Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

July 6, 2017     Mattis: North Korea missile advances do not force US military response “I do not believe this capability brings us closer to war,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters Thursday at the Pentagon. “Diplomacy has not failed. It is our self-restraint that has prevented war … Our self-restraint holds.”   Trump backs defense of NATO allies, scolds Russian behavior President Donald Trump reaffirmed America’s commitment to security in Eastern Europe during a visit on Thursday to Warsaw, where he singled out Russia for its “destabilizing behavior” on the Continent and signaled U.S. willingness to defend allies if they come under attack.   US to equip Iraqis with police stations in a box worth $250,000 each The U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition is delivering 100 expeditionary police stations to Iraqi forces in regions of that country recently liberated from ISIS to help local police quickly re-establish authority, a coalition general said Thursday.   China wary as US, India and Japan prep for Malabar naval drills The U.S., India and Japan are gearing up for trilateral Malabar naval drills next week amid reports of increased Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.   US, allies give Ukrainians a boost in building modern army The U.S. Army and its NATO allies are working hard to upgrade one of the Ukrainian army’s aging training bases to give its troops a more realistic sense of a modern battlefield.   Reaction to ICBM test underscores lack of good options in dealing with N. Korea The U.S. administration warned it’s prepared to use military force if necessary after North Korea ratcheted up tensions this week by test-firing a missile that may be capable of hitting Alaska.   Funeral held for Texas sailor killed in USS Fitzgerald collision The funeral for Petty Officer 2nd Class Noe Hernandez was held Thursday in Mercedes. Burial followed in nearby Weslaco. The 26-year-old was one of seven sailors killed aboard the USS Fitzgerald when the naval destroyer was struck on June 17 by a Philippine-flagged container ship.   Bereaved parents of slain US soldier attend trial in Jordan Charles and Cynthia Lewellen, the parents of 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen of Kirksville, Missouri, attended court hearings this week and said they'll stay on in Jordan until the verdict.   South Korea fires missiles in drills amid standoff with North  South Korean jets and navy ships fired a barrage of guided-missiles into the ocean during drills Thursday, a display of military power two days after North Korea test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile.   Iraqi commanders say ISIS families have joined Mosul fight Iraqi commanders say female Islamic State militants are firing on their forces and using children as human shields as the extremist group defends its last sliver of Mosul's Old City.   Harris M. Ginyard, one of the famed Montford Point Marines, dies at 93 Ginyard was among the first black Marines who were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012. The group jumped at the chance to enlist after President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order in 1941 requiring the military to recruit African Americans.