European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday february 18, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Dod pushes Short Range nuclear missile Washington not the Pentagon has take the first Steps toward developing a new Short Range nuclear missile despite West German reservation about the project administration officials say. The Pentagon s plans have far reaching consequences for military strategy arms control and Ameri can relations with the european allies experts inside and outside the government say. Key decisions on developing the new missile in tended As the successor to the aging Lance missile now deployed in West Germany were made in late novem Ber and december when the Pentagon decided on How to deploy the new weapon and what its desired capabilities should be an army official said. Senior West German officials have made a series of sometimes conflicting statements that indicate that Bonn is not yet prepared to replace the Lance missiles. The hesitancy in Bonn reflects Public concern incest Germany that a new generation of Short Range nuclear weapons will be deployed in Germany As inter mediate Range missiles Are eliminated under the Amer ican soviet missile Accord signed in 1987. Pentagon officials say they need to proceed with the development program so that the first missiles can be ready for deployment in Germany in 1995. American officials say they Hope that the Alliance will formally approve deployment before then. Administration officials said the new missile will Beable to Fly four times As far As the Lance and will be far More accurate. It will be a new missile an army official said. It is not going to be a rebuilt  the Pentagon s plans for deploying the new weapon May complicate the prospects for negotiating limits on Short Range nuclear missiles some administration officials say. This is because the new nuclear missiles would be deployed on the same tracked vehicles that Are used to carry non nuclear rockets according to plans approved by senior Pentagon officials. The army says that with such a deployment it Laird Brown we of on mss Esex Dod chiefs soy Washington up former . Defens secretaries Melvin Laird and Harold Brown have recommended that president Bush not Force a confrontation with West Germany Over modernization of euro Pean based Short Range nuclear weapons. I think it would be a mistake to Force that Issue Attis time Laird said. Brown a Democrat and Laird a Republican mad their comments thursday. Laird said i think it would have been better if we could have gotten our people in place in this new administration. In state and defense. To work out goals an priorities  he served As president Nixon s Secretary of defens Between 1969 and 1972. Laird and Brown made their remarks at a news con Ference at the Johns Hopkins foreign policy Institute. The conference was to announce publication of a collection of papers toward a consensus in foreign and defense  the papers were written by Laird Brown and a Host of former Republican and democratic administration officials. Brown was president Carter s defense Secretary inthe late 1970s. He said that the Bush administration should come up with a plan to maintain a Modem nuclear Force in Europe but not act immediately on modernizing Short Range Lance missiles. But above All let s not Force a confrontation Here Brown said. Some West German officials have indicated that Bonn is not yet ready to replace the Lance missiles now deployed. Would be difficult to distinguish launchers carrying nuclear missiles from launchers carrying Only conventionally armed rockets. An american official said the administration is not disturbed by possible verification difficulties because it does not want to negotiate limits on Short Range nuclear missiles. But some West German official favor talks to restrict such missiles which would strike mostly West and East German territory in the event of nuclear War in Europe. The plans for the new Short Range ground launched nuclear missile to replace the Lance Are part of a broader Effort to upgrade the United states Arsenal of Short Range nuclear weapons. As part of this Broad plan the Pentagon also recently decided to develop a new air launched nuclear mis Sile with a Range of about 280 Miles. The United state Sis also producing new nuclear artillery shells. Army officials said the service has already mad plans to begin full scale development of the new Short Range ground launched missile next year. But contractors have yet to be selected and the Pentagon has not released specifications for the new weapon. Administration experts said that they want the mis Sile to have a Range of about 280 Miles just under the ceiling established by the new soviet american treat Banning ground launched nuclear missiles with a Range of 300 to 3,400 Miles. Lances have a Range of about 70 Miles. An administration official said that the new nuclear missiles would be fired from a special Box mounted on the tracked vehicle for the army s multiple launch rocket system. The multiple launch rocket system which is Al ready deployed in Europe carries 12 conventionally armed rockets. Those rockets which Are also carried in a Box mounted on the vehicle have a Range of about 10 to 30 Miles. The same vehicle will also be used to fire the army tactical missile system according to Pentagon plans. The United states has said that talks on Short Range nuclear forces should not be held until agreements arc reached to Cut conventional arms ban chemical weapons and reduce Long Range nuclear arms. But some West German officials say that talks on Short Range nuclear forces should not be delayed that Long. Administration officials did not say How Many new missiles Are to be deployed. The United states has 88 Lance launchers in West Germany. An american offi Cial said about 700 nuclear armed lances and about 300 conventionally armed lances Are currently deployed there. As part of its plan to develop a successor to the Lance the administration also wants to step up spend ing on the missile though the funds sought by the Pentagon Are still relatively Small. The Pentagon wants to spend $33 million on the project in the 1990 budget year and $129 million in the 1991 budget year. Con Gress appropriated $7.4 million for the program for the 1989 budget year cutting the Pentagon s request inhale. Administration officials expressed concern that Congress May not provide adequate funds for the pro Gram if the West German willingness to deploy the weapons remains in doubt. Military Boeing 707 sustains major damage on test flight Seattle up a Navy Boeing 707, returning rom a test flight designed to push the aircraft beyond its design limits landed thursday with Large portions of its Tail Assembly missing. The Federal aviation administration reported the plane took off from Boeing Field in Seattle about noon for a flight to Bellingham and Back. The plane landed with the Pilot apparently unaware of the extensive damage to the plane Faa duty officer Jini Bright said. The plane was built by Boeing s commercial air plane division the part of Boeing that has recently been under close scrutiny because of alleged Quality control problems. The Navy s Boeing 707 is the same Model As one that lost an Antenna Over Eastern Washington earlier this week. Shortly after the plane landed it was pushed into hangar As technicians swarmed Over it looking for possible clues to what caused the damage. The Boeing s test Pilot was conducting a flutter test on the plane. Apparently at the Peak of the stress on the plane some 15,000 feet Over the olympic Peninsula about one third of the Stabilizer and a Large Section of the rudder broke off. Officials said that would make the plane very difficult to control. The plane dubbed the e-6a by the military is modified version of the 707 crammed with communications gear and used for various purposes such slinking National military authorities in Case of War and the Navy s Trident ballistic nuclear submarine flee with their command Headquarters. An e-6a flying Over Eastern Washington sunday lost Amile Long Antenna wire and a 47-Pound Drogue a funnel shaped device that helps pull the Antenna behind the plane. The Antenna and Drogue still have not been found. There was no immediate word on whether the plan that lost its Antenna and the one in thursday s mishap were the same aircraft. Boeing has constructed about 64 of the e-6as, 16 of them to be delivered to the Navy. Boeing has delivered More than 700 of the 707s for commercial passenger use. One of those planes crashed last week on Portugal s Azore islands killing More than 140 people. Maritime Industry buildup urged a a Outt nov vat / i to. Washington a a special maritime com Mission on thursday proposed that the government spend $13 billion Over 11 years to boost an Industry it says is ill equipped to serve critical defense needs. If a crisis erupted someplace around the world Wedo not have enough ships under the american Flag to support a planned operation said retired Navy adm James l. Holloway i a member of the commission on merchant Marine and defense. The report was presented to president Bush. Afterwards former gop sen. Jeremiah Denton of Ala Bama the commission chairman said Bush pledged White House cooperation and support for the goals of building up private shipping but Denton said the president made no commit ment on seeking Money for a package of proposed legislation aimed at adding 244 ships which could be used to meet military needs. The commission pro posed that some of the ships be built abroad because doing so would allow shippers to become More quickly competitive internationally. Denton said the net Cost to the government after increased projected tax collections from the new ships and facilities would be about $5.7 million Over the next decade. He said Bush was receptive to the idea of a new maritime policy with congressional Industry and labor Union cooperation. The report was the fourth and last by the commis Sion set up by Congress to make recommendations for ensuring the maritime Industry s readiness to help inthe nation s defense. Holloway said the maritime defense Issue has no been critical because it was assumed that . Allies could provide ships if necessary. But he said the United states May have to take unilateral action such As it did in protecting persian Gulf shipping. Even if troops and supplies were available Wedon t have the sea lift to move them he said. In addition to increased ship building the commis Sion recommends adding 8,208 mariners improving ship repair Yards countering unfair foreign Trade tac tics against the . Maritime Industry and reforming Laws affecting the Industry. It says the buildup of the Industry would create nearly 100,000 new jobs