European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes o strike stalls m1 tank production Page 5 q Europe units gear for gun smoke 85 pages 8,9 o yanks Blue jays both lose Page 21 the its and stripes vol. 44, no. 155 Friday september 20, 1985 i do a d 8693 a earthquake epicentre tidal wave feared major earthquake rocks parts of Central Mexico by he associated Kress a major earthquake in the Pacific Ocean on thursday caused severe damage in three Central mexican states collapse buildings in Mexico City and sent the City into chaos. Death reports ranged from the dozens to 1,000 or More. Mexican president Miquel de Lama did said the government Sidn l know How Many people were dead or injured. Live scenes from the sole operating Tele vision station in the capital showed build Ings in rubble with Many people trapped. One 13-Story building was said to have collapsed trapping Many people inside. An Amateur radio operator said he had seen Many dead people on the Street. Another report said 35 percent of the City s buildings were damaged. Both blood and gasoline for emergency see quake on Page 28 full readiness of armed forces Nof yet possible general says by Betty Luman sufi writer Frankfurt the commander of the is. Readiness come said thursday that it will be the end of the Century before the military has enough air planes and ships to meet its goals to transport troops an equipment to crisis Points around the world. Army Gen. Fred k. Mahaffey said there have been improvements in the past five years but budget cuts by Congress have forced the Navy and air Force to stretch out procurement  it will be the end of the Century before we can meet what we believe to be the Overall requirement Mahaffey said. As recently As March 1984, Mahaffey told the House armed services commit tee that the shortage would Persini Only through 1989. The general and members of his staff from Macdill fab fla., arc touring . Installations in Germany to gain a better understanding of the requirements and capabilities of the european come. Mahaffey s overriding responsibility is to provide combat ready reserves to overseas trouble spots he said. Fiscal constraints Are his biggest problem to the extent they retard efforts to bring those troops to full readiness he said. If granted his top five wishes Mahaffey said he would ask Congress for continued budgetary support for readiness improvements for improvements in sustainability for modernization of the forces for development of the joint deployment system and for essential joint training activities. The joint exercises should be both inter service and International in scope he said. Mahaffey said he can envision no scenario us Woholo do Lynda w. Soar i Gen. Fred k. Mahaffey. Readiness come commander that would not require the joint operation of the four . Services and the Odds arc very High we will be acting in concert with our  it therefore follows we have to train in peacetime As we will fight in wartime he said. Mahaffey said that while the services Are doing a better Job than Ever before in training their people More work is needed in coordinating the Points where they would mesh. The general who is on his first visit to Europe since assuming his new command in june said he has seen no evidence in joint training exercises of the old rivalry Between services. He also said there is a rowing recognition by All of the senior leadership in the department of defense for full cooperation. Another of the readiness come s responsibilities is the defense of the United tales. The Forward deployed Force in Europe and other regions constitutes a first line of defense not Only for our allies but our selves As Well Mahaffey said. Bui increased technology and the threat of soviet sabotage to key installations within the United states have put an end to the Protection the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once afforded the country he said. Mahaffey said his Mission also is to de fend key . Ports airports and installations against soviet sabotage. Gle the re. Benjamin Weir Weir tears 6 hostages lives at stake Washington up the Rev. Benjamin Weir free after 16 months of Captivity in Lebanon thursday called on president Reagan to negotiate immediately for the release of six americans still being held there because he fears their lives Are at stake. Weir 61, appearing healthy and speak ing in a firm voice told a news conference at the National Headquarters of the presbyterian Church that his captors had one see Weir on Page 28 medical staffs urged to cooperate by Clint Swift Washington Bureau Washington two years after the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut Lebanon and 16 months after a report critical of the military s handling of the casualties the defense department s top medical official said wednesday he could t be sure the problems with the evacuation would t happen again. William Mayer assistant Secretary of defense for health affairs said the problem is that there still is no single officer in Europe or the Pacific working full time at the Job of making the serv ices medical staffs pull together. I would like to say with perfect Confidence that a repetition of the kinds of confusion that we experienced in the past would not occur Mayer told Ahouse armed services investigations subcommittee. I cannot say that. Neither in Europe nor in the Pacific is there a plan for a designated person in charge who can give orders to each Branch of the service s medical Arm i such an  but Mayer said the . European come has worked out plans for a joint service response to any future terrorist attack. He also noted that he and de sense Secretary Caspar Weinberger have urged that the european come surgeon be a full time Flag officer with Clear authority to oversee medical plan Ning for the army Navy and air Force in the Region. I Don t think it would be nearly Assad As it was he said. "1 think the formation and communication would be far better. I Don t think the arc d be the confusion As to where people  but he said the first requirement in crisis is for command control and communication. That command has to be a one headed beast not a collection or a committee or something that s coordinated Back and Forth across a communication  rep. Frank Mcclosky d-lnd., called the situation outrageous and demanded it be fixed in 72 hours. He suggested that subcommittee chairman rep. Bill Nichols d-la., ask for a meeting with Weinberger if the matters not disposed of within a week. Mayer said it is not objections from the services that Are causing the prob Lem. He said the difficulty is that there Are too few general officers in the med ical services and too Many jobs for them already. He said that the european come surgeon an air Force medical officer spends about half his Lime in that Job. Mayer said the Job requires someone full see medical on Page 28