European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes d army hoping $45 part can keep Bradley afloat Page 2 d wandering garbage set for burning Page 5 d military food fair to offer big savings Page 16 vol. 46, no. 130 and mini a publication wednesday August 26, 1987 armed Poincel , 0 b693 a air Force defends my beef missile system Ever developed Washington a the air Force is calling the my the Best missile system Ever As it defends the weapon against � critical report written by a democratic controlled House committee. We have a reliable and accurate missile said Brig. Gen. Charles May jr., Deputy director of advanced programs for the air Force. May held a news conference monday to reply to a report issued Over the weekend by the House armed service committee. Instead of being complimented for the Best missile system Ever developed in the history of the United slates we re being criticized for not being perfect May said. We believe the conclusions in the committee s statement Are erroneous and a Public statement is required to set the record straight. Rep. Les Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House aimed services committee was out of Washington when the report was issued. A spokesman in his office said Al Pill had no Plant for an immediate  issued the report in the midst of a monthlong congressional summer recess. There Are no defects in he peacekeeper system that justify a giant question Mark on the missile s capability said May using the military preferred name for the to warhead nuclear weapon. The dispute is a replay or hearings held earlier in the summer by two subcommittees of the armed services committee during which Aspin and Ether critics at tacked the weapon and air Forte officials defended it. The dispute involves the guidance system that directs the missile to its targets. Aspin and the committee say the system is not As accurate As it could be but May said the guidance system is far More accurate than had been expected when the weapon was first built. The accuracy of nuclear tipped missiles is measured by the so called circular error probable or Cep. The Cep number is the radius of the Circle in which 50 percent of a weapon s warheads arc supposed to land. It is essentially a method of figuring out the size of a nuclear Bull  exact figure for the my is determined by the air Force and is classified so it is difficult to reconcile the conflicting  acknowledged that we seem to just interpret the data  the 17 Lesl flights thus far 82 percent of the warheads have fallen within the 50 percent Cep Cir Cle which is 32 percent better than the  is an a plus using anyone s calculations May said referring to Aspin s statement that the weapon s accuracy should be graded a  thus far the air Force has comp cled 17 of the 20planned tests. A dozen of the tests involved guidance systems built for test purposes while the other five us a slightly different production models. May admitted that the five production Model shots were not As accurate As those with test models but said see my on Page 28 air Force Brig. Gen. Charles May or. A photo to gym message aired on Contra radio san Jose  _ presi Dent Reagan gave a speech Onira Clandestine radio station the rebels thai their struggle against Nic aragua1 leftist government has and Al ways will have our  Reagan s unusual message broadcast three Days before he is to meet with con tra rebels in los Angeles was heard in parti of Nicaragua despite the sandinista government s jamming of the rebels radio liberation. It was also heard finally in neighbouring Costa Rica. The three minute taped frass was scheduled to be Bop by three times monday night Ritwo times tuesday. Guiteng Rafa Reagan speak in English Fiorio owed by Spanish translation. The talk addressed a peace plan signed by five Central american presidents in Jing nicaraguan president Daniel or " i on aug. 7, one of the plan a who Ian end to foreign support for Insu feh cements in the Region. Reagan did not reject the questioned the to it. Be helping the democratic ices of Central America and your countrymen inside Nicaragua As they seek a diplomatic solution to the War that has befallen your country Reagan told his listeners. Bui we will remain firm in our policy. Our objective remains the same peace and democracy in Cen trial America. Your struggle has and always will have Pur support because our goal l same Reagan told his list have agreed pression must Stop at the same time the fighting  a said the sandinista have told us no one believes the lore. Simultaneity mus mean freed Ornt Altai o Deal. Reagan a  who communicates regularly Witt can people via radio taped the a inc. Saturday at his ranch 20 Miles North of Santa Barbara calif., said presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater. Ortega s chief spokesman Manuel Espinoza was asked Ollic. Tate a could Only say thai Ortega was to announce tuesday the membership of a National reconciliation commission cited for in the peace plan to Monitor government compliance with the Accord. The commission will be made up of one government official one outstand ing citizen not affiliated with the government or ruling party and one representative each of the roman Catholic Church and the political opposition. Leaders and Heads of the 11  have nominated Ilat Cowb jul Bikini which Onega will choose the c Ber. Downpours cause havoc kill 7 in Western Europe Milan Italy a some of the heaviest rainfall i if Century leu parts of Northern Italy France Bel Gium Switzerland and Austria struggling with floods on tuesday. Authorities blamed seven deaths on the bad weather. At least four people were reported missing. The milling included two teen agers near Parma where a Bridge collapsed Over a swollen Stream. Two people were missing in the Southern austrian area of Tyrol where authorities reported that several Bridges were knocked Down and roads were Cut off. Throughout Western Europe lath hoods and land to Bidet blocked roads and railway lines. About 20,000 people were evacuated from 21 Vil Lages in Val Tellina after authorities late monday night declared a state of emergency As Waters Rose menacingly in an artificial Lake that was created by landslides during previous bad weather this summer. The area an Alpine Valley North of Milan was still recovering from the Flash floods and landslides which killed More than 30 people in july and Early August. Ambulances buses and vans on tuesday carried residents of villages Fouth of the artificial Lake to safer ground. In Valc Amonica. North of the italian City of Brescia an elderly couple was killed in the collapse of a three Story building that was hit by a landslide. In a nearby town a woman was swept away by the Aten of a swollen Stream. Meteorologists said a clash Between Arctic and Afri can currents created the storms not unusual in Europe during late August. But the Quantity of rain was absolutely Nice lion  said Franca Chi Slovsky an official of Milan s Berra weather office she reported that rain ranging from 5.6 inches to 7.8 inches fell in some pans of Northern Italy in 24 hours. Since the italian weather service began keeping record see downpours on Page 28