European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes Richard Halloran military leaders wary of decisions by civilians the joint chiefs of staff and other senior military officers Long wary of their civilian Superior penchant for making what they see As ill considered plans for employing the armed forces in crises have had their mis list renewed by recent proposals to deploy combat troops to Panama. In private conversations military officers were emphatic in denouncing a state department plan to Send several thousand american soldiers to Panama to establish president Eric Artura Delvalle who his been in hiding in office on an american base there. Betraying a sentiment that bordered on scorn the officers cried lie death of 241 marines Sailon and Jol. Dicks in the truck bombing of a Marine Billet at the Beirut Airport in Lebanon m 1983, claiming thai vague instructions from political Leaden contributed to thai disaster. Even deeper seated among today s military leaders is the belief that the politicians press and Public of the Vietnam Era Hung them out to twist in the wind without support without Clear Cut objectives and without permit Ting them to win. This mistrust of political leaders not Only of Hie Rea Gan administration but of both political panics will continue into the next administration regardless of who a elected in november because it is pervasive and embedded in a whole generation of officers. Most officers ranking from lieutenant colonel to till general today served in the Vietnam War an carry the emotional Sears of thai conflict. They Ore not Only he present but the future leaders of the armed Fortes which Means thai the nation s political Leader will be confronted with their reluctance sometimes known As the Vietnam syndrome for Many years Why Don t we want to go to Panama a Young Gen eral asked. Because of Vietnam pure and simple. We Veblen in that stuff  but All were Quick to add that if political Leaden or dered feasible and carefully defined military missions icy would Siule and move out. The join chief of staff for instance supported the decision 10 invade Gre Nada in 1993, even though the Mission was revised Sev eral limes in the malting. They also readily agreed to the bombing of Libya in 1986. There is not a reluctance 10 use military Force when there arc clearly defined reasons said a staff officer when there is something military for them to  Many officer referred to six criteria for applying Mili tary Power set out by former Secretary of defense Cas Par w. Weinberger in november 1984, As part of a run Ning debate with Secretary of slate George p. Shilu Over the use of Force As an instrument of National policy. Weinberger said troops should be committed Only when Vila to our National interest and with the Clear intention of winning he Aid the United Stales should have clearly defined political and military objectives and the forces must be commensurate with those objectives. There must be some reasonable Assurance we will Andrew j. Glass Pas have the support of the american people and their elected representatives in Congress Weinberger said. Finally combat forces should do used Only u a last resort. In Case after cose in recent discussions on ibis Issue military officers echoed the remarks of an officer who said deploying combat troops to Panama met none of those  or As several others said repeating each other almost word for word if we go to Panama what is it you want us to do Weinberger s successor Frank c. Cartucci subscribed to most of what Weinberger had said but in his confirmation hearing before the Senate armed services com Mittee last november elem a a caveat i Don know that it s always feasible to have full political consensus before you go ahead with a military operation. There Are times when the president needs to move military forces in Advance of total agreement of the body politic. The current wariness toward political leaders and the ease with which they envision using military Force was triggered by a plan that Pentagon officials said had been drawn up by Elliott Abrams the assistant Secretary of state for inter american affairs. It called for dispatching two brigades of about 3,000soldiers each to Panama where they would bring Del Vallec out of hiding and under the Protection of an Ameri can base As he sought to regain control of the panamanian government. Kidnapping Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega Panama s military Leader also was Conley plated the of Ticon said. Can you imagine what that would have done to our base Rigels and negotiations elsewhere the Philippines Greece Turkey Spain if we had set up dissident government on a . Base asked an officer the implications Are  another officer expressed anxiety Over the safety of american civilians who Are dependents of the 10,000 american military people there or who Arr work ing for the United Stales or on the Panama canal or who Are in business there. We re looking at 13,000 dependents who would be hostage bait said a general. Cd Mph v a True Reagan s failure to act led to mess in Panama the current mess in Panama serves As a tent Book Case of what can happen when an administration grows old and tired and fails to get its act together Back in March administration policymakers had foiled j consensus that Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega the panamanian strongman must go. A plan was adopted. Panama would be squeezed in a financial  economic collapse Ana internal unrest the Colo Nels would shake free of Noriega s grasp and stage a coup. One reason Why it did t work out the Money pump never fully stopped churning. Noriega s system obliges some . Corporations including airlines and on companies to make extortionist monthly payments 10 the panamanian defense forces. When some of those companies sought their advice. State department officials said Don t pay. They did anyway. Things might have turned out differently had presi Dent Reagan invoked the kind of Draconic emergency economic Powers against Panama that Jimmy Carter once used Aga into Iran after the seizure of . Hos tages. That would have allotted corporate officials to Tell Noriega that As much As they would like to keep his game going they risked jail in Len they complied with the ban. Reagan still has the option of stepping up economic pressure. Yet in doing so he risks alienating the very people whom Washington would have to rely on if and whoa Noriega finally depart. In the bad old Days a president might have turned to the Cia to dispose of such Nasty  All Here s a corrupt Leader in a land where the United slates maintains its main latin bases. More Over he plays Footsie not Only with drug smugglers Bui also with Cuba s Fidel Castro. Trouble was thai Noriega was also in bed with the Cia. And Noriega s one time Caw officer in the Reagan administration in Laie Cia director William Casey was t about id Tell him anything he did twant to hear. So when rear adm. John Poindexter then National Security adviser and Gen. Jhn Vesty jr., then chair Man of the joint chiefs of staff were dispatched on separate cleanup details Noriega ignored them. Under Casey s successor. William Webster the Cia Hai reversed course. Although inc White House continues to gel full Intelli Lenee updates Webster s Cha no longer in Ckuj to be a player in policy malting circles. And save in Nicaragua and Afghanistan it has studied Casey s once beloved heavy Ope rations stuff. In this while House things work Best when policymakers can concur on a course of action and then Lake it to Reagan. Whenever they differ As they do Over Panama Reagan lends to do nothing. Even though All agreed that Noriega must go the Pentagon brass warned thai economic sanctions alone m Ehl not be enough to oust him. Yet the Pentagon proved unwilling to go along with t Call by Secretary of slate Genje Shultz for a second stage plan involving decisive . Military intervention. In fact the Mili tary chiefs leaked aspects of Saiu i scenario in a bid to kill in. Some Crivici say the Pentagon acts like a kid who won t let anyone play with his shiny toys for fear they might be dented. The Pentagon however makes Good Case for its views if not for its leaks which endangered the life of Erie Arturo Dflvalle the ousted panamanian president. America s strategic assets in Panama including the vital  zone it says could be put Ai risk by a prolonged to carom in War fuelled by Castru. One lesson in All this is that a president must be prepared to Lake decisive action v Lien Hii people offer conflicting advice. Onega May is ill prove foolish enough to kill some americans and thereby provoke Reagan into action. Either Way the Price of poker in Panama is going up. Klco to or