European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday july 30,1987 the stars and stripes page3 Dod civilian strength was overstated number increased 34%, not 52%, Gao study finds americans living abroad by Chuck Vinc Washington Burn Washington the defense department which strongly opposes con Gressional limits on the number of Dod civilians in Emo pc inadvertently hampered its own cause through t statistical error thai overstated the number the general accounting office said. Pc lagon officials fast year told Law makers thai the number of army civil ians in Europe had risen 52 percent be tween 1982 and 1985. However the Gao said in a recent report that the in crease actually was Only 34 percent. Marc than 70 percent of the total civilian growth in Europe Over that Lime look puce in the army. Ironically the error and the image of runaway growth in the number of civilians in Europe thai it helped project Wai partly responsible for the Cap mandated by the fiscal 1987 defense authorization act according to a Senate armed services committee Naffer. Pc lagon officials argued against the Cap Ana ignored in in the administration i budget request for fiscal 1988 and 1989. In fiscal 19as, a congressional com Mittee report said the Pentagon exceeded its estimates for the number of civil ians it would employ by 41,000. In fiscal 1986, the Pentagon went Over its Esti mates by 31,000,in replacing the end strength Cap members of Congress expressed partic ular concern about what seemed to Beverly Large increases in the number of civilians in Europe which is Why they asked the Gao to study the Issue said staffer with the Senate appropriations committee s subcommittee on defense. The increase in Europe far exceeded the growth in the number of civilians in other regions the staffer said Congress is concerned about our ability to get ail those people out of Europe if War broke out he said. The Gao found that while the Overall number of Dod civilians in Europe had risen by almost 14,000 Between 1982 and 1986 an increase of 14.4 percent the army s error caused the number to be overstated by 6,000 in Dod s orig Inal report to Congress. According to the Gao report the number of army civilians in Europe Rose by almost 9,700, an increase of 14 per cent. The number of air Force civilians in Europe Rose by More than 2,000, or 15 percent while the Navy figure Rose by457, or 11 percent inert was an increase of 1,400 civil ians almost 18 percent in the department of defense dependents schools system in Europe. Even with the army error the growth Rale in Europe i still much higher than in other regions said the suffer. In the United Stales the increase was 7.6 percent Over the same period while the in thousands of persons by location philippine 36 Al france37.9 spain40.0 Brazil Israel saudi Arabia 55.7 41.a greecem.2 figures exclude tourists and . Military combatants m get pc Soun . Dec mull at s Britain 100.7 w. Germany100.3 increase in foreign countries outside Europe was Only 4.9 percent. Because of that it is unlikely that Dod will get any extra consideration from Congress to allow More civilians Tobe hired in Europe the staffer said. Army officials said the increase Are needed As military positions Are convened to civilian slots in support units so the military manpower spaces can be reassigned to combat units. The air Force said its increases resulted from a conscious Effort to convert positions from military to civilian and i said More civilians were needed to sup port an increase in Brce size and the introduction of m e ground launched cruise missile however All action concerning the new missile bases is on hold pending the outcome of arms reduction talks Between the United Stales and the soviet Union. Navy officials said they need More civilians to support expanded operations at Mediterranean bases. Dodds officials said their increase was necessary to support increased Stu Dent enrolment and the introduction of special education programs mandated by recent Laws. Rve a ctr family policy plan in works spouses told surveys on military life valuable b Chuck v1nch Washington Pentagon family policy officials. Responding to complaints from military spouses who say they have been surveyed and re surveyed on the Quality of military life bul see no tangible results Are offering reassurances that such surveys Are important and can make a difference. In an open letter to military spouses sent out ear Lier Hii month Barbara Pope assistant Secretary of defense for family support education and safety said addressing problems expressed in Dod wide surveys Are one or the key priorities of her office. Pope said tuesday she decided to write the letter because people Don t often get feedback on these kinds of things. We got a very Good response Rale on the recent surveys and we want to encourage that kind of Pope acknowledged that results from such surveys often do not become immediately apparent. And then too it lakes Lime to fill them out she said. We just Don t want people to think it s a wasted Effort. We re drawing up a five year family policy plan and the things spouses listed As their top con Cerns Are the things we ii emphasize in that in her Teller Pope said the results of the Survey shave Given Dod officials for the first Lime an accurate description of the spouses of officers and enlisted personnel we know about marital history age and Educa Tion Levels age and number of children military members married to military members single parents and foreign bom spouses she wrote. This information will assist the military services to tar get programs and allocate resources where they an most the surveys help Dod officials design program Sand policies to Deal with spouses concerns in such areas As employment housing relocation family separation child care and medical services among other things Pope wrote. Two Concrete achievements obtained As a result of the Survey information have been increased emphasis on expanding spouse employment assistance she wrote. Combat support role for women gaining backing by William j. Batman Wuhan ton Tartu Washington congressional proponents of wider and stronger roles for women in the . Military spurred by changes in other nato countries Luchsi Canada Are pushing to increase the jobs available to . Servicewomen. As result of a bipartisan Effort both the Home ind Senate anticipate hearings on legislation thai would permit the per manent assignment of women to combat Suppon units. This is certainly not a new Issue but what is new is a proposal to change exist ing Law to allow women wider latitude in military did a staff member of the Senate armm services committee. I Don t know How Strong the ground swell is in support of increasing women s military roles the staff member said. Who s the relied Why Are icy interested we Don t know. This is what a hearing is designed to try and find out a staffer on the House armed services committee said the Issue appears to be gaining momentum in both houses of Congress. There seems 10 by More and More interest in the Senate for the Issue said an aide to sen. William Proxmire d wis., who authored legislation to permit women to be assigned to combat support units. Sen. William Cohen a Mainc is co author of the Bill. A Iwin for prow nire i and Cohen i Bill was proposed in the House by rep. Wil Liam Dickinson r-au., while Back inthe Senate Arizona Democrat Dennis Deco Nim has been pushing a proposal to permit women fighter pilots in the air Force. A Prim ire aide said part of the in creased interest appears due 10 Canada s recent decision to eliminate gender restrictions in All of its air Force jobs an conduct trials of women in combat roles in the other services. It becomes All thai much More apparent when someone so close to us docs this the aide said. In a speech Friday on the Senate floor Proxmire said our nato allies Are passing us by. They Are acting. Denmark is the first nato country 10 allow women in combat units. Canada has launched a military wide study that Al lows women to serve in any capacity for which they qualify. If our nato allies have determined that there Are Sirons military economic reasons to increase the role of women in their military forces Ihen the United stain should do likewise. Women can contribute More 10 our National Security if Given the As with others calling for stronger female roles in the military pro mire argued that opening combat support positions to women would Prole i ourmilitary1 personnel strength in the 199 a when the available number of Young men will be however Proxmire s proposal slops Short of placing women in direct combat. And the intention of the Bill by Deconcini to Lei women Fly tighter jets is to give women the experience not 10 actually Lei them Fly in combat. Actually putting women in combat roles is quite t departure from our so Dieul views Proxmire s aide said. We Don t want to be looked Al As Proxmire s staff said that while the senator would Tike to have Laws on the use of women in inc military rewritten by the current Congress his main aim it to open a National debate on the Issue. He wants the american Public to beware of Whai i happening regarding the roles of women in our the aide said. A wan the women to be used to the Best of their
