European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 19, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 military Roundup new 1 St army div brigade welcomed into existence Katterbach Germany activation Cere monies for the 4th brigade 1st army div were held thursday. The division s new brigade known As the Iron Eagle brigade is under the command of col. James w. Lloyd and includes the 501st attack helicopter in the 10th attack helicopter in the 244th Gen eral support aviation co the 220th combat aviation co and the 61st trans aircraft Maint co. All of the units Are stationed in Katterbach except the 10th attack helicopter in which is based in a Liesheim. The 501st aviation in combat was deactivated to make Way for the new brigade. The aviation battalion served with the division since 1957. Recreation chiefs workshop postponed by Usa eur Schwet Zingen Germany the ninth an Nual Usa eur outdoor recreation directors workshop has been postponed according to morale support officials at 1st personnel come. The workshop which was set for next week in Eidesheim will be rescheduled for a later Date. Cha apus names winners of advisers of year award bad Kissinger Germany the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services has named the top health benefits advisers of the year for the army and air Force in Europe. Tracy Reynolds the benefits adviser at the army dispensary in Mannheim received the champs Europe award for the army. Esther k. Pruit of the air Force Hospital at Raf upper Heyford eng land received the award for the air Force. Five airmen in Europe win of s Best mechanics award Washington five airmen in Europe Are among winners of the air Force s 1985 Best mechanics awards Given to people in the aircraft munitions missile and communications electronics Fields. The winners in Europe Are capt. Larry d. Phil lips company Grade manager Raf Mildenhall England staff sgt. Michael l. Mcdaniel Hutch Ings technician supervisor Sembach a Ger Many staff sgt. Dale a. Bell technician Wanna Germany senior master sgt. Glenn r. Baldwin supervisor manager Florenne Belgium maj. Brian d. Grady Field Grade manager Span Dahlem a Germany. The awards Are Given to acknowledge outstand ing contributions to improve maintenance operations. Logistics officials said special consideration is Given to those who have developed or improved maintenance systems programs and practices or whose ideas contributed to management efficiency or Cost effectiveness. Military retirement plan going to Senate for vote by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the Senate is expected next week to consider a proposal to Cut pensions for future recruits by an average of 25 percent compared to the current system. The Senate armed service committee wednesday approved what is known As the combination plan one of two options Congress directed the defense department to draw up to Cut the Cost of the retirement system. Congress withheld $2.9 billion from this year s $18.2 billion retirement account and now must implement a change to the system by May 1 or Dod will have to begin releasing up to 330,000 service members to meet spending limits. Faced with a looming deadline the committee passed a separate Bill that would push the trigger Date for manpower cuts to june 1, said an aide to sen. John Glenn a Ohio. We Hope to get the House to quickly pass a similar Bill and get it to president Reagan for his signature the aide said. May 1 is coming fast and we realize time is run Ning  Pentagon officials have adamantly maintained the retirement system should not be changed. While the Only ones affected would be recruits who enlisted after a change became Law officials said near term retention would drop because current service members would see it As an erosion of benefits. But when pressed by Congress Dod officials have said the combination option is the least damaging of the several proposals that have been considered. The House armed services committee already has passed its own Bill to change the retirement system. That plan would Cut retirement pay by almost 30 percent com pared to the current system according to Pentagon Fig ures. The combination plan would give service members with 20 years service 44 percent of their average base pay during their highest three years of earnings. At 30 years service members would get 75 percent of their average base pay during their three highest earning years. Additionally retirees would receive a Cost of living Al Lowance one Point below the consumer Price Index. On the 40th anniversary of the service member s entry into the military the service member would receive an amount to bring cola to what it would have been with full inflation Protection. After that the cola would revert to one percentage Point below the Chi. Service members on Active duty who joined before 1980 receive 50 percent of their final base pay after 20 years and 75 percent of final base pay after 30 years. Servic members who entered the military after 1980 Are on a different retirement plan. It bases retirement pay on the average base pay of a Servic member s highest three years of earnings. Their retirement pay will be about 5 percent less than members who entered before 1980. The House armed services committee s plan would give service members retiring after 20 years 40 percent of their average base pay during their five highest earning years. Between 20 and 30 years retirement pay would be prorated on a sliding scale. After 25 years it would be based on the average base pay during the four highest earning years and at 30 years on the average of the three highest earning years. The plan uses a multiplier of 3.5 percent a year Between 20 and 30 years so that after 30 years service members would get 75 percent of the average base pay during the three highest earning years. That plan will go before the full House for a vote Early next week said a committee staff member. National interests Block standardization of arms by nato nations official says by Mike Heronemus staff writer Brussels Belgium National interests and Long term development times Are ruts in the Road to armament standardization that nato experts View As vital to defense efforts. Cooperation is improving but several obstacles must be overcome before nato forces can inter operate totally said Robin Beard Deputy Secretary general for defense support. At supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe in Mons Belgium one military officer said equip ment standardization among nato ground forces is such that we can fight the Way we want to  but one member of Beard s staff said cooperation by countries in the Alliance today amounts just to choosing equipment being developed As replacements for outdated weapons rather than in designing weapons systems specifically to meet nato s needs. Two or More industries join forces to develop replace ments for aging weapons systems used by nato forces then try to sell it As suitable for All nato forces he said. Such equipment retains Many National requirements he said because the companies Are catering primarily to National markets. What we need is effective armament planning for nato he said. We need greater cooperation in de sense  cooperation in production also could Lead to economic advantages. Where much of the military Industry today is limited to Large established companies combining the assets of several countries on a project could spread the wealth and offer Small partners insurance against losses members of Beard s staff believe. At present military arms production in nato nations lags behind that in the soviet Union Beard said. The soviets Are out producing us 2-to-l to 5-to-l." what nato puts on the Battlefield May be technologically Superior to soviet equipment Beard said but As someone has said Quantity has its own Quality " time is a tall hurdle to leap in weapons development according to nato sources who asked that their names not be used. It takes 12 to 14 years from drawing Board to deploy ment one said. Another said it takes As Long As 20 years for major naval systems. In that time Many changes May cause elimination of a project Beard said giving the diva gun As an example. Beard said there is an american preoccupation with perfecting a system before Fielding it. He did t advocate Fielding untested equipment but said we need to find a Happy medium. It s deployed technology that makes a difference not developing technology " quite a Flap expected from visiting Pterodactyl by Clint Swift Washington Bureau Washington visitors to the Andrews fab open House in Maryland next month will be treated to flying demonstrations by an air Force f-15 Jet fighter an army Apache helicopter a Marine corps vertical Takeoff har Rier Jet and a giant Pterodactyl. The Pterodactyl in t the latest addition to the West s air Arsenal. It s a 44-Pound, 18-foot-wide, Wing flapping Model of a reptile that soared through the skies in the Days when dinosaurs roamed Earth. A spokesman for the smithsonian s air and space museum said the radio controlled Pterodactyl called in the time traveler was created for the museum by Aero Viron ment inc. Under the direction of aviation innovator Paul Maccready. Maccready is the designer of the Gossamer Albatross the first human powered aircraft to Fly across the English Channel and the solar challenger a solar powered air Craft. Both Are in the museum. The two scheduled five minute flights at Andrews will be the first Public demonstrations of the Model. The Ptero dactyl Model first flew in january Over California s Al Mirage dry Lake in the Mojave desert and at death Val Ley where it was filmed for a new wide screen movie to be shown at the museum s Langley theater. The movie on the Wing will premiere june 20. Development of the Model began in 1984. It was patterned after fossilized Pterodactyl remains discovered in West Texas in the 1970s. The greatest problem the design team faced was developing the Means to give the creature stability and control the spokesman said. An on Board computer helped overcome the difficulties. In response to the computer the replica maintains stable flight by moving its head from Side to Side extend ing its fingers Midway out on the wings twisting the wings and swinging them Forward and backward he said. All this goes on while the Battery powered Muscles Flap the wings to provide  the air and space museum was interested in the project for two reasons to make a contribution to aerodynamics and palaeontology and to make the film. The film will explore other Means of natural and mechanical flight from Birds and insects to kites and aircraft. A Crew from Francis Thompson inc., which made the films to Fly and living planet for the museum travelled to Europe Central China Peru the Florida wildlife Refuge and the deserts of the american Southwest to capture the diversity of flying creatures and aircraft the spokesman said