European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes pro iranians threaten . Acts Page 2 o Robin no Hood fans insist Page 3 o Rodino plans to retire from House Page 5 d israeli soldiers close Arab produce markets Page 28 the St ars andjtripesmgui�5x author Tyllo unofficial publication for tin . Aft mid for ii vol. 46, no. 331 wednesday March 16. 1988 08693 a Abrams to get uranium Armor much stronger than Convent Ona plating by Norman Black a military writer Washington the army on monday revealed classified program to improve the Armor on its main Battle tank announcing that it will build the mia1 Abrams with depleted uranium in the Armor plating. A defense department official said army officials were convinced the new uranium laced plates were so much stronger than conventional steel that they could Stop All types of ammunition used by soviet antitank  army said the depleted uranium would pose no threat to soldiers who operate the tanks or to workers who build them because of the manner in which the tanks would be fabricated. The Armor design modification to the mia1 incorporates a Eccl in cased depleted uranium the army said in a statement. Scaled within the tank depleted uranium has a very Low level of natural radiation which is Well within the acceptable Range established by the nuclear regulatory commission. The army said it is briefing some 5,000 production workers who assemble the tanks. The Abrams is made in general dynamics corp. Plants in Lima Ohio and Detroit. While attempting to alleviate fears about radiation. See Armor on Back Page Reagan says ski is necessary to counter soviets advances Washington Dpi president Reagan monday warned that a failure of Congress to support his shr wars anti missile program would be Jap the United states dangerously Unora pared to counter soviet advances Znaj could tip the nuclear balance. Sneaking to supporters of his strategic defense initiative almost five years to flip Day after its inception Reagan insisted that work on the project must continue at full Pace As insurance against deployment of a soviet missile defense. Congress should realize that it s no longer a question of whether there willbe an ski pro Arnm or not he said. The Only quit Ion will be whether the soviets Are lie Only ones to have Strate Gic defences while the United states remains entirely  pc Jan said the technological Prog Ress of the ski program has exceeded expectations. Despite admissions even from within the administration that budget cuts political constraints and technical questions have forced a reassessment of ski he said the project has pointed the Way to a future where peace is based on Security rather than  with Many technical problems still unsolved Reagan said ski is justified not Only on its possible merits but also As a response to a far More ambitious soviet Effort dubbed red shield by the administration. Reagan pointed to the much larger so Viet investment some 1j times the Cost of the . Program and said it shows the Kremlin May be preparing to break out of the 1972 anti ballistic missile treaty which bans deployment of abm systems. In that eventuality he said without ski we would be dangerously  or. Edward Teller left and it. Can. James Abrahmson ski director applaud As president Reagan prepares to address a Washington Star wars conference. Confra a a plan revived by Reagan Washington a two weeks after their last . Aid ran out Nicaragua s Contra rebels archiving Supply problems and president Reagan will renew pressure on Congress to Vole for a new Aid package. White House spokesman Marlin Fitz Walcer said. But House speaker Jim Wright who with other congressional leaders was meeting with Reagan tuesday said he would like to see further Progress toward a cease fire in Nicaragua before coming up with new Aid for the rebels the Point that we will make. Is that time is running out for the resistance Fitzwater said contending that the rebels arc run Ning Low on food and medical sup plies and arc having to move Back to their Supply lines. The Congress has made a commitment Here and they cannot afford to wait any longer or they arc going to  a dying resistance the spokesman said. We will say that we need a package immediately and we need a vote immedi  but Wright Date As told re porters he would not be willing to go beyond the solely humanitarian $30 million Aid package House democrats offered Nomarch 3. That proposal was Defeated 216-208, with nearly All re publicans voting against it. Whether the package might be revived Wright said depends on what attitude the president and the state department might have on making the thing work. . Beefing up Security personnel in Panama Washington a the Pentagon on monday dispatched about 100 Marine and air Force Security personnel to Panama in what it described As a Pru Dent measure to help safeguard american personnel and facilities there. Cmdr. Robert Prucha a Pentagon spokesman said a 60-Man Marine Security Force including a six Man dog handling team was flown to Panama on monday from Norfolk a. In addition he said a 44-Man air Force police Unitas flown to the Central american nation from Shaw fab . This is simply a prudent measure to augment the Security personnel who arc already in place Prucha said. About 600 servicemen arc assigned to Security duties in Panama with the . Southern come. Which is headquartered there Prucha said. In All there arc about 10,000 american troops in the country. Pentagon officials said the sending of the additional Security personnel had been approved by adm. Wil Liam Crowe chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. One official noting that the Reagan administration see Panama on Back Paga