European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 74 the stars and stripes sunday september 25, 1977 strafe by organization defended the military s reply to a nato critic by Drew Middleton new York not the military Hierarchy in the Pentagon both civilian officials and senior service offi cers has challenged sen. Gary Hart s criticisms of the North Atlantic treaty organization s plans for meeting a soviet attack in Europe. The Colorado Democrat charged in a speech that the american defense establishment had failed to Deal with what he considered crucial issues of strategy Organiza Tion and technological trends within the Alliance. Senior civilian officials reply however that this is exactly what the . And its allies Are doing in the three Short term and 10 Long term programs adopted by nato s defense ministers in May. Beyond his complaint that american defense is not addressing the Basic problems in nato Hart specifically criticized the Navy s plans for operations in the event of War the air Force s emphasis on tactical aircraft at the expense of missiles the army s strategy of a Forward de sense in Europe the failure to use Reserve forces and the Structure of american ground forces. The criticisms evoked detailed rebuttals from highly placed civilians and officers in the Pentagon in which they depicted significant differences Between the Sena Tor s View of the Western defense position and their plans and programs. Generally however the services welcomed the speech by the member of the Senate armed services committee As a contribution to the continuing debate on the Alliance and America s role in it. The consensus in the services was that Hart had overlooked or misunderstood som strategic and tactical plans. For example an Admiral pointed out the single Inte grated operation plan for War with the soviet Union does not include the use of planes from aircraft carriers against the russians in Europe As the senator had said. Army senior officers stressed that the strategy of for Ward defense in West Germany did not commit the allies to a linear defense. Instead they said plans Call for flexible tactics that allow some soviet penetration into areas where russian Armor and mechanized infantry would come under attack from missiles artillery and fighter  Force generals consider impractical Hart s concept of 100,000 cruise missiles with conventional War Heads attacking targets in Eastern Europe. They say this might become practical if cruise missile accuracy improved. It could be practical today they add if nuclear warheads with their greater destructive Power were  senator is not alone in proposing a close Examina Tion of nato s strategy and organization. A number of civilian military analysts have criticized aspects of the Alliance s defences As for instance present plans for deploying guided antitank missiles. The general accounting office in a report made Public the week before last proposed re examination of the Alliance s command to encourage greater integration. The increasing inter Pendency of nato members underscores the need for a nato command that can re Spond quickly in the event of an attack by the Warsaw pact forces the report said. The Pentagon did agree in general with Hart s Point that the Alliance and the . Had not spent their re sources wisely. But both civilians and senior officers emphasized that nato has embarked on initiatives to improve its position in three critical areas readiness and reinforcement guided antitank missiles and War re serve ammunition stocks. As defense Secretary Harold Brown has told Congress the Alliance s defense planning committee has also established task forces to develop programs in 10 Long term priority areas. These programs civilian officials said cover Many of the area cited by Hart. Nato the officials conceded has had a spotty record. Programs embraced at annual meetings have tended to Russell Baker disappear under legislative scrutiny. But the officials regard the present programs As so vital to the Alliance s credibility that they believe improvements will result. The programs Are aimed at improving the responsive Ness of standing forces in a crisis or hostilities speeding the movement of american Canadian and British re serves facilitating the mobilization of Reserve forces and rebuilding the Alliance s naval position. Under the programs air defense is to be integrated a coordinated communications command and control system established and Long term improvements in elec tronic warfare encouraged. Plans will be made to Harmo Nize research and development and armaments production. The logistics Structure in Europe would be expanded to include the support of civilian Industry. Finally tactical nuclear forces would be modernized. These programs Pentagon officials said indicate that nato is not As the senator asserted ignoring crucial questions of strategy of organization and of technological  Hart argued that the Forward defense probably cannot defeat a Warsaw pact Blitzkrieg and that nato had set up a shallow linear defense with Little  senior army generals vigorously challenged this View. Linear defense they said has been discarded. Ground forces will rely on Battle groups armed with antitank weapons and tanks to attack penetrating soviet forces. There will be no withdrawals to phase lines but a Battle of movement with Allied weapons hitting soviet formations As these move beyond the cover of their artillery. Hart charged that there was insufficient pre position ing in Europe of heavy arms for the use of reinforce ments. The army said that in two years enough heavy equipment for six reinforcement divisions would be in place As part of the readiness program now under Way. A Lack of an operational Reserve is another weakness according to the senator. Assuring that if the russians break through they will have virtually a free ride to the  new York n it i wish i were Tele vision people. I d be Cool and have great hair. When i had to shoot somebody with a pistol i would get him with the first shot instead of missing him with All six the Way i do now. Television people Are always driving around in cars. 1 am always driving around in cars too but this is because i can never find a parking space. If i were television people i would always drive right into a waiting parking space and get out of the car and go into a building and get beaten up. I would look terrific going into the build ing All Sun tanned and beautifully tailored instead of looking Flea bitten. If i were television people my pantyhose would never be saggy because Little girls would not hesitate to Hurt my feelings by telling me if they were and i would change to improved a baggy pantyhose. Thanks to a family obsessively solicitous of my Hygiene i would never want for mouthwash nor a shampoo to free me from the tyranny of  i drove to my waiting parking space Cool with my great hair looking terrific in my suntan and perfect pantyhose i would have no fear of coming embarrassingly close to the people waiting to beat me up. Not with my mint fresh breath and my great surfer s Dandruff free shoulders. If i were television people i would solve All murders in 50 minutes which is Only one tenth the time it now takes me to solve the crossword Puzzle. All the women in my life would look like High school prom Queens in training for a Centrefold portrait in Playboy but they would be Nice clean Wise cracking girls with Magna cum laude diplomas from the police Academy and whenever somebody tried to beat them up i would shoot him with my pistol and not miss with the first Bullet. Afterwards we would go to our favorite hangout and i would Tell them with a Cool Little laugh line How i got there in time to do the shooting. We would not hang around Long Over our ice Cream sodas of course. No Siree because i d have to Rush right Back in time to Tell everybody that i was going to Tell them some news right after these messages. Not being television people i always blurt out my news without prefatory Mes sages and it goes Over like a Lead  Long ago for example i was being beaten up by two bionic people who had been irritated because i had missed hitting them with All six bullets in my pistol. 1rushed right Home burst into the Kitchen and said guess who i just got beat up by Don t Tell us before the important Mes sages screamed the children. Two bionic people i cried ignoring their pleas. They were disgusted and looked it. If i were television people i would have winsome Darling arrest ably charming children who had never been Dis gusted with their Good old dad in their Sweet Little lives and never needed $1,500 Worth of orthodontic braces or suffered from neuroses created by sinister school teachers either. Television people have All the Luck. They Are always playing games and winning prizes. If i were television people i would probably win an armchair that looked like a lot of Beer kegs nailed together. And i would not Tell the Host that any sponsor who tried to Palm off that chair As a prize would try to sell Medicine a breath either the Way i would now. Not on your life. If i were television people i would jump up and Down in ecstasy clapping my hands and squealing with Joy and then kiss the Host right on top of his great hair. Most of us alas cannot be television people. As f. Scott Fitzgerald remarked to Ernest Hemingway in their famous conversation television people Are different from you and  yes said Hemingway their panty Hose never  this enraged Fitzgerald. He challenged Hemingway to put on the gloves and they went three rounds without either one beat ing up the other. It was duller than shake Speare on Public television and Ever since then Charlie s Angels has easily beaten both of them in the ratings. Letters to the cd for it s that time of the year again Well i can see that it s that time of the year again. You can always Tell when we gis Are going to get a pay raise because Gao or cafes urges a Price increase. I recently read that Gao wants a 7.8 per cent Price increase. I suppose it s just a co incidence that the government is thinking of giving us a 7.05 per cent pay increase. Editor s note the 7.05 per cent increase has now been approved by president Carter apparently our raise will be spent before it s even approved it seems that every time we get an increase in pay the prices increase. The idea of a pay raise is to overcome personal deficit spending not just break even. When will we get a Chance to get ahead sure we re making More than we used to but prices Are also higher than the used to be. If they have to make a Price increase Why can t they do it six months after our pay raise so we can enjoy a Little extra Money for a Little while and maybe even go out to eat occasionally what did they do with last year s Price increase or the one before that All that i have seen at our base is a new Bowling Alley and some Concrete for a new mall. What we really need is More parking areas a completely renovated Auto Hobby within the rules in reference to the recent letter on the pronunciation of the word comptroller an s Milt Fullerton is pronouncing the word correctly. According to Webster s collegiate dictionary both pronunciations Are listed As acceptable and within the rules of the English language. Thorn Anthony Kitzinger Germany shop and an no club that satisfies some one besides the alcoholics. What part of that $600 million do we see or rather into whose pocket is it being stuffed name withheld Hahn a Germany european edition col. Billy e. Spangler Usa. Editor in chief u. Col. 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