European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes o Navy revises anti sub plans Page 2 d 3 Usa eur families nominated for awards pages 8-9 d Mcaa basketball tourney  21 a Tomito unofficial Sinuc Tion Fen Tim . Mid to Man vol. 45, no. 336 sunday March 22. 1987 we a i d 6693 a tells panel bit chock v1nch Washington in Reni Washington keeping a Cap on . Troop strength in Europe increases the risk of nuclear War by draining conventional capabilities As new missile sys tems Are fielded a lop military official told Congress. The ceiling which limits he number of . Troops in Europe to 326,414, is having a serious Advent Impact on conventional capabilities thai could not have been envisioned at the Lime the ceiling was established said air Force Gen. Thomas c. Richards Dep Uty commander of the european come. Richards testifying Friday before the defense policy panel of he House armed services committee uld his command is consistently forced to either Send Back to the states units which Are needed to permit essential modernization or to defer deployment of such units to Europe. Ret Ltd Story. Page 2. Recently we be had to Trade conventional Man Power spaces to permit deployment of Pershing ii mis Siles and the continued deployment of ground launched cruise missiles Richards said. This situation Means that to deploy a system de signed to increase deterrence and stability in Europe we must lower our conventional capability and thu increase the risk of nuclear conflict if deterrence  the command s most pressing priority is to address the problem of 28,000 unfilled army combat support and combat service support positions in Europe Rich Ards said. We need those people to fix broken equipment to haul and Issue supplies and to help handle reinforce ments coining to Europe from the slates in wartime he said. We have the management of All european Man Power spaces under control he said. It s my Hope that Congress can find ways to Lead inc allies without relying on a troop ceiling the threat of withdrawal of . Forces Lack of support to the infrastructure pro Gram or other punitive  despite Richards urgings Congress is unlikely to support an increase in troop strength in Europe said a staffer for the House armed services committee. In fact there s probably More support right now for cutting the number of troops there although it s not nearly enough for that to happen either the staffer said. But i dont see any increase in the near  current climate on Capitol kill just in t favourable for  the Pentagon has Long argued for abolishing the congressional ? mandated ceiling. Secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger and Gen. Bernard Rogers com Mander of . Forces in Europe have both spoken out against it. Rogers testified last year that he had been forced to Cut combat muscle to slay within the troop strength limit. Italian police Hunt slayers of top Star wars expert Rome a police began a massive search sat urday for the killers of an air Force general known As Italy s Foremost Star wars expert an assassination denounced As an attempt to destabilize the Nat member country. Italian politicians said the crime recalled the assassinations of West european arms manufacturing officials although investigators said they had no immedi ate evidence of International links. Gen Licio i Argieri 61, was killed Friday evening in a fusillade of pistol fire by two men on a motorcycle As he Rode in his car and an Anonymous caller claimed a leftist group believed linked to the terrorist red Bri see slayers on Page 28 fib photo arms negotiator Max Karpelman Kampelman suffers minor heart attack Washington a Max  chief negotiator at the .-soviet arms control talks has suffered a minor heart attack but he should be out of the Hospital in about week his assistant says. Kampelman 66, was sent to George washing ton University Hospital by his physician Friday said the assistant Sharon Martin. The prognosis is Good and he should be out about a week she said. He was scheduled to testify tuesday at a sen ate appropriations defense subcommittee hear ing on president Reagan s program to develop space based defense against missiles. He also had been expected to accompany Secretary of state George Shutlz to Moscow next month.  negotiations in Geneva. Switzer see Kampelman on Page 26 Dollar s fall putting squeeze on Italy gis  and Alba Braco Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy la Dolce Vita the Sweet life still exists in Italy but american forces americans stationed in Italy have Hud to lighten their belts to adjust for the declining value of the Dollar. And while some of the belts May be Guc Cis or Putti bought Back in the salad Days of late 1983 when a single Dollar bought As Many As 2,140 lire. Americans can no longer easily afford the niceties that once made life in Italy very comfortable. Today with the anaemic Dollar fetching Only about 1,300 lire americans have altered their lifestyles. They Are travelling less eating out less often and buying fewer and less costly items on the econ omy. Especially hard hit Are those with out housing allowances or those whose housing costs far exceed their allow ances. It in t unusual for a two bedroom apartment with a Good View in one of Naples better neighbourhoods to rent for More than $ 1.000 a month. Back in 1985 and Early in 1986, Many opted to pay More than their housing allowances to move into a much coveted apartment Orvilla. When the Dollar nose dived some of those people found themselves paying $400 or $500 a month out of pocket for rent. Mary Quigley. A Volunteer worker for the Navy Relief society at the naval support activity in Naples sees Many Scricc members who have been struck by the drop of the Dollar today two people came into our of fice and said they just could not afford to live Here anymore Quiency said. We find that those who Are in trouble Are generally the ones who arrived in Naples when the Dollar was quite High. Now they Are locked into High rents they can no longer afford. Utility Bills present quite a problem in Italy. At Best Bills Are sent out Only every two or three months. However sometimes people May go for months and months without getting a Bill. Then the Bills they do get Are Only estimates of usage. The real problem comes when people s meters Are actually read per haps once a year or every two years. Those Bills Are quite targe often Runnin Between the equivalent of ,000 and �2,000, and they arc due immediately. If people Haven t been putting Money aside right along in anticipation of those Utility Bills they May be in real financial  to help people navigate throw fish financial Straits the Navy Relief society offers financial counselling Loans handsome outright Grants that Don t require repayment if it would create a hardship Quixley said. Between november and february theoffice has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of visitors Over the same period last year she said. Although inc society gave out 25 Loans in both january1986 and january 1987, the amount of Money was 40 percent More this year because people s needs were greater she said. In a typical month the office sees 40to 50 people More than half for Loans or Grants and inc rest for budget counselling. As is inc Case with rent and utilities car insurance is a fined expense that can not be avoided. Vehicle Lia Bizilj insurance rates Are Sci by the italian Goi can in inf and arc subject to Small yearly increases. "1 bought a Small Fiat Una in 1985, and it runs me approximately a million see Dollar on Page 3