European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 5 next defense budget hard to trim Washington a the next administration will have a difficult time reducing the defense budget because much of the budget goes for personnel and affects the nation s military preparedness a study released wednesday warned. The current Pentagon budget is about$300 billion a year and has doubled Dur ing the eight years of Ronald Reagan presidency. A total of 55 percent of the budget misspent for a category known As operation and support which covers pay for the nation s 2.1 million uniformed military personnel and a variety of other daily expenses the congressional budget of fice said. Reagan has approved a series of pay increases for the troops a move hailed by republicans and democrats alike shaving improved the Quality of military recruits. But after five years of Large annual increases in defense spending the Penta gon budget has been Frozen the past three years and both Republican and demo cratic leaders have predicted that no major defense budget increases Are Likely in the near future. Aside from reducing spending on personnel the Pentagon could Cut future spending by reducing the number of new weapons it buys. Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci ear Lier this year announced layoffs among the civilian Pentagon work Force As Parton the Effort to meet lower than forecast defense budgets. As the Pentagon modifies its budget to conform with Likely fiscal realities some further reduction in the number of forces could occur the co study said. These reductions would adversely . Military capability. Decreases in of spending could be serious because they Are associated with military readiness which is defined Ashe ability of . Forces to fight Well Early in a War the co said. Readiness is considered crucial by Many military analysts since it deter mines How Well Active forces could re Spond to Surprise attacks and How rap idly Reserve forces would be available to augment them it said. It is enhanced if forces Are fully equipped manned an trained in peacetime and operations spending influences Manning and  Gator crossing traffic comes to a halt As an  it across the steamy surface of a county Road near Oyster Creek Texas. No one was certain where the 8-to 10-foot Gator came fro Why it wanted to Cross the Road. Or a Bush looks for up As Dukakis touts Law record by the associated press George Bush stepped up his search fora vice presidential running mate wednesday inviting former rival Jack Kemp and other prominent republicans to submit detailed background information. On the democratic Side candidate Michael Dukakis burnished his Law and order credentials As a poll showed beheld his biggest Lead of the presidential Campaign so far. The Well received democratic nation Al convention boosted Dukakis to an 18 Point Lead Over Bush according to Annec news Wall Street journal poll re leased wednesday. Dukakis Drew 50 percent support to32 percent for Bush in the National sur vey of 1,770 registered voters. The poll found women providing Amajor component of Dukakis support a continuation of the gender Gap prob Lem suffered by Bush. Dukakis led by 30points among women 54-24, compared to a 6-Point Lead among men. Republican sources said a request for background information had gone out to sen. Pete Domenici of new Mexico Aswell As to Kemp. And new Hampshire gov. John Sununu said he had received questionnaire from Bush Campaign officials. Other names mentioned frequently inthe speculation include Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole and Californi Agov. George Deukmejian. Several women s names also crop up including  Kassebaum of Kansas and Dole s wife Elizabeth a former Secretary of transportation. One Man not mentioned in the speculation sen. Gordon Humphrey of new Hampshire held a news conference i Washington to announce an Effort de signed to pressure Bush into picking a conservative running mate. Meanwhile Dukakis running mate sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas lambasted the republicans for opposing the equal rights amendment and other women s concerns. The Reagan Bush administration opposes the Era. They ripped it out of the Republican platform he told the National federation of business and professional women meeting in Albuquerque . He said that despite Bush s Call Las week for tax credits for Day care the administration fought every step of the Way against a $50 million spending proposal with the same goal. Dukakis spent his Day in Boston Stag ing a Bill signing ceremony for legislation to add about 1,000 Beds to state prison Sand to restore child pornography legis lation that was struck Down by the stat supreme court. He announced distribution of $7.8million in state and Federal Grants to As Sist the victims of crime. Dukakis also cited a 13 percent drop in crime in his state in the past four years. Dukakis Public events during the Day seemed designed to counter the Republican charge that he is soft on crime particularly in View of his one time support for a prison furlough program that permitted some first degree murderers to receive passes. One such prisoner raped Maryland woman while on furlough. In another matter an aide to Jess Jackson said the runner up to Dukakis in the primary Campaign is fired up and ready to begin Active campaigning for the party s ticket. As for Bush a Campaign spokeswoman said the vice president would travel to new Orleans aug. 8 to address the platform committee and put his stamp of approval on the  not briefed on new plan top foe of Noriega claims in the stars and stripes40 years ago today. Washington a an opposition Leader wednesday expressed enthusiastic support for the continuing .Effort to isolate panamanian Leader Man Uel Antonio Noriega but said he had no been briefed on a new plan that the Rea Gan administration reportedly has under taken to oust him. Ambassad9r Juan b. Sosa who broke with the Noriega led government in february said in an interview he is please that the administration has maintained a no negotiations policy toward Noriega since the collapse of a . Bid in May to encourage him to surrender  Sosa who shares the . View that ousted panamanian president Eric Arturo Delvalle is the legitimate authority in Panama said he was unaware of details of the Covert action plan report edly approved by president  contradicted a source quoted in wednesday s editions of the washing ton Post which along with the los an Geles times reported the new anti Noriega plan. Contrary to the accounts in the Rostand the times Sosa also said he doubted that Reagan had informed Delvalle of the plan during a Telephone conversation on july 15."As far As i know the conversation did not touch on that said Sosa who continues to serve at Panama s embassy Here in Defiance of the panamanian government efforts to appoint its own envoy. July 29, 1948 army chief of staff Gen. Omar Bradley said old time army officers and non commissioned officers who like to cuss at their enlisted people had better mend their ways or Start looking for new jobs. 30 years ago today. July 29, 1958 living costs had More than doubled in the 20 years since 1 938, years that included world War ii and the korean War. That meant that on the average people paid $2.05 for something they could have bought for a Dollar in 1 938. 20 years ago today. July 29, 1968 planes from three United states carriers off the coast of North Vietnam smashed More than 200 communist Supply boats. ? 0 years ago today july 29, 1978 a Federal judge ruled that the Navy could not bar women from serving aboard any of its ships just because they were women