European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes Friday april 18, 1986 experts seek ways to Aid first term soldiers families by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington army researchers Are looking for ways the service can better help first term soldiers and their families make the transition from civilian to military Hie according to the third edition of the army family action plan. First term soldiers and their families face special prob lems particularly when living off Post away from army support networks and facilities the plan states. Ann Tarzier army relocation and outreach program coordinator said Young families Don t have More problems than anyone else but they often have fewer life skills than those who have spent More time in the military. It s really a result of the general age and experience level of these families she said. They May not have been away from Home before they re put into an environment where the language is different. It can be confusing for them when they try to get from Point to Point to Cove their  the family action plan said 30 percent of lower rank enlisted soldiers Are married. Tarzier said the Walter Reed army Institute of research plans to study ways to Foster partnership and a sense of Community among those families. Part of the research will be aimed at substantiating a number of assumptions already held by army officials. Tarzier said it is assumed that As a new Soldier and his or her family enter the army environment there Are cer Tain Points at which they get information on such things As pay benefits medical services and Community services. Researchers will study and define that pattern to see How families can be better integrated into army life she said. Officials want to know such things As what kinds of information the Young families pass Back and Forth to each other and their initial perceptions of the army she said. From a management standpoint it s aimed at retention and readiness As Well As obviously the wellness of the  the army plans to spend s4.8 million on the research by the end of this fiscal year and $7.1 million in fiscal1987. Beyond the research the army is developing ways to help first term families. Under study is the feasibility of easing one stressful situation childbirth by granting up to 10 Days of paternity leave not Only for first Ter soldiers but for All ranks. Also being drawn up is an extensive standardized out reach program to be implemented army wide that will focus primarily on first term families but will affect Al families. The family action plan said the program will include family member orientation unit Leader training family support groups Contact with unaccompanied families and counselling on army policies programs and entitlements. The needs of single parents and couples in which both parents Are in the army also will be addressed. The Basic premise is that we feel the need to connect the services we already have with those who need those services most Tarzier said. We want to reach the new Comers and help them become educated to what kind of services and assistance the army can offer and get them Touse  she said Many Young soldiers Are unwilling to let any one know they might have a problem or even a question for fear it would somehow affect their careers. The general perception has been to keep your Home life separate from your army life she said. We re try ing to overcome that ingrained  nato needs joint weapons systems to be More compatible official says by Mike Heronemus staff writer Brussels Belgium when in Europe do As the soviets do if it concerns military equipment. That s the lesson nato nations should heed according to Robin Beard nato assistant Secretary general for defense support. To some extent they Are heeding it he said and efforts to standardize military equipment Are increasing. Sources at nato Headquarters in Brussels say the Warsaw pact military forces would have few problems fighting together because they Are not democratic about weapons systems development. They Are told what they will use and the soviet Union supplies a great Deal of the equipment one source said. Nato on the other hand is an Alliance of 16 Sovereign nations each with National economic defense and weapons development needs. Beard said nations in the Alliance often develop weapons systems or equipment they need then try to find ways to sell it to other nato nations based on rationalized Alliance wide applications. It also Means nato nations that will fight Side by Side on the Battlefield May use equipment that could not be used repaired or serviced by soldiers from Allie countries. Cooperation among nato nations for developing common or at least compatible weapons systems has gained momentum within the past year Beard said. He pointed to the Public announcement in March by nato armaments directors to collaborate on six conventional programs. Such pronouncements of cooperation previously were general in nature and had ineffective support later he said. Now Deputy defense ministers Are key figures i those cooperation efforts Beard said. The programs announced include development of woman shot retrieving Bra Nashville Tenn. A a woman was shot in the hand when she tried to pull a Bra out of a Dresser drawer and a revolver snagged in it discharged police said. Offi cers said the 50-year-old woman was released from Gener Al Hospital after treatment. 155mm precision guided ammunition a surveillance and target seeking system a multipurpose information distribution system a computerized stand off weapons pro Gram a nato identification system for Friendly aircraft and work to enhance High order computer language pro Grams for defense. A stand off weapon is one that can engage a target from a distance beyond the target s Range. The programs were picked because they offer solutions to problems identified in a nato study As deficiencies in its conventional military forces sources said. U s legis lation earmarking $200 million for nato cooperative development efforts has helped Spur support for joint Oro jets they said. With the economic situation of most defense budgets today Beard said nations can t afford the duplication of research and development costs. We can no longer afford to have every nation build nets own weapons systems he said. Gen. Bernard w. Rogers supreme Allied commander in Europe said last year that unless conventional forces were improved an Early use of nuclear Force might be needed to Stop an attack from Eastern Europe. During the past year cooperative efforts have been Evi Dent in projects including a european fighter aircraft an attack helicopter and a medium transport helicopter. Italy Germany Spain and England Are working on development of a european fighter aircraft. France and Germany Are working on an attack helicopter. Five nations Are cooperating on development of a medium size transport helicopter. Although the agreements signed recently by defense ministers do not commit their nations to funding the project Beard has stated he believes the agreements Are important because they will encourage International cooperation in the future. Senior . Officials at nato Are confident at least some cooperative development programs will result from the agreements according to a report in aviation week space technology last month. Some cooperation is coming about naturally among International industries for economic and business reasons Beard said. Faced with growing Competition Many companies Are joining forces to Cut research and development costs and to ensure they get a piece of the profit pie. They feel that half of the contract profit is better than none at All Beard said. Germany decides not to reveal details of ski participation Bonn up parliament thursday voted to keep secret the pact in which Germany agreed to participate in the . Strategic defense initiative. After a spirited debate Chancellor Helmut Kohl s bundestag majority of Christian democrats and free democrats Defeated measures proposed by the opposition social democrats and greens calling for publication of Thesdie pact with the United states. Economics minister Martin Bangemann the official who signed the bilateral pact in Washington before easter assured the bundestag that nothing in it contravenes the superpowers 1972 anti ballistic missile treaty that prohibits certain defensive weapons. Bangemann said during the debate the secret German american Star wars pact provided Only for research participation by private German companies and contained no commitment to develop and deploy defensive space weapons he said no government participation would be involved. Broken ribs frostbite Force 2 to leave North pole expedition Montreal up injuries have knocked out two members of a seven person team trying to become the first dog Slidders in 77 years to reach the North pole unassisted by machines. Flew ?.ealander Bob Mckerrow said in an interview on Csc radio that two broken ribs forced him to leave the expedition two weeks ago and severe frostbite forced Bob Mantell of Alaska to withdraw wednesday. Mantell suffered frostbite on his feet three weeks ago his frostbite was improving until the expedition crossed water a Lew Days ago with the temperature at minus 71 of Mckerrow said. The cold water on his toes caused it frostbite to deteriorate Mckerrow 37, said. He s flying out " the seven member team began the 497-mile dog sled journey March 6 Between Ward Hunt Island the northernmost tip of Canada and the North pole. Was. Lwe mesday the five remaining members were about 200 Miles from their destination which they hoped to reach by the end of april Mckerrow told Csc. Opera performance of Othello greeted warmly in peking peking a a barrel chested chinese Othello belted put his anguish in the deep resonant tones of peking opera in a daring Experiment in joining theater traditions of East and West. A Yongen s dynamic performance As the main charac Ter m the adaptation of the shakespearean play was met with enthusiastic applause from the mostly chinese Audi ence at the nationalities culture Palace in peking i have seen four Othello recently including one at the Royal Shakespeare theater. But this is my Othello it was a very Beautiful performance a very exciting one and a very moving one said Richard Brockbank of Stratford England who is director of the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham. We Juguang one of China s Best known peking opera writers described the play As very meaningful and said he was   Sinatra May perform for Pope at Benefit italian papers say a p in a Frank Sinatra is Pope John Paul ii this summer at a Benefit concert ital Ian newspapers reported. The newspaper reports which did not identify their sources said the Benefit concert could take place in st. T to squad ? three jul y 10 or 12, and the proceed would be used to help famine victims in the third world. Sources report that Complex negotiations for the event have been going on for months. Japanese explorer believed first to achieve Polar round trip hike is of a a a t a year old japanese explorer has  a Kada ? Cornwallis Island to the magnetic pole and Back m 34 Days and is believed to be then Irr a accomplish he round trip hike Japan news service reported Lute in Dror dirt it by arrived Back in res is. Of Scarsi re 8" f expeditions have reached the pole on hot is Etc a Sam returned to the Canadia Village saying q a named spokesman in Tokyo As f and a.,su9 Ort Pla a had confirmed Oba sle 279 Miles from Resolute