European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes Bernard e. Trainor Pentagon confused on political Mission role the finding that Crew error were partly responsible for the shoot ing Down of an iranian civilian Airliner by an american warship in the persian Gulf last month Points up a fundamental shortcoming of american military forces. Since the end of world War ii american forces have repeatedly been deployed in situations where the line Between War and peace is unclear anywhere there Are blurred guidelines on when to use Force As in police actions and peacekeeping missions. But the american military has no been Able to adjust to this reality. Staff courses and War colleges place great emphasis on the political use of military Force but american service men and their officers still train Pri Marily to fight All out wars marked by unconstrained violence. Wars Call for yes and no decisions rather than the maybes that prevail in places like the persian Gulf. The Pentagon does not know How to reconcile the two requirements. A senior officer said that when War colleges take up problems involving political military crises they always end up As judgment  the findings of the investigation just completed by rear adm. William m. Fogarty determined that psychological stress convinced the Crew of the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes the ship that downed the iranian Airliner that it was under hostile air attack an caused it to misinterpret the radar and electronic signals it was  on this misinformation the ship s Captain ordered the missile fire that destroyed the Airliner. While the report May be Likely to result in improved procedures and psychological preparations for Crews future incidents like that involving the Vincennes May not be prevented by simply modifying training schedules and administering Rorschach tests. The persian Gulf incident like the truck bomb attack that killed 241 american servicemen in Beirut in1983, Are symptomatic of a deeper problem. The military has not yet found a formula which insures it readiness to fight a War while at the same time Fielding forces that can Wal the thin line Between restraint and Vio Lence in politically complicated crises. Andrew j. Glass another problem is that modern military equipment such As the Aegis system which the report found not to have been at fault in the Vincennes incident is also designed for Battlefield situations that involve Only friends and targets not civilian traffic that May be either harmless or a potential threat. Officers and men of the Vincennes were trained for a High intensity War at sea where they would be free to fire at All unfriendly targets. But the Vincennes was not on the High seas fighting the soviet Navy. Like the Marine detachment in Beirut the ship was fulfilling a political Mission More than a military one. It was patrolling the confined Waters of a Gulf teeming with civilian traffic. But hid Den in that traffic was an enemy with a reputation for Surprise. Even in the face of unorthodox assignments officers Are trained to expect Clear Crisp military orders from their superiors. The military education system has not been Able to prepare them for political missions and diplomatic rules of engagement. At first american warships in the Gulf were to protect Only american flagged ships but that changed when earlier this year Protection was extended to other Neutral vessels. As with investigations of previous incidents the Fogarty report will most Likely address what part if any the ship s Mission rules of engagement and the Crew s understanding of the played in the disaster. The directives under which the marines operated was a critical part of the 1983 defense department investigation that looked into the attack on the Marine Barracks in Beirut. That investigation said the Mission assigned the marines was imprecise and the rules of engagement actually detracted from their ability to respond to the terrorist attack on the Barracks. Military officers say the lessons Learned from the Beirut disaster resulted in More precise orders and Les complicated rules for the persian Gulf forces. Nonetheless in applying those rules there have been two disasters in the Gulf War. In May 1987, radar on the guided missile frigate Stark in the Middle of the Gulf picked up a potentially hostile radar target and its Captain Glenn r. Brindel elected not to fire at it. As a result the american warship was hit by two missiles causing the death of 37 sailors. Last month under essentially the same rules in the lower Gulf a potentially hostile target was picked up on the Vincennes radar. Capt. Will c. Rogers Iii the commander made the decision to fire and 290 people aboard the Airliner were killed. Given opposing but equally disastrous outcomes to almost identical situations under the same rules it is no surprising that tension is High in com Bat information centers of warships in the Gulf. The Security of the United states ultimately depends upon the military s ability to successfully fight a War of great intensity and violence even if that seems Remote today. On the other hand the More Likely use of the military for political Mili tary missions Calls for a different Typ of Force. The problem the Pentagon has yet to solve is How to Structure and train the armed forces to meet Bot challenges without degrading their ability to handle either one. New York times news service mandatory savings plan could end . Debt judging by some news accounts one would gather that the next occupant of the White House should be the nominee who provides the press with the most Complete set of medical records. All sorts of distortions occur when political reporters come to vie themselves As Bounty Hunters and when campaigns pander to television s sound bites values. In the tumult truly serious issues such As the risk posed by America s Gargantuan National debt Are blown away in a whirl of trivia. Such serious people Assen. Sam Nunn d-ga., fear the United states won t be Able to meet its Security commitments in the 1990s no matter who wins in november because the debt has crippled the nation s resolve to fund an Ade quate defense. Vet the candidates seem reluctant to face facts. Youcan be sure that while George Bush seeks votes you won t hear from him that the National debt will have gone from $930 billion in 1981 to $2.15 trillion when he Hopes to assume the presidency in 1989. Michael Dukakis appears Bent on avoiding the mistakes of Walter Mondale who was gutted by Ronald Reagan in 1984 when he told the voters the simple truth about the government s spending spree. Even Jesse Jackson who favors soaking the Rich does t add that $9 out of every $10 in individual income taxes Are collected these Days from family units earning $30,000 or less a year. When the civil War and world War ii drove the nation deep into debt the democrats responded by inflating the currency. Yet Dukakis appears to sense that in today s unified world Economy cheap dollars won t Cut it anymore and that another solution must be found. One Rescue plan now making the rounds among insiders would avoid an outright tax increase the bitter Medicine that most conventional economist feel must be taken if the country is to avoid fiscal ruin. Instead the recipe Calls for the mandatory Purchase . Treasury savings Bonds geared to current in come bearing 5 percent interest and redeemable a retirement age. Such an enforced savings concept could Benefit Low bracket taxpayers As Well. By putting away an extra $50 Over a lifetime of work the nest egg would grow to$6,000 More Money than most poor people now often Ever see at one time. The wealthy of course would pay in at a higher rate perhaps 10 percent of their current earnings. Yet the proposal could be made More palatable to the Rich by allowing the Bonds to be cashed to satisfy Federal estate taxes. Such a scheme would generate an extra $30 billion in Cash flow to the Treasury in its first year without requiring any new taxes. Moreover the Treasury won thave to go abroad or to Wall Street to raise that $30 billion a healthy event for the Economy. The cur rent $ 180 billion annual interest Cost on the National debt is More than twice the entire Federal budget in the final year of John f. Kennedy s presidency a computer run shows that such an enforced savings plan would wipe out the whole National debt Over the next 30 years while helping poor people or their heirs get a financial stake in life which heretofore has been near impossible to maintain. Perhaps you might Wake up one of these Days an hear Bush or Dukakis talking about this not so secret plan 19 close the National debt. Most Likely you la be dreaming. Such innovations carry risks. And Candi dates have Learned the hard Way that not taking chances even when vital matters of National policy Are at stake is the Best Way to win  news service