European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday november 25,1987 budget cuts delaying ski Pentagon says by Norman Black Washington a congressional cuts in president Reagan s Star wars budget have pushed into the mid 1990s the Likely Point at which a decision could be made on building a missile de sense system Pentagon officials said monday. Until recently officials Vrr Spring la ". Star wars program had spoken Hope fully of making some initial decisions on the development of hardware for a rudimentary system by 1992. But you can t eliminate an Impact on the schedule with these latest budget cuts said a ranking Pentagon official who asked not to be named. The farther we Are into the program the More of an Impact these budget cuts have. And these latest cuts arc going to be real  the Pentagon official agreed to Dis cuss the matter following the publication Over the weekend of an interview with Gordon Smith Deputy director of the Pentagon s strategic defense initiative organization. At this Point i think the development decision will have to slip out beyond 1992," Smith told the new York times. I Don t think that we will know enough by then to make a decision Smith was not available for an inter View monday but the Pentagon s Star wars office confirmed the accuracy of his statements. The Star wars program known for Mally As the strategic defense initiative space Experiment in february reviewed As Star wars tester Cape canaveral Fla. Up a sophisticated Star wars space aviation week said the payload will be delivered to Florida next week after fins. Tula 3ihic Vii Talty w a Nett a   a l ? Nior launch earn next checks at Nasa Goddard space High Vear represents the in ambition  i Tjie Delta Rock flight lest yet of systems crucial to the Success of the proposed missile de sense system a Magazine reported monday. Aviation week & space technology said the $200 million 12-hour Delta rocket Mission will feature a variety of experiments to test Inelle management techniques and systems that can track multiple targets a vital consideration for the strategic defense initiative. The Della-181 rocket is scheduled for launch in Early february from the Cape canaveral air Force station adjacent to the Kennedy space Center in Florida. Al program h managed at Goddard hic typically has responsibility for integrating a loads on the launcher. Army maj. Andrew Green Della 181 program manager told the mag Azine the Delta Experiment represents the most Complex unmanned Earth orbit space Mission Ever attempted by the United states. Aviation week said a Standard Delta second stage has been equipped with an array of sensitive instruments along with is Small  that will be ejected by Springs once the rocket is in orbit. And $550 million Lor the Energy depart ment or a total of $5.7x billion. Congress has now trimmed in excess of $4.5 billion from Reagan s Star wars requests since fiscal 1985. The Pentagon s ski office in a brie statement said an authorization level of $3.9 billion  ill Lay by four months is an Effort to develop lasers and other exotic weapons that could be deployed in space and on the ground to automatically shoot Down nuclear missiles. The new pessimism about the Pace of the research stems from a decision last week by House and Senate leaders to limit funding of the program in fiscal 1988 to a total $3.9 billion. Of that amount roughly $3.6 billion would go to the Pentagon while the remainder would go to the Energy department for some related nuclear research. While that total $3.9 billion exceeds the $3.56 billion Given the program in fiscal 1987, it Falls far Short of what president Reagan had requested for this year $5.23 billion for the Pentagon ,. Ground based experiments necessary to validate technologies and focus research program  the latest budget but will also stretch out programs designed to link sensors weapons a old Bailie management techno Logies into an effective initial phase sys tem the office said. One ranking Pentagon executive said such delays would make it impossible to gauge the feasibility of a Star wars system before i m or 1995 at the ear Liest. But a second no facial said it was still too Early for such predictions. Earlier culs by Congress prompted it Gen. James Abrahamson director of the ski program to reduce the number and types of competing technologies being explored for different aspects of a functional system this official said. Abrahamson will now have to decide whether to keep the same Basket of technologies going and stretch out the whole schedule or try to reduce the Impact on the schedule by abandoning some More technologies earlier the source added. If you do the latter you re increasing risk and reducing flexibility. It s a Lough one to predict  technician Tony thrower keeps a carefully trained Eye on munitions moving along a conveyor line at the Ltd corp. Missiles division Plant in Camden Ark. His Job s on the line App two the Plant uses about 1 million of the Small explosive devices a week in the production of the multiple launch rocket system for the army. Tree thieves ruin growers Chris Mas Lansing Mich. A Christmas tree growers arc hiring guards and sleeping in their Fields to protect their crop from tree rustlers who Are the target of a state and Federal crackdown. We spend eight to 15 years cultivating our Christmas tree crops to the desired shape and height Only to see our efforts wiped out said Dan Gearhart president of the Michigan Christmas tree growers association. This year s Michigan Holiday crop is estimated at 5.5 million Trees Worth $69 million wholesale second to Oregon with 5.6 million Trees according to the National Christmas tree association in Milwaukee. The rustlers usually steal about 1 percent of Michi Gan s Trees. A 1962 Law bans the cutting and transport of three or More Trees without a Bill of Sale or proof of ownership from the grower so special patrols will be on the Lookout for people caning several Trees. Volcker sees beneficial Side to Stock crash Amherst mass. A the Stock Market crash May have been a Blessing in disguise says former fed eral Reserve Board chairman Paul a. Volcker. The oct. 19 crash May have benefited the Economy by forcing policymakers to address Long Range economic problems such As the . Budget and Trade deficits Volcker said in a monday night speech at the univer sity of Massachusetts. In some sense the Stock Market developments in themselves May be warning people constructively i Hope and increasing our chances of wending our Way Forward without recession or inflation said Volcker who resigned in August after an eight year tenure at the fed. Whether those problems can be corrected remains to be seen Volcker said. While he praised the budget reduction Accord forged in Washington last week Volcker said the reductions will have to continue for the world financial markets to return to a firm footing. What is needed is a pattern of developments so that the Economy is largely sustained by increases in net exports and investment Volcker said. In the past few years we have had the opposite it has largely been sustained by increases in consumption. We have run out of steam in my judgment in keeping the Economy going on the basis of High con sumption and growing foreign Trade deficits and Bud get  the former fed chairman said the jury s still out about How Well officials in Washington will be Able to put into effect and sustain the $76 billion in cuts called for in the budget agreement reached. But he recommended that policymakers adopt a pattern of persistent and significant reductions in the deficit year by year to show the world financial markets the nation can curb its spending habit. The situation Calls for some sense of conviction that we Are moving in a direction of smaller deficits assuming that the Economy is growing Volcker said. In addition to a reduction of the budget deficit Volcker said the stability of the Economy depends upon the willingness of other countries particularly West Germany and Japan to stimulate their economies. Volcker said a recession is unlikely especially in Light of the Strong performance turned in by the nation s manufacturing sector in the past several months