European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 3,1887 the stars and Stripe fax Page arms pacts Worsen deficit critics say lawmakers Zero in on foreign deals by Martin Tolchin Washington not the United Stales awarded 19 billion m military contracts to foreign companies last year and some lawmakers charge that the deals increase the nation s Trade deficit and Hurt the struggling american companies that could be doing the wort the contracts for the 1986 fiscal year were mostly Tor equipment for aircraft tanks missiles electronic systems communication networks construction work and research and development according to defens department officials. The contracts include $ 156 Mil lion to Rolls Royce in Britain for Gas Turbine and Jet engines $102 million to  aeronautic in Italy for helicopter equipment and 143 million Domatra in France for bombs. Defense department officials contend that the con tracts Are awarded primarily on the basis of Cost and efficiency. They say the contract Alto help Wio the support of allies on issues including the Reagan administration s proposal for a defense against attacking mis Siles. And they say the deals provide reciprocity for the billions in american arms sold overseas and coordinate weapon used by the North Atlantic treaty or  Price is right and the Quality a right said Gerald d. Sullivan assistant Deputy undersecretary of defense for International programs that s the Basic reason for those contracts. As far As the Trade deficit goes we sell More military hardware than we  but congressional critics say the contracts which have nearly doubled in the Reagan years now exceed american arms sales abroad have taken jobs fro american workers have exacerbated the Trade deficit and have created National Security problems. They say some foreign governments subsidized their military contractors to under bid american companies so As to develop their own industries. There s no question that contracts with foreign companies Impact on the Trade deficit As our dollars go overseas said sen. Jeff Bingaman d-n.m., chair Man of the armed services subcommittee on the de sense Industry and  subcommittee is planning hearings in March on the hundreds of millions for military research and development awarded foreign companies that might then convert their own research to make commercial products that compete with american products. To the extent that we re contracting out and de pending upon foreign companies to accomplish our research we an losing our cutting Edge in technology said Bingaman who beads the Senate democratic study group on economic . Want b. Rudman r-n.h., said our Mili tary allies happen to be our fiercest competitors when it Cornea to world technology. You cannot say that if you gave British Marconi a $150 million contract to research computer technology it would t come Back to haunt . John Glenn a Phio urged that Congress scrutinize the entire $9 billion in awards and thai no More than 3 percent of research and development contracts Bint unan Rudman Glenn Kerry for the anti missile program be awarded to foreign contractors j we re losing our competitive Edge the More we Godown this Tine of helping other nations do their re search Glenn said. To build up foreign laboratories so that they can out compete us does t make much  critics dispute the Contention that these contracts Are less costly in the Long run. Sen. John Kerry d mass., chairman of the foreign relations subcommittee on International economic policy said the secondary costs to us of the Small differential in savings ingoing to the Low bidder Are More than made up for by the other losses o the Economy lost jobs competitiveness employment benefits and Market  House Republican leaders Are planning to propose legislative restrictions on How contracts Ore awarded. It s not just a Trade question it s a Security question and it costs americans jobs said rep. Trent Lott of Mississippi the House Republican whip. We should put pressure on american companies to come up with competitive  rep. Robert h. Michel the House Republican Leader complained to defense Secretary Caspar w. Win Beiger in september after Fiat this an italian company partly owned by Libya won a $12 million Earth moving contract for the air Force and Marine  Caterpillar corp., which has its Headquarters and factories in Michel s Peoria District was an unsuccessful bidder. Weinberger assured Michel thai Fiat had created a new company not connected with Libya to handle the contract but Michel remained sceptical. He was similarly incensed when Isilta Fraschina of Italy outbid Caterpillar for a $3.6 million contract to make engines for minesweepers. He said i find i pretty hard to believe that we Are to obligated to do business with foreign companies when there Are Cater pillar workers in my District Oul of work out of unemployment compensation out of Persona savings and wondering How they Are going to put food on the table for their  Marilyn Barneyl a senior negotiator in the defens department s office of International acquisitions said the amount of military contracts awarded abroad increased to 19 billion in the fiscal year 19s6 from $5.4 billion in 1980. But she said the awards amounted to slightly less than 6 percent of the total spent for procurement $84 billion in 1980 and $158.8 billion in1986. The amount of foreign military sales by american companies has been halved to $7.1 billion in us fiscal year 1986 from $14.8 billion in the Calendar year 1980,according to Richard Grimmitt a specialist with the congressional research service of the Library of con Gress. He said Many third world nations had curtailed their purchases because of debt and because they had a backlog of previous purchases. The major purchaser sin 1986, Grimmelt said were saudi Arabia Egypt Taiwan Turkey West Germany Australia Indonesia Britain Japan and Portugal foreign governments that Purchase american Mili tary equipment often require the supplier to make off setting purchases abroad. The office of management and budget reported in a study that from 19bo to 1984, . Military Export sales totalled More than $22billion and the offsetting purchases totalled $12.3 Bil lion. Rudy Oswald chief economist for the Al Cio said it seems to be a Way to bribe other countries to do something. There s been no concern for . Indus trial problems or the . Trade imbalance. It removes our control Over part of the strategic development that we re trying to encourage with our tax  Sullivan the state department official Laid Osnato if somebody s already built a widget it s a hell of a lot better to buy it than to spend development Money to build  i Ager skirts Sovi ill i ill i itt Lin Maisiee a had everyone i were told the Young Resit Leningrad women s Hostel was a Man they were seeking for default ing on a Loon a newspaper said. The Ned Lya weekly said that when police were questioning the 19-year-old because of a Lack of Visi ble Means of support the former Stu Dent blurted Oul enough. I m not Nina Moiseeva. My name is Alexan Der  joking a Leningrad poli lieutenant initially responded  finally convinced him. Kuznetsov said he disguised him self As a woman after receiving a loan from a social service fund. He i in in women  asked by police Puy nhan aged to live so Long mag women without Brincat stored Tdel Masaid Kuin Oiw replied it was . But there was no could surface. I knew the were looking for  lice fore army facility will train All Brand in Poison detection  Mcclellan Ala. A has unveiled a new training to teach All branches of i detect chemical Poi sons in combat the chemical training facility is safety and technical checkout going into operation in my Ctepan nearer Alabama. Our Jill a warn soldiers for War,".aid o. Watson said Fri j will be training them to detect Micals and to decontaminate troops and  Watson commander of he army chemical Center will be the first to go through training when the facility opens. Chemical specialists will provide realistic training for people from All branches of he army of forces. The facility will manufacture the agents go and vex and trainees dressed in toxic proof clothing will be taught to identify the agents and decontaminate then go and vex phosphate Fame hib Itig  the Neu a Ifni in such a Way that. Tiding those that control  uncontrollably. Go is a vapor and vex is hazardous to touch Atson said the indoor training facile Tulious every few feet and is i turd trainees from exposure and to Prev Law a to he outside. The building is my a mile Romany other facility on Ami Miland its Only Access will be closely Gua each group of trainees about 57year, will have three half Days of instruction. They will go through a mock contamination exercise using stimulants on out door training pads. They also will Learnt select identify and decontaminate Gabon Dix. The Laboratory will produce the agents Ismall amounts with an aspirin size Container holding the amount needed for each training  used the chemical agents will be stored in a Tornado proof  facility is equipped with an air ventilation system that will keep it under negative pressure so that no air can escape. Blowers will draw air from inside the facility through two sets of agent til lers. The air will a monitored twice be fore it is released into the atmosphere. All solid and liquid wastes will reprocessed and monitored for contamination and then disposed of in an incinerator that bums so hotly that any agent molecule present will be  facility meets All the safety Stan j Federal state and local Agen cies Meta Mojid. The Rean pm traditions will allow the soldiers to gon Bun bal without unreasonable loss of ule bund panic Ireon important role in Cash Uhland we will be training to overcome he said