European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes tuesday april 15, 1986 . May help modernize chinese Navy by Daniel Southerland Washington Post service peking in another indication of the growing .-chinese military relationship adm. James d. Watkins the . Chief of naval operations has disclosed that experts Are discussing ways in which the United states can help modernize the chinese Navy. Speaking Here saturday he also expressed optimism about a possible . Navy port visit. Watkins on his first visit to China said that a team of . Navy experts was in China talking with the chinese about their use of .-made anti submarine warfare equipment including sonar and torpedoes and sophisticated Gas Turbine engines. In August general electric co. Agreed to sell five of the Turbine engines to the chinese for use on their destroyers. Watkins said that the . Navy was very encouraged by a recently concluded agreement with the chinese for the Sale of $500 million Worth of . Electronics to give an All weather capability to China s f 8 fighter Jet. The Reagan administration notified con Gress earlier this month of the impending Sale by far the largest . Military Sale to China to Date. The f-8 modernization will include radar computers and navigation equipment. In an unusual Public discussion of Sensi Tive defense issues by such a High ranking officer Watkins said that the f-8 Sale would be a landmark and could Herald a flow of technological equipment and know How to the chinese Navy. Other sources have said that such a modernization program could total several Hundred million dollars in sales Over several years. Some observers cautioned that the chinese have a history of expressing inter est in arms sales from Western nations and backing off once the costs become Clear. Few contracts have been signed and the chinese have said they must move slowly because of a shortage of funds. The Progress in defense cooperation be tween the United states and China reported by Watkins seemed to indicate that de spite a recent improvement in relations Between China and the soviet Union the chinese still consider the soviet Union a Security threat. Watkins said that during his 10-Day visit to China which started Friday he did not intend to raise the sensitive Issue of a Possi ble . Navy port visit. Such a visit had been expected to take place in May 1985, but was postponed after the communist party general Secretary he Yanbang said that . Ships would not be carrying nuclear weapons when they made the Call. . Policy is neither to confirm nor deny that its ships Are carrying nuclear weapons. The two sides failed to reach agreement on a port Call. But Watkins was optimistic saturday about the prospects for a Call which would be the first to China in nearly four decades. China recently gave Britain approval to Send two warships on a Goodwill visit to Shanghai in july. The British have the same policy As the United states about whether their ships carry nuclear weapons. It appeared that the chinese sought no assurances about the Issue from the British. Berling a pick up first of army s hummers by Joe Mapother Bremerhaven Bureau Berlin the successor to the army jeep made its appearance in Europe monday when Berlin brigade sol Diers took delivery of 19 of the m-998 series Hummer trucks built under a $1.2 billion contract. Usa eur will receive 8,500 of the multipurpose die Sel pow Rcd trucks in the next two years said it. Col. Joseph Yanchar chief of the tactical vehicle Fielding team in Europe. The army tank automotive come contract with the am general division of Ltd aerospace and defense co. In 1983 called for 55,000 hummers in five years. About 39,000 of the 1 /4-ton trucks will go to the army and the rest will go to the air Force and marines said Kenneth Mitchell chief of the Light vehicles Branch tac vehicles logistic management div. All of the trucks handed Over in Berlin were tube launched optically tracked wire guided Tow missile carriers. Yanchar said the decision was a High level policy move to get the Tow carrying jeeps out of service As fast As possible. The jeep configured to carry the Tow missile had a tendency to flip Over during rough terrain exercises he said. We be had a lot of accidents that caused injury or death to soldiers in the army As much As we love that jeep Yanchar said. Tow Carrier hummers will be delivered to the South Ern european task Force setae in Italy this summer Yanchar said. The Berlin and setae commands will be the first to switch completely to the new trucks probably in the summer of 1987, he said. The name Hummer stems from the acronym originally applied to the project hmm we which stands for High mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle. The Hummer is distinguished by its sloping Hood and wide wheel base. It is being built to five Basic configurations Yanchar said. Future deliveries in Usa eur will include open backed troop and cargo ambulance and Box topped shelter trucks. The Hummer on display monday was a v-8 diesel Ca Pable of acceleration from Zero to 30 Mph in seven seconds. Heavy duty Springs allow off Road driving at a fast clip judging by a Brief demonstration at the Parks Range in Berlin. The Tow equipped truck without missiles and radio costs about $25,000, Yanchar said. Although More expensive than a jeep the Hummer is replacing or partially replacing four vehicles he said. The Tow missile Hummer will save on manpower and vehicles by eliminating two jeeps an ammunition trailer and one Crew member. A three member Crew will operate the Tow setup on the Hummer he said. Soldiers Are better protected in the Hummer with its cab of Light Armor and the truck s More stable handling characteristics. The Hummer carries no spare tire. Magnesium Alloy wheels Are built inside tires which in the event of a blow put allow the vehicle to travel 30 Miles at 30 Mph Accord ing to Yanchar. You can t go very fast but you certainly can get your self out of a Jam he said. Top Speed is 65 Mph on level roads. The truck is rated at 6 Mph travelling up a 60 percent Grade according to manufacturers specifications. Gen. Richard h. Thompson commander of the army Materiel come Alexandria va., termed the Hummer the continuation of probably the army s most important Force modernization  we Are replacing one of the army s workhorses the /4-ton truck which has been around since world War ii Thompson said in remarks before dignitaries including Berlin brigade commander maj. Geri. Thomas Griffin. Reaction among several jeep Drivers was enthusiastic. They will be exchanging manual shifts for the Standard automatic transmission of the Hummer. The new Hummer Drivers faced a dozen hours of opera Tor training before being allowed to take the wheel of the new trucks. Mechanics faced a 20-hour course in main Taining the Hummer. The Berlin brigade plans to be in the Field with the new trucks in May. 4italy to crack Down on Sale of suspected wines Rome not the italian govern ment will prohibit the distribution Sale or serving of any wines suspected of having been poisoned with Wood alcohol officials said sunday. The order is expected to take effect this week with the publication of an ordinance issued by the ministry of health. The government s first move to ban sales of poisoned wine comes one month after the first deaths were officially attributed to wines identified As having been contaminated with Wood alcohol also known As Methyl alcohol. The death toll has since risen to 20 peo ple and tainted wines Are still being found throughout Italy. The list of companies whose products will be banned was still being completed Sun Day health ministry officials said but As Many As 95 concerns May be affected. The Sale of any wine products from the listed companies will result in a jail term of up to three months when the order goes into effect. So far the wine adulteration scandal has touched a Small number of italian wine producers but it has created both a Public health problem and potential commercial difficulties for Italy the biggest exporter of wine in the world. In repeated Public statements Costante Degan the minister of health had insisted that no sales bans were necessary because the government was identifying the brands of tainted wines and warning the Public. He was supported by other members of the government and the idea of a sales ban was set aside when the Cabinet met last thurs Day to Issue decrees aimed at containing the crisis. Degan signed the sales ban ordinance saturday night. The police have been searching wine stores supermarkets and distributor Ware houses since mid March for wines known or suspected of having been tainted but unless they were discovered by the investigators poisoned wines continued to be sold. Once the ban goes into effect All the banned wines will be subject to quarantine and businesses stocking the products in any form will be required to inform the local authorities. Degan said sunday that the ban at least in the beginning would cover companies that have appeared on three lists issued by the government. The first list included seven wine producers under investigation for purportedly mixing the Wood alcohol into batches of Low Quality wines to in crease their Potency at a very Low Price or for having knowingly sold poisonous wine. The second list includes the products of 37 companies some of whose wines already have shown illegal quantities of Wood Alco hol. These companies the authorities say have purchased already tainted wine and either resold it or mixed it with other Vin tages. The third list issued last tuesday Cov ered 59 companies merely suspected of hav Here s How to return faulty veg Aii cans customers of air Force and army commissaries May return certain cans of a re called canned vegetable for a refund provided the codes on the cans match the codes of the recalled Batch. Fresh like veg Aii mixed vegetables inthe 8-ounce, 16-ounce and no. 10 can sizes fresh like veg Aii Lite mixed vegetables inthe 8 and 16-ounce sizes and veg Aii Home style Large Cut vegetables in the 29 ounce can have been recalled. The vegetables contain the preservative sulfite which is not listed As an ingredient on the Label As required by Law. Sulfite can cause allergic reactions income people. Symptoms include tightness of the Throat Cla miness weakness nausea Andlor blood pressure. Martha Jones of the inventory manage ment Branch of the troop support Agency said that commissaries will give customers refund for cans with the proper codes. For the fresh like veg Aii mixed vegetables and the fresh like veg Aii Lite mixed vegetables the letters of must Bein the Bottom line of the can code. For the veg Aii Home style Large Cut vegetables the numbers 04 must be the first two numbers in the Bottom line of the can code. Ing sold tainted wine. After testing their products the government on saturday dropped eight of these companies from theist. Degan said sunday that his ministry would publish an initial list of banned win brands when the ordinance was published and that the list would be regularly update Das other companies were either implicated or absolved. 2 gis stabbed at disco Aschaffenbur Germany two soldiers from the 3rd inf div were stabbed in a discotheque saturday evening a unit spokesman said monday. Pvt. 1 Rayburn Crider cod 1st in 7th inf and pvt. 2 Anthony j. Sylvester cod 1st in 4th inf were in stable condition in a German Hospital in Aschaffenbur said maj. Bob Mackenzie division Public affairs officer. Both soldiers received Stab wounds in the lower Abdomen and Chest. Military and German police Are investigating the incident. Correction a travel Story on Crete which appeared in the daily Magazine april 4 quoted a state department advisory cautioning tourists about the potential for terrorist activities in Greece. The american consulate in Frankfurt which provided the information neglected to state that this travel advisory was rescinded in july 1985. Stars and stripes regrets the error