European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday december 31.1968 the stars and stripes page3 Dod budget has travelled Rocky Road from Page 1 for fiscal 198b, Congress went Well Over the oct. 1 deadline which mulled in what s known As a continuing Resolution a kind of Catchall spending Bill to keep he government operating White Normal appropriations Are being worked out. But the continuing Resolution assumed budget Levels from the previous year fiscal 1987. When the fiscal 1988 legislation was finished More than two months into the new fiscal year it represented a spending Cut. In the air Force for example there was a reduction of 8.2 percent in fiscal 1988 Over the previous fiscal year in real growth which takes inflation into account that was the third straight year of negative real growth for us an air Force official said. Thai meant the military had been operating for Al most a full Quarter of the fiscal year at budget Levels that were Loo High. To get the budget Back in sync the services had of suffer something of a monetary squeeze As the year wore on. Foresight on the Par of Pentagon budget planners helped stave off the worst effects but some cutbacks had to be made. I Robi Ihly the nil. Visible were the Early separations of Active july army and air Force members totalling More than 50,000. The Navy had a smaller scale Early outs program and also delayed some reassignment moves. The military personnel change from fiscal 1987 to fiscal 1988 was the largest one car reduction since the Southeast Asia draw Down following the Vietnam War one military manpower official said. Dul the changes made in the fiscal 19x8 budget As result of he continuing Resolution paled in comparison to the $33 billion in fiscal 1989 cutbacks prompted bythe economic agreement. The Pentagon tried to make most of the cuts by eliminating various weapons programs and delaying and deferring others but manpower and Force Struc Ture could not escape unscathed. In Force Structure she army announced that it changes would include deactivating one brigade of the 9lh inf div at fort Lewis wash., cancelling the planned activation of two battalions of the 6lh inf div Light in Alaska and retiring More than 600 011-58and us helicopters. Among the Navy s Force Structure changes would be the retiring of 16 frigates and the deactivation of one strategic submarine Eft i ii Cly dashing the Hopes of administration officials in leave a Mill ship Navy at the end of president Reagan s second term. The air Force s plans included deactivating he 474 h Tae fighter Wing itt Nellis Afu. Nev., reducing the Vandnberg Al space launch facility to Mothball status deactivating two helicopter equipped tactical air support squadrons and ecu dung Che sr-71 spy plane program. In terms of weapons systems and program changes the list was a Long one. Among he major systems listed for termination were the Aquila remotely piloted vehicle the m-198 howitzer tic 120mm Monar the Copperhead missile the a-6f aircraft he midget Man mis Sile and a replacement for the president s airborne command past. It was a Rocky year a Senate appropriations committee staffer said. But this is recognized As a time when every program and every Dollar will be scrutinized. Hopefully we be Learned some lessons about what we can and Ean l do with die two year defense budget concept. I think it will gel progressively smoother from Here on  fiscal 1990 will Lell. Crashes cause germans to fume Over flights 88 b Davi Tarrant. Staff h Filer the Day after a . Air Force f-16 crashed in the West German town Offort last Spring residents took time to Praise the Pilot Tho had died trying to steer his doomed aircraft away from the town. "1 say die Toun should build a Monu ment la the Pilot Rigau in the Middle of Lawn Forse resident Kurt Munn neimer said. He knew lie was going 10 Low his life and lie did Alt he could to Prevc the  nine months and a half dozen . Air. Force plane a milk s in Ecsi Germany later the mood in the country has changed. The German Public is increasingly feel ing More Trail end by Tesema Nevers than from outside  Vogel the head of the opposition social democrats said in december. There is just no longer any reason 10.train As if we stood on the Brink of  Vogl s comments came As the West German government in Bonn experienced an increasing wave of Public criticism Over nato training flights in Gen eral and Low level flying in particular. For years West germans have complained about the noise caused by Low level flights in which pilots practice avoiding radar by Hying at Levels of 5do feel or below. Bui a rash of nato Acci dents in Bolh routine training and Low flying has pushed safely considerations to the forefront and widened the. Scope of the debate. Eight . Air Force f-16s crashed in Europe during fiscal 11&s, which ended sept. 30. By companion four . F-l6s crashed in Europe in Lii Al 1987. Almost 60 aircraft were lost by the other 15 members of nato through oct. 31, according to Jane s defence Wacky. ,. Helicopter crashes added to the deals toll. And shortly after fiscal 1989 began an f-16 Cruji tried of. 11 on approach to hah h a West Germany injuring the Pilot. -. The March 31 crash in Forse which came one Day after a French Mirage Jet on a Low flying training flight crashed near a German nuclear Power Plani sparked Public concern about the flight paths of nato jets. The loss of another f-16 on a Tow. Surl through the rub la in Remscheid after an a-10 plunged into an  Imil Jinfu in Dic level training flight in West Germany three weeks later prompted a stronger reaction. That crash on april 18 in a Field near ller Mckeil prompted the West German defense ministry to ask that f-16 flights be halted temporarily if technical faults could be the cause of the crashes. Safe commander Gen. William l. Kirk however noting that no common denominator1 Enisley to link the crashes opted 10 keep . Planes flying. Two months later three Safe f-16 fighters crashed in one Day in twp Inci dents killing one Pilot and prompting Calls from several Wisl German lawmakers for a temporary ban on All f-16 flights. A Day Laler. Safe announced it was grounding most flights for to work Days to review All filing ground and weapons safety operations. Opposition to military training flights was not directed solely at the United states. A Dav after a Weil German air Force Sci fighter crashed on a training exercise in Northern Germany in Early july the state parliament of Rhei Nind i Fali called for Sharp curbs on All nato Low level raining flights in he stale. Later in july the West German de sense ministry announced it was cutting some Low level training flights and trans Ferring others out of the country. The ministry also said without elaborating that a High level Intima Vional working group would discuss the Issue. Since then the opposition social democrats have begun a petition Campaign calling for a Bun on Low level Mili tary training flights Over West Germany. While West German defense minister Kupert Scholz does not favor such a ban he said the number of Low level  be Kepi to an absolute necessary operative  Safe has not announced any major changes in flight operations although spokesman said in Issue. Is being re viewed. Three More " . Air Force. Jets crashed in Europe in the final Monon of i9s8. In the first the commander of the16th air Force maj. Gen. Winfield s. Harpe died when the f-16 fighter Jet he was piloting crashed dec. 5 about to Miles from Torrejon a Spain. Three Days later an a-10 crashed into a.  in Remscheid West. Germany killing five people on the ground and he Pilot. In the Wake of the Accident the United slates and several other nato members agreed to West Germany s request to suspend All tighter and attack aircraft training flights Over German Lerr Ivory through the holidays. The suspension ends monday. Another a-10 crashed dec 22 in a Field near Raf Alconbury England. The Pilot who ejected survived the Accident that most affected Public opinion was not a military training mis Sion but the aug. 2h air show disaster Al Ramstein a. While performing at the annual air show three italian air Force jets collided one falling near a crowd of spectators. Seventy people were. Killed and hundreds More injured. The Ramstein. Crash sparked debate not Only about air shows but also about Ninny other issues associated with the military presence in West Germany the West German  clamped a ban on All Stum flying by Ger Man  and asked Allied nations to do the same or find safer ways to conduct flying demonstrations