European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes i offs autumn forge units tuesday september 20,1977 Haig urges nato improvements Leitheim Germany this year s autumn for Genato exercise is the Best since he has commanded the Alliance Gen. Alexander Haig said monday but improvements in cooperation among various nations forces still need to be  toured units from three nations inspecting Bel Gian lancers Canadian mechanized artillery and a dutch infantry battalion. Visiting with their troops he said this the third in the autumn forge series of reformer exercises is the Best since he has commanded nato. But he said improvements need to be made in both the Quality of the fighting by the armies and in the Quantity of men and material provided by nato governments. He said the nato defense ministers who met last year agreed to seek to increase in real terms our defense spending by 3 per  Haig said that despite nato s Best efforts we find the qualitative Edge we have had in the past and which we relied on is getting  soviets have improved in ground to air missiles in rockets. The trend is worrisome. We need improvement of our forces already provided. We need to increase our forces by 3 to 5 per cent a  visiting the Canadian artillerymen Haig praised interoperability the concept of requiring integrated Supply maintenance and command  comments were reinforced by the Canadian Artil Lery Battery s Captain capt. Wally Fionik who said co operation Between Canadian and . Forces could t be better with a few minor  think i would feel very comfortable with the interoperability system that is evolving from these combined efforts,1 Fionik  course there Are a lot of rough edges left particularly in the support system because your support system is very different from ours and especially from the German system. But by and Large operationally we fit in very  Liaison established Between your units our units the German units the belgian units even have resulted i feel in a tactically viable Force Fionik said. He pointed out that the 155mm m109 howitzers his uni uses Are american As Are the jeeps and other vehicles and equipment. The Only problems he said Are in resupply. Parts Are numbered differently and the systems Are somewhat  he said his Battery of six howitzers had one gun Down for almost a week because of a mix up in order ing the parts. Haig also emphasized As he has in previous visits to nato troops this year that interoperability is vital. I think that exercises you re observing Here today capture precisely what i mean about Alliance cooperation he said. We be got to be Able to cooperate and operate in peacetime As we would be expected to have to fight in the event deterrence collapses. That Means the multinational formations have to be Able to work together to Cross Supply one another adapt to each other s factors and methods. That s precisely what these exercises accomplish Forus Haig said. Carter does t expect any oysters by nato Stuttgart a president Carter says France and Italy need not necessarily be expelled from nato if communists come to Power through election  an interview with Reader s digest Carter said he did not expect the left Tenter the governments of the two nato allies in the near future. We Here in America refrain from any attempts to influence the voters opinion in these countries he said. A summary of the interview Given in Washington was released sunday Ingerman by the Magazine s German Lan Guage department. Both France and Italy have aggressive communist and leftist political move ments and polls indicate the French leftists would win if National elections scheduled for next year were held now. Italy has the largest communist party in Western Europe and italian communists govern All but a few of the country s major  Carter said the two countries might remain in nato with communist sin their governments he added that such an arrangement would raise problems re Garding military and Industrial secrets in the Alliance. Of of race As Factor urged so this is rain. Michael Jones 5, is almost too Young to remember what rain is but his memory is refreshed As san Francisco gets its first drizzle in months. Up Rains soak Northern Calif. Continued from Page 1