European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes d nato to discuss aging missiles Page 2 o Bush Dukakis gain endorsements Page 7 o education news in stripes. Page 8 d saturday s College football results sports Section the stm4an Jeri Pesci a  Utho Biseo unofficial publication Forth . Armed a Mckei Good morning vol 47, no. 189 monday october 24, 1968 it Ous a 0 8693 a by is in for repair 47% to 66% of time Washington a in addition to its other Flam the b-1b bomber has More maintenance prob lems than the aging plane in was designed to replace a congressional watchdog Agency said in a study released the bib has no been Mission capable because of maintenance a significant percentage of the Lime concluded the study bythe general accounting Oji ice. In air Force parlance Mission capable Means plane is Able to carry out an assigned Job. Inthe. Caw of the b ibs 100 planes that Are the second generation to four Proto Type a Las that would mean a nuclear strike on the soviet Union. The Gad study said that the monthly portion of the hours each month Aspen that a lbs weren t available at Dyess fab in Texas because or maintenance problems ranged from 47 per cent to ski percent. For systems that have been flying longer such As the fb-111 and the b-52, inc air Force expects hat the total of not Mission capable rates won t exceed 25 percent of the available hours. Bui the air Force told the Gao inc service won t have enough experience with the bib until 1994 to consider the plane mature is the fb-111 and b-52are now considered to be. Rep. Les Aspin a wis. Chairman of the House armed services com Millic and one of the plane s a thief critics disagreed. When inc Gao suggested standards by which to judge the reasonableness of breakdowns they were told the plane in t mature Yel he said. Bui ils Matu Rity is being pushed Back further by breakdowns part of the problem according to the Gao is that the plane s maintenance system depends in part Onan in Board diagnostic system thai tins nol worked As designed. Thai has delayed air Force plans to have service personnel Lake Over from private contractor for some maintenance jobs. The air Force is also working on a better ground based system to figure out bib problems but that program won t be ready until at East a Chi year the the air Force defends the plane As the world s most sophisticated atomic bomber and says its problems can be corrected. Capt. Jay Cfrank a spokesman for the air Force sea repair on Back Page Nasa readying next shuttle Cape canaveral a the Atlantis moved Abig Slep toward the second Post challenger space shut lie flight when workers moved in into an Assembly building to prepare for next month s launch with secret military satellite. A tractor saturday night towed the 85-ton spaceship the 450 feet from a processing building where it had been undergoing modifications for several months. In the Assembly building Over the a Chi several Days the Atlantis will be joined with its two solid fuel boost or rockets and Large external fuel Lank. In about a wee kit will be transported to launch pad 39b. Nasa is aiming for a late november launch but a Date won t be set until a two Day flight readiness re View is completed on nov. 10. The flight will Mark the third time in 27 launching that a classified defense department payload will be carried on a shuttle. Ai 3. Result a shroud of secrecy is being thrown Over most information about in including the identity of the satellite believed to be an intelligence spacecraft. A Crew of five astronauts commanded by Navy cmdr. Robert Gibson a Veteran of two earlier shuttle lights will Fly the Mission. The Atlantis will make the second shuttle flight since the challenger explosion that killed seven Astro nauts on Jan 28, 1986. The launch of the discovery late in september returned american astronauts to space after a lapse of 32 months during which several shuttle systems were redesigned. On monday the discovery s five astronauts were to be honoured with a Parade in he nearby Community of Cocoa Beach. Aline Ibrahim Rit Kollah woman planned to deliver photos of . Hostages Milan Italy a police said sunday thata lebanese woman arrested in Milan planned to deliver photographs of american hostages to a italian Man who has been linked to arms scan dals and the mafia. See stories. Page 3. The Man Aldo Ang Hussa was questioned by police after they found the photos and a letter from a hostage hidden in a false Bottom of the woman suitcase thursday authorities said. She said Ang Hussa was to receive them they reported. Fortunate Finoli Deputy director of inc anti terrorist unit of Milan s police department re fused to say what Ang Hussa told police or whom he was representing. The italian was released after questioning. The lebanese woman identified As Aline see hostage on Back Page Pentagon offering Aid to adoptive parents by Chuck  Bureau Washington military families who want to adopt children now can get substantial reimbursement for related expenses under a two year lest program launched by the defense department. Personnel who initiated adoption proceedings after sept. 30, 1987, or begin proceedings before oct. To 1989, will be eligible for the Money said Kathleen Beime of the Pentagon s office of fam ily policy and support. Service members can receive As much As $2,000 per child with a limit of$3,000 per service member in a Calendar year under the program which recently was approved by Gram Green jr., Pentagon manpower chief. The office of management and Bud gel estimates Thi number of military adoptions each year at 1,400, based on the adoption rate in the general Popula Tion but o Beirne said the military rate May be higher. The numbers in the civilian sector cover All age groups she said a the military we have a higher proportion of Young people and studies have shown that the Peak Ages for adoptive parents arc usually from 28 to 37," she said. The program applies Only to service members who have been on continuous Active duly for at least six months. Mos types of adoptions Are covered for Chil Dren younger than 1 a with the exception of stepchildren. It covers adoption of children from foreign countries and those with special needs. The program coven most reason Able expenses unless they have been covered Fay some other stale or Federal government program. Covered expenses include placement and Legal fees As Well As medical costs associated with the preg Nancy and birth for the biological motherland medical care for the child. Personnel should Register for reimbursement As soon As the Home study and placement of the child have occurred using b form that accompanies the directive on the program. Early registration will allow the services to set aside Money in the parents names although no Money can be paid until the adoption its finalized o Beime said. Families who initiated their adoptions within the test Lime Frame and have Al ready finalized the proceedings still Are eligible for the Money o Beime said. We be included a provision thai say thai people in that situation can apply Tor the Money up to 180 Days after the military services implement the Doddi receive she said. The services have until dec. 26 to do that. In the meantime personnel should keep careful records of expenses and re member to Register As soon As the Home study and placement Are completed she said. Personnel interested in the program should obtain a copy of Dod instruction 1341.4, test program for reimburse ment of adoption expenses which contains More details. Copies also Are Avail Able of reimbursement registration and request forms As Well As a Short questionnaire that officials will use to justify the program to Congress. Points of Contact for forms and information Are army Bill Hunnicut Safe Kappa see Pentagon on Back Page