring in hard currency.

One of the more intriguing recent statements from North Korea was a vow to have reunification with the South this year — although it didn’t spell out how.

In his New Year’s Day speech, Kim said he was open to a meeting with South Korea’s president ,“depending on the mood and circumstances to be created.”

It remains unclear whether Pyongyang is willing to negotiate on the issue with the South, where sentiment for a reunified Korea remains strong, particularly as relatives separated during the Korean War age and die.

Park reiterated her desire to work toward reunification during her new year’s address Monday.

The question is whether reunification has the same definition in both countries.

It’s hard to imagine that North Korean leaders would be willing to give up their power and system, particularly since they reportedly have been telling their people, who have little to no access to news from outside the country, that as bad as things are there, they’re worse in the rest of the world.

Whatever happens, full reunification would likely take years to implement, since no one really wants a sudden collapse of the North Korean regime and the nightmares that could mean, from massive waves of refugees trying to cross the borders to possession of the North’s nuclear weapons and fissile materials.

alexander.paul@stripes.com

US, UK to stage joint cyber 'war games' to ramp up cyberdefenses

Personnel of the 624th Operations Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, conduct cyber operations in support of the Air Force component of U.S. Cyber Command in this undated Air Force file photo.
William Belcher/U.S. Air Force

By JOSH LEDERMAN

The Associated Press

Published: January 15, 2015

WASHINGTON — The United States and the U.K. will stage cyber "war games" together, starting this year, to boost both countries' resistance to cyberattacks, Britain's government said Thursday.

The two Western powers have also agreed to launch a joint "cyber cell" to share information on cyberthreats, as both countries seek to ramp up their cyberdefenses in the wake of alarming attacks. The FBI and the National Security Agency will be involved, along with Britain's GCHQ and MI5 intelligence and security agencies.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron were to announce the new programs as part of their meeting at the White House on Friday.

"This is about pooling our effort so we stay one step ahead of those who seek to attack us," Cameron said ahead of the meeting.

The White House declined to comment.

The first round of the war games will simulate an attack on banks and the financial sectors in London and New York. In addition to the U.S. and British governments, commercial banks and the Bank of England will take part. The U.K. said there will be more exercises later to test the resilience of national infrastructure.

The two governments also plan to team up on a new program to train a new generation of "cyber agents," officials said. Dubbed the Fulbright Cyber Security Award, the program will fund students from both countries to research cybersecurity for up to six months, with the first class expected to start in the academic year that begins in 2016.

Closer coordination on cybersecurity comes amid heightened concerns about vulnerabilities in the wake of a crippling hack attack on Sony Pictures that the U.S. has blamed on North Korea. In another incident, the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. military's Central Command were compromised earlier this week by hackers claiming to support the Islamic State militant group.

Suspected terrorist cells in 2 European countries raided; 2 killed

BERLIN (Tribune Content Agency) — European security forces moved against suspected radical jihadists in two countries Thursday in the latest sign that last week’s Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks have galvanized action against what officials for months have called a rising threat.

In Belgium, police killed two suspected jihadists and arrested one, while in Germany, police arrested a man they accused of recruiting fighters for Syria. In France, police linked a fourth shooting incident to the terrorist cell that carried out the Charlie Hebdo attacks a week ago.

Officials didn’t link the new cases to one another or to the Paris attacks that left 17 victims and three terrorists dead. But the events showed that after years of nervously watching so-called “jihadi tourists” sneaking into, and back from, Syria, European security forces were acting.

The raids and arrests came as Paris began to bury the dead from the Jan. 7 attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. On Thursday, the cartoonists Georges Wolinski, 80, and Bernard Verlhac, 58, known as Tignous, were buried. Others will follow in the coming days.

Pope Francis noted Thursday that although free speech is a fundamental human right, there are limits.

“You cannot provoke,” said. “You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”

He also said violence such as what happened in Paris couldn’t be justified.

The fourth incident linked to the Paris terrorism spree involved the Jan. 7 shooting of a jogger who was seriously wounded but survived. The French newspaper Le Parisien said the suspect in that shooting had been identified and had been linked to a motor scooter found at a residence that Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a policewoman and four hostages before being gunned down when police stormed a Paris kosher supermarket, had rented to store his weapons.

The newspaper said police now think that Coulibaly, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi — blamed in the Charlie Hebdo shootings — and the fourth suspect were members of what the paper said authorities were calling an active terrorist cell. Authorities are also seeking Coulibaly’s wife, Hatay Boumeddiene, who is thought to have fled to Syria on the day her husband was killed.

“We are really in a war,” French police union spokesman Christophe Crepin said Thursday.

The French developments came as security forces in Belgium moved against what a prosecutor called an “operational cell” that had “imminent plans to attack.” The arrests, in the quaint small town of Verviers, were captured on amateur video. The video showed several explosions and repeated gunfire. There were news reports that the case also was connected to Coulibaly, who is thought to have purchased his weapons in Belgium.

There was no official comment linking the cases, however.

In Germany, police announced that they had arrested a German citizen under suspicion that he was a member of a 40-person terror cell in the Wolfsberg region made up of people who had fought in Syria.

The German equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security, the Verfassungsschutz, identified the suspect only as Ayub B. and said he’d returned from “violent jihad training in Syria” in mid-August, one of an estimated 600 Germans known to have gone to fight in Syria or Iraq, including an estimated 20 former members of the German army.

German security officials announced that Ayub B. had traveled through Turkey and into Syria in May. While there, they said, he underwent “jihadist military training,” which included work removing the dead and wounded from active battlefields. Since returning, German officials said, he's thought to have been recruiting others to the Islamic State cause. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted of the crime of “membership in a terrorist organization.”'

German security officials have said they think Germany is home to 43,000 Islamists who might be susceptible to recruitment.

French officials now think that at least 1,000 French citizens and residents have gone to the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State or other terror organizations. European counterterrorism officials note that most nations face an issue of how to deal with hundreds of returning fighters.

The United Kingdom reports “more than 500.” Europe-wide, there are thought to be 2,500 to 3,000 or more.

Still, terror experts said it was “too early to judge” whether the recent spate of terrorism and anti-terror activity in Europe indicated a new, more active phase in dealing with the threat of returning jihadi tourists.

©2015 McClatchy Washington Bureau. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Contractor at center of massive Navy bribery scandal pleads guilty

SAN DIEGO — A Malaysian military contractor at the center of one of the U.S. Navy's worst corruption cases pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges in federal court Thursday — only hours after a second commander admitted to providing him classified information in exchange for lavish hotel rooms and prostitution services.

Leonard Glenn Francis, the chief executive of a Singapore company that has serviced Navy vessels at Asian ports for 25 years, held his hands behind his back and twiddled his fingers as he told the judge he was changing his plea to guilty.

Known in military circles as "Fat Leonard" because of his large size, Francis and his firm obtained classified information that allowed his company to overbill the U.S. military by at least $20 million, according to the plea agreement. Prosecutors say he provided lavish hotel rooms, prostitutes and plane tickets to Navy officials who cooperated.

"Today Mr. Leonard Francis has taken accountability for his actions. He looks forward to a brighter future," his attorney, Ethan M. Posner, said.

Francis faces up to 25 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in April. He and his firm also must forfeit $35 million, according to the plea agreement.

In the same courthouse earlier, Capt. Daniel Dusek became the highest-ranking Navy officer to enter a guilty plea in the case after making his first appearance in federal court in San Diego and waiving his right to present his case before a federal grand jury.

A total of four Navy officers have been charged, and prosecutor Mark Pletcher said the probe is far from over.

The yearslong investigation has spanned a dozen countries and has gathered "terabyte upon terabyte of electronic data," including emails in which Francis, his managers and Navy officers discussed the arrangements. Francis was arrested in San Diego in 2013 after being lured there by military officials.

"The investigation is continuing and is gathering momentum," Pletcher said. "I can't speculate as to the people who will be charged in the future."

All the officers have been accused of providing classified information to the Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd., or GDMA, which has provided food, fuel and supplies to U.S. Navy vessels in Asia.

Three of the Navy officers have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced. Cmdr. Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on additional charges.

Prosecutors say GDMA asked captains re-route ships to ports owned by Francis or to small ports where they could impose fake port fees on the Navy.

After Dusek got a U.S. aircraft carrier re-routed to a Malaysian port owned by Francis in 2010, the defense contractor said in an email that the captain "is a golden asset to drive the big decks (aircraft carriers) into our fat revenue GDMA ports," according to the plea agreement.

Dusek told a company manager that he "wasn't worried about the security one bit," according to the plea agreement.

Dusek served as deputy director of operations for the 7th Fleet and later commanding officer of the amphibious assault ships USS Essex and USS Bonhomme Richard. He admitted to accepting the bribes between January 2009 and February 2011. He was released after agreeing to up his $250,000 Oregon home as bond. He faces up to five years in prison. He and his lawyer declined to comment outside the courtroom.

Dusek, who remains on active duty working a desk job, has agreed to pay $30,000 restitution to the Navy.

After Francis was arrested, Dusek deleted the contents of his email accounts to avoid detection by law enforcement, according to the plea agreement.

An agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, John Beliveau II, who admitted to keeping Francis abreast of the investigation in exchange for hotel stays and prostitution services, pleaded guilty in the case, as have two GDMA managers.

Pope Francis urges Filipinos to end 'scandalous' poverty, corruption

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis called on Filipinos to reject the corruption that has plagued this Asian nation for decades and urged them to instead work to end the "scandalous" poverty and social injustices that afflicts its people, encouraging the government to continue the first significant crackdown on high-level corruption since the fall of the Marcos regime three decades ago.

Francis made the comments during a speech to President Benigno Aquino III and other Filipino authorities at the start of his four-day visit to Asia's largest Catholic nation where nearly a quarter of its people lives in poverty. The visit was already remarkable for the unprecedented level of security for a pope who relishes getting close to the crowds.

Corruption has been rampant in the Philippines since the 20-year rule of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who along with his shoe-loving widow and cronies were suspected of stealing between $5 billion and $10 billion before losing power in 1986.

The problem has festered amid a culture of impunity among powerful politicians and their allies, weak law enforcement and a notoriously slow justice system. But Aquino won the presidency by a wide margin in 2010 on promises to rid the nation of corruption and poverty. Since then, Congress has begun investigating high-level politicians for corruption and three senators have been detained.

Francis told the gathering in the presidential palace that more than ever today, political leaders must be "outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good." He said they must hear the cries of the poor and address the "glaring and indeed scandalous social inequalities" in society.

He challenged Filipinos "at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the community."

Francis' message will likely resonate in a country where, according to government statistics, almost a quarter of the Philippines' 100 million people live on just over $1 a day. And indeed, tens of thousands of people poured into Manila's streets to catch a glimpse of Francis under the most intense security of his two-year pontificate.

Cell phone reception was jammed, a huge police presence guarded him and streets leading to Francis' motorcade route were blocked as the pope travelled around town in his open-sided popemobile and a simple four-door Volkswagen. Francis is particularly beloved here because of his personal simplicity and message of caring for the poor.

After his speech, Francis celebrated Mass in the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and was to meet with Filipino families in the late afternoon.

On Saturday, he travels to the central Philippines to comfort survivors of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead and missing and leveled entire villages.

The government has declared national holidays during the pope's visit, which runs through Monday, and the crowds responded by turning out in force to welcome him. Francis was clearly energized by the raucous welcome, stopping several times Friday to kiss children brought up to him once he entered the presidential palace grounds. His motorcades didn't stop along the route, though, for him to get out to and greet the crowd as he likes to do.

Francis has long insisted on a reduced security detail so that he can get close to the crowds, eschewing the bulletproof popemobile his predecessors used on foreign trips in favor of an open-sided car.

It remains to be seen if he will chafe at the intense security provided by Philippine authorities, who appeared to leave nothing to chance. They have good reason to go overboard after Pope Paul VI was slightly wounded in an assassination attempt during his visit in 1970 and St. John Paul II was the target of militants whose plot was uncovered days before his 1995 arrival.

About 50,000 policemen and troops were deployed to secure the pope in a country where relatively small numbers of al-Qaida-inspired militants remain a threat in the south despite more than a decade of U.S.-backed military offensives.

AP writers Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano contributed.

Women to be allowed to take Army Ranger course for 1st time

About 60 women will be allowed to take the next Army Ranger course assessment, giving female soldiers their first opportunity in the all-male area of special operations forces — even though they will not become members of the regiment and will not serve as Rangers in combat.

Under current, still evolving military policy, only men can serve as part of the 75th Ranger Regiment — the special operations forces unit based at Fort Benning, Ga. However, women who graduate from the course, set to begin in April, will be allowed to wear the vaunted tab of Army Ranger.

“Secretary of the Army John McHugh approved the participation of both men and women in the spring 2015 Ranger course assessment,” the Pentagon announced Thursday. “The course has approximately 60 women scheduled to participate. Those who meet the standards and graduate from the course will receive a certificate and be awarded the Ranger tab.”

Though it is somewhat of an experiment, the course is considered an important step as the U.S. military moves to combine men and women into combat units. The Pentagon lifted its ban on women in combat in 2012 but gave the military services time to integrate.

By January 2016, the military must open all combat jobs to women or seek an exception. It remains uncertain what the military will do with some infantry units, especially those with elite teams such as the Rangers.

“This is a very exciting development because it is the first time women have breached the walls of this all-male elite training course,” said Ariela Migdal, senior staff attorney for the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s great that they are being let in at all, but the next question is, will they be allowed to join?”

In November 2012, the ACLU, acting on behalf of four military women and the Service Women’s Action Network, a group that works for equality in the military, filed suit to allow women to serve in combat. The suit is pending as the military launches various programs to see which units can be integrated and what exceptions will be sought.

Though the military policy was to ban women from combat, they were no strangers to the recent theaters of war. Although women were assigned to noncombat units, more than 800 were wounded during the active phases of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and at least 130 women were killed.

“There was a need for the policy to reflect what was actually happening,” said Greg Jacob, a former infantry captain who is policy director of the Service Women’s Action Network. “Over 14 years, we’ve seen women employed in tactical roles. In the past, breaking that was breaking the law. There was a need for the policy to catch up with what was happening on the ground.”

Jacob said it was crucial for gender integration to take place, including in the infantry and in elite units. Some of the women who have served in combat may not have a record of their full service because it was barred.

“Without documentation of their participation, no one knows of what they have done,” he said. “That can affect benefits or promotion. It’s pretty critical.”

Jacob said women going to the Ranger course in April is a first step toward gender neutrality and eventual admission to what are now all-male units.

The action had been expected.

Thirty-one female soldiers were selected last fall as advisers and observers and participated in a week of training at the Ranger school. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno also sent a signal about the action during a virtual town hall meeting with soldiers this month.

“We’re just going to let the statistics speak for themselves as we go through this,” he said, in response to a question from a soldier. “The main thing I’m focused on is the standards remain the same. In order to earn that tab, you have to do all the things necessary to earn that tab. We want to try a pilot to let women have the opportunity to do that.”

The Ranger regimen is grueling. To get in, a candidate must be able to do 49 push-ups and 59 sit-ups, each within two minutes. He or she must do a 5-mile run in less than 40 minutes and six chin-ups with palms in.

“Men and women soldiers will be given the same opportunity to succeed and will be equally postured for success. All soldiers must be treated equally,” according to the Army statement, which also said that “female Ranger students would be graded and evaluated under the same standards as the male Ranger students.”

The Ranger course is 62 days long. The Ranger test is also being closely watched in Congress, where there is some disagreement about the role of women in combat.

©2015 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Navy captain admits providing classified info in massive bribery scheme

SAN DIEGO — A Navy captain on Thursday became the highest-ranking officer to plead guilty in the $20-milllion bribery scandal in which classified information was sold in exchange for cash, hotel and travel expenses and the services of prostitutes.

The guilty plea of former USS Bonhomme Richard commander Capt. Daniel Dusek came hours before the central figure in the scandal, Leonard Glenn Francis, chief executive of a Singapore-based naval services company, is set to plead guilty in San Diego federal court.

A Navy commander, a retired lieutenant commander and an enlisted sailor have pleaded guilty. An ex-Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent and a cousin of Francis have also pleaded guilty. The cousin worked at Francis’ company Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd.

Dusek admitted that he provided classified information about the movement of ships in the Asia-Pacific region in exchange for bribes that prosecutors said were worth more than $10,000.

Among the bribes, according to court documents, was a free hotel stay for Dusek and his family in Waikiki and then free hotel rooms for Dusek in several locations. Dusek was provided with the services of prostitutes in Manila, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Francis emailed an associate that Dusek “is a golden asset to drive the big decks (carriers and amphibious assault ships) into our fat revenue GDMA ports.”

After receiving bribes, Dusek arranged for the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu to stop at ports where Francis’ firm was dominant and could get the bid to provide “husbanding” services to the ships.

For more than two decades, Francis’ company supplied water, fuel, food, garbage and waste removal, tugboats, fenders and other items for Navy ships. Amid the scandal, the Navy has canceled all contracts with the company.

In 2010, Navy officials became suspicious that some of the bills submitted by Francis’ company from Thailand were padded.

Prosecutors said the bribery scheme cost taxpayers $20 million for bills that were padded and, in some cases, included payment for services not provided. The cost of lavish parties thrown by Francis for Navy officers was often hidden in the bills, prosecutors said.

Dusek, who has served 26 years in the Navy, could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in federal prison. He is set to be sentenced April 3.

Until his guilty plea, it had not been disclosed publicly that he was charged in the case.

Dusek had key assignments on several ships and was commanding officer of the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard. He also served on the command staff of the 7th Fleet in Japan, which gave him access to classified information about the movement of ships and submarines.

After Francis pleads guilty, the only defendant still pleading not guilty and awaiting trial is a Navy commander.

©2015 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Hagel visits USS America, touts Marines’ high-tech future

ABOARD THE USS AMERICA — The Marine Corps’ future will be high-tech and amphibious, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Wednesday while visiting the Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship.

For more than a decade, the Marines have been slogging through counterinsurgency wars and essentially serving as a second land army. Now that they are out of Afghanistan and pivoting to the Pacific, the service is transitioning back to an emergency response force that operates from the sea.

As Marines return to their roots, their tools will be cutting-edge, Hagel said on what is expected to be his last trip as Pentagon leader. He visited the USS America to discuss what lies ahead for the military.

“You run, maintain and sail one the most sophisticated Navy platforms we have, with more capabilities than almost anything else,” he told troops aboard the ship, which is undergoing sea trials off the California coast. “Capabilities represented on this ship [showcase] the amphibious possibilities that our Marines are getting back to after 13 years of long war … What you’re doing here represents that in every way.”

The America, commissioned in October, is designed to carry Marines and their most technologically advanced aircraft, including the F-35B Lightning II fighter jet and the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor troop transport. Both can take off and land vertically.

The America’s design is different from previous amphibious assault ships. It has an enlarged hangar deck and no well deck, which frees up space for aircraft. It is as large as the aircraft carriers of some nations.

The realignment and expansion of aviation maintenance facilities provides a significant increase in available stowage for parts, support equipment and aviation fuel. Having two hangar bay areas with overhead cranes instead of just one greatly speeds up and facilitates aircraft maintenance, according to Navy Chief Petty Officer Leandro Suarez.

Capt. Michael Baze, the ship’s executive officer, said the America is optimized for aviation and “being able to deliver Marines very fast over great distance.”

He said the Osprey in particular “allows you the flexibility and maneuverability that you might not have with … a traditional landing force on the beach.”

The America can hold up to 31 aircraft, depending on the types in the mix, according to Baze.

“It’s awesome. I’ve got to pinch myself every once in a while,” he said.

He noted that, when deployed, the America will likely be the flagship of an amphibious ready group, which would include ships that could put Marines ashore using traditional sea-to-land connector vessels.

Baze anticipates the ship’s first deployment will come next year.

The ship is the first in its class, and the Navy plans to build more vessels with similar capabilities.

harper.jon@stripes.com; Twitter: @JHarperStripes

Plea change set for central figure in Navy bribery scandal

SAN DIEGO —- A contractor at the center of a massive Navy bribery case, who prosecutors allege used illegal information to bilk the U.S. out of at least $20 million, has scheduled a change-of-plea hearing Thursday.

Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor known in military circles as "Fat Leonard," is expected in federal court in San Diego. His lawyer could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and prosecutors declined to comment.

Francis has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy in a bribery case that has led to the arrest of Navy commanders and rocked the military branch.

Prosecutors say Francis, chief executive of Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd., or GDMA, bought information from Navy officials that allowed his company to overbill the military branch by at least $20 million for services it provided to Navy ships at Asian ports since 2009.

Francis paid for plane tickets, hotels and prostitutes for Navy officials who helped him, according to prosecutors. GDMA has provided fuel, food and supplies for Navy ships for 25 years. He was arrested in 2013 on a trip to San Diego.

The hearing comes barely a week after a Navy commander acknowledged sharing confidential information with Francis.

Jose Luis Sanchez said he provided shipping schedules and other information to Francis in exchange for bribes. He became the highest-ranking Navy official to plead guilty in the case after Daniel Layug, a petty officer who admitted providing classified shipping schedules and other internal Navy information to Francis.

Sanchez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced March 27 for bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.

Sanchez admitted taking bribes valued between $30,000 and $120,000 from 2009 to 2013, a prostitute, $7,500 to travel from Asia to the U.S. and five days at Singapore's luxury Shangri-La Hotel, according to a 24-page plea agreement. In exchange, he provided classified Navy ship and submarine schedules and other internal information to Francis.

Cmdr. Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz has pleaded not guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for providing confidential information to Francis. He was indicted last week on an additional seven counts of bribery.

An agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, John Beliveau II, and a manager for the contractor, Alex Wisidagama, who is Francis' cousin, have pleaded guilty.

Divers examine AirAsia jet fuselage, search for bodies

This undated underwater photo taken by a remotely operated vehicle and released by the Singapore Ministry of Defence shows the wreckage of AirAsia Flight QZ 8501 lying on the floor in the Java Sea.
Singapore Ministry of Defence/AP

By FADLAN SYAM

The Associated Press

Published: January 15, 2015

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia — Indonesian navy divers plunged into the sea at dawn Thursday to examine a large chunk of the AirAsia jet's fuselage, aiming to bring bodies believed to be trapped inside to the surface, the director of the search and rescue agency said.

The day before, a Singaporean navy ship had spotted the 30-meter-long (100-foot-long) section of the plane body with a wing attached on the bottom of the Java Sea. Rescuers believe that most of the bodies of the 162 people on board are inside.

So far, only 50 bodies have been recovered from the Dec. 28 crash less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. Most of the victims are Indonesian.

At least 15 divers descended to the seabed at a depth of 28 meters (92 feet) Wednesday morning to examine wreckage, calculate its weight and search for bodies inside, said Suryadi Bambang Supriyadi, the operation director at the National Search and Rescue Agency.

When corpses are found, the divers will try to put them in individual body bags, which rescuers on ships will then hoist to the surface, he said.

He said it appeared that some parts of the fuselage have been covered with silt.

The plane's "black boxes" — the flight data recorder and cockpit flight recorder — were retrieved on Monday and Tuesday. They will be key to learning what caused the plane to crash. Bad weather is a suspected factor.

Nine aircraft and 12 ships were involving the search operation Thursday, including two U.S. ships and one each from Singapore and China.

NATO sends rapid-reaction forces to Russia’s neighbors

(Tribune News Service) — An interim force of German, Norwegian and Dutch troops has been deployed in Eastern Europe to respond to any security threat from the east, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday.

The new “high-readiness spearhead force” is in place for 2015, Stoltenberg said after calling on Russia to respect the sanctity of postwar borders in Europe and the core values on which the continent’s democracies are based.

It was Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula 10 months ago that prompted the Western defense alliance to create the rapid-response force that will rotate troops into frontline states along Russia’s borders.

Stoltenberg did not disclose the number of troops already deployed. The ultimate size of the force will be “several thousand troops” able to respond within a few days to any attack or security threat to a member state, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.

Ukraine is not a member of the 28-nation defense alliance and it pledged in 2010 to remain nonaligned. The Ukrainian parliament retracted that position late last year in a signal that it intends eventually to apply for NATO membership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is staunchly opposed to what he sees as NATO encroachment into Moscow’s traditional sphere of influence. He is also clearly displeased with Ukraine’s moves toward eventual membership in the European Union. It was after a Kremlin-allied Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted by a pro-European rebellion that Russian troops seized Crimea and Russian arms and mercenaries began flowing into eastern Ukraine.

Putin denies Russia is involved in the fighting in Ukraine that has killed more than 4,700 people in nine months, and he has justified the “reunion” of Crimea with the Russian federation as correcting a historical wrong. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev deeded the territory that is home to the Russian Black Sea fleet to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.

Stoltenberg alluded to “the challenges we are facing to the east” during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“We see that international law is violated, and that the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine is not respected. And we call on Russia to respect the Minsk agreements,” Stoltenberg said.

He was referring to the Sept. 5 cease-fire signed in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, by Russia and Ukraine that set out a plan for halting artillery fire, withdrawing heavy weaponry, freezing the front lines and exchanging prisoners. The agreement has been repeatedly violated and few of its provisions fulfilled beyond a recent exchange of about 370 captives.

“I underline very much that NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO aspires for a more constructive and cooperative relationship with Russia. But to be able to establish that, Russia must want it too.”

There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials or Moscow’s state-run media to the news that the readiness force was in place.

Asked at the news conference whether Ukraine would be granted NATO membership, Stoltenberg said there has been no application made as yet and that Ukrainian officials have conceded it will be years before the internal reforms are completed that are necessary to integrate with alliance defense forces.

But there is “a fundamental principle which all countries in Europe have subscribed to, and also that Russia has supported, and that is that all sovereign nations have the right to choose their own path,” Stoltenberg said, adding that any membership bid would be evaluated on the same criteria as applied to other states wishing to join.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — three Baltic Sea states that were part of the Soviet Union after being invaded and annexed in 1940 — are already members of NATO and will be among the Eastern European countries to which the new rapid-response forces are deployed.

Poland, with its own long history of facing aggression by Russia, has announced a major redeployment of its national defense forces from bases in the western part of the country to fortify positions in the east. Poland shares a 125-mile border with Russia’s heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave, the former German territory of Koenigsberg captured by the Soviet Red Army with the Nazi defeat in World War II.

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©2015 Los Angeles Times

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North Korea's Kim Jong Un mulls Russia for his world debut

TOKYO — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is looking increasingly likely to visit Russia in his first trip abroad since taking power three years ago, giving the world an unprecedented chance to see him at work on the international stage.

Moscow has invited many world leaders — including Kim and the presidents of China and South Korea — to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, which will include a massive parade on Red Square.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said last month the Kremlin had received the "first signals from Pyongyang" that the North Korean leader is planning to attend the May 9 festivities. South Korean media quoted anonymous sources in Beijing this week as saying that Kim is likely to accept. U.S. President Barack Obama has reportedly decided to stay home, so that awkwardness has apparently been averted.

North Korea has not officially commented on the invitation and still has ample time to decline it.

But choosing Moscow for his first overseas trip would be a strong indication of the direction Kim wants to take his country. It would also provide the outside world with a rare look at a man who, while revered at the center of an intense cult of personality at home, is one of the biggest mysteries in international politics.

In the three years since he assumed power, Kim has shown a style of leadership devotedly in line with the policies of his father, Kim Jong Il and — despite a monthlong absence last year that set North Korea watchers into a frenzy of speculation about his health — adhered to the tried-and-true "field guidance" photo opportunities at farms, factories and military bases that are a staple way of presenting North Korea's hands-on form of leadership.

He has also inserted a personal touch.

Unlike his reclusive father, who rarely spoke in public, Kim has revived the custom started by his charismatic grandfather, North Korea's "eternal president" Kim Il Sung, of delivering speeches on New Year's Day. He often makes public appearances with his photogenic wife and does not seem to share his predecessors' reported fear of flying — the state-run media recently showed him taking the controls of an airplane in flight.

Though Kim Il Sung enjoyed the strong support of the Soviet Union, its collapse in 1991 drove North Korea and China much closer. Kim Jong Il visited China seven times, always by train, including three visits between 2010 and his death in 2011.

Today, North Korea depends heavily on China for economic support and backing in international forums such as the United Nations to oppose sanctions over its human rights situation and nuclear weapons program. But, increasingly wary of its reliance on Beijing, Pyongyang has been pushing hard to improve ties with Russia as a counterbalance.

Moscow, for its part, is eager to improve its position in Asia amid frictions with the West.

Putin was the first Soviet or Russian leader to visit North Korea — he spent two days in Pyongyang in 2000 — and Moscow's ties with North Korea have improved substantially under his watch, especially on the economic front. Russia remains concerned about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, but while its efforts to dissuade Pyongyang from continuing them have had little visible effect it has gone ahead with trying to improve overall relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to visit Pyongyang. He went to Seoul last July.

Kim, who studied in Switzerland for two years when he was a boy and may have visited China when his father was still alive, has dropped other hints that with the traditional mourning period for Kim Jong Il past he wants to take a higher diplomatic profile.

With major celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II planned in North Korea as well, and increased talk about the need to seek reunification of the Korean Peninsula, he suggested in his New Year's address that he is open to a summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Park says she is willing to meet Kim but stresses North Korea must take steps toward ending its nuclear weapons program for any discussions to be productive.

She has yet to decide whether to attend the May celebration, according to her spokeswoman, Yoo Myung-hee.

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Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report. Talmadge is AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter at http://ift.tt/1fpYfEV

Shakeup at Secret Service; 4 executives reassigned

WASHINGTON — Four of the highest-ranking Secret Service executives have been reassigned following a series of security mishaps and scathing reports questioning leadership within the agency, the Secret Service said Wednesday.

The agency's assistant directors for investigations, protective operations, technology and public affairs have all been reassigned within the Secret Service.

Acting Director Joseph P. Clancy said in a statement Wednesday that he was making leadership changes based on a December report from an independent panel that described the agency as "insular" and "starved for leadership."

"Change is necessary to gain a fresh perspective on how we conduct business," Clancy said. "I am certain any of our senior executives will be productive and valued assets either in other positions at the Secret Service or the department."

The four officials are: Dale Pupillo, who led protective operations; Paul Morrissey, who oversaw the agency's investigative mission; Jane Murphy, who was governmental and public affairs chief; and Mark Copanzzi, who headed up technology and the tools for mission support. Details of their new posts were not released Wednesday.

The reassignments are the biggest shift in Secret Service leadership since former Director Julia Pierson was forced to resign last year. Her ouster came after a Texas man armed with a knife was able to get over a White House fence and run deep into the executive mansion before being subdued and details of a previous presidential security breach were disclosed.

The Washington Post first reported the staff shakeup Wednesday afternoon.

The independent panel, which investigated the agency's leadership and practices in the wake of the September incident and the disclosure of a previously unreported security breach earlier that month, also recommended hiring a new director from outside the agency.

A permanent director has not been named.

That report was the second critical review of the agency responsible for protecting the president. In November the Homeland Security Department, which oversees the Secret Service, released an internal investigation about the fence-scaling incident, which concluded that poor training, staff and a series of missteps led to the breach.

Homeland Security investigators found, among other things, that uniformed agents patrolling the White House grounds the night of Sept. 19 mistakenly assumed that thick bushes near the mansion's front door would stop the intruder.