European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thatcher arrives British prime minister Margaret Thatcher creels president Hunda of Malawi As she arrives  his country thursday for a site any visit the stars and stripes cuts 4proposed by the Washington pm Washington six army division Stone Marine division four Navy aircraft carriers and Nia air Force wings of 72 lighter planes each would have tit Selimi naked if the Pentagon trimmed forces to absorb culs stemming from five years of no growth budgets the congressional budget office said thursday. The co study written for the Senate budget Miller comes As congressional leaders Are predicting the Pentagon will get Only enough Money Ujj keep up with inflation from fiscal 1990 through jjw4, if thai much. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney Juls said if his budget is slashed he would rather eliminate some Mili tary forces rather than Cut  and supplies. It v this course is followed Raffier than cancel ing weapons the budget office said the Active army Wouldhave to shrink from Itury 11 divisions the Navy from 14 to 10 Carrier Balljr groups the Marine corns from three to two Divis Iris and the air Force from 24 to 15 Lac Lical fighter wife Cheney Sara thursday he had Hopes of closing Addi  bases to save Money but conceded this Loutit Enerle opposition  Congress. He also said it  military  was  assume there could be . Troop cuts  Europe As a result of soviet president Mikhail Gorbac Juffs unilateral reductions  his military fun of military leaders Are becoming increasingly a Para Sivc thai they will have to reduce forces and retrying to avoid that step by recommending other cuts  revised budgets recently submitted to Cheney. Army leaders for example  Hopes of maintaining Tractive duty Force at 772,000 men and women  a Long list of hardware cuts to the defense Rin Hopes he will spare their manpower As he flu fiscal 1990 budget by $6.3 billion. Presi Dent Buskato Rcd that Cut  Cheney by deciding to accept Zero growth Between fiscal 1989 and 1990. For Mer president Wigan had proposed a 2 percent  crease  the  total of j299 billion. The air Force Arab trying to shield manpower has recommended cutting major weapons programs involving the b-2 stealth dumber c-17 transport f-15 and f-16 fighters. However military leaders acknowledged they will not be Able to hold the line against manpower cuts if sea report  Back Page Exxon fires Valdez Captain after ruling that he was drunk Valdez Alaska a � the Captain of the Oil Tanker Exxon Valdez was fire thursday after a Federal investigation drier mind that. He was legally drunk when his ship ran aground causing the nation s worst Oil spill. The National transportation safety Doard said cant. Joseph Haz Clowdu who had hurried Over command of the Exxon Valdez to tin unqualified third mate  forc the Accident had a blood alcohol level of 061 when he was tested nine hours later. That exceeds the Standard of intoxication under Federal Law for operating a commercial vessel Ai sea. Which is pm percent according to William Woody who headed a four member Nosb team. Shortly after the Nosb announce ment Exxon shipping co. Announced twas firing Hazelwood who has been convicted twice of Drunken driving. "1 do have permission to confirm that capt ha7.clm.ood has been released from the company As of today said Brian. Dunphy  Exxon spokesman. I m really not  a position to make any fur ther comment.". He said that to his knowledge no other member of the ship s Crew had been fired. Maximum criminal penalties for operating ship while intoxicated include a 15.000 Fine and up to a year  jail the coast guard said.  addition violators face the loss of their Seaman s License and up to � 1,000 i civil penalties. The Nosb investigation found no indications of drinking by the third male who was piloting the ship without certification when it ran aground or by the ship s Lookout the helmsman or the radio  another ship arrived thursday to Lake the remaining Oil off the crippled Tanker and  Oil Slick continued to spread Over 500 Square Miles of what once was one of Alaska s most Beautiful Marine habitats. Oil washed ashore the Rocky beaches of Remote islands and stained icebergs  once Crystal Blue i Ricc William sound the anger of our people would be difficult to describe said gov. Steve. C owner. Irr Washington lop Federal officials criticized the slow response  the hours after the Exxon Valdez ran into a reef  March 24. And adm. Paul Yost the coast guard commandant said it was almost unbelievable thai the ship strayed outside a 10-Mili wide shipping Lane to run aground. Obviously something went very badly wrong Yost said after he and two other senior officials met with president Bush after a two Day fact finding trip tothe site of the 10.1 million gallon spill. This was not a treacherous area no treacherous  the area where they ran aground Yost said. Al s 10 Miles wide. Your children could drive a Tanker up see Captain  Back Page Oil prices soar Affer spill called  act of god porn wire reports new York panic buying drove up .Oil prices to a 19 month High  the new York act Ca Lilc Exchange thursday after Exxon Usa declared the Alaska Oil spill to be a act of god to protect itself from customers claims. Crude traded  other world markets advanced by As much As 65 cents a barrel. West Texas intermediate the Benchmark . Crude for immedi ate delivery rocketed 61 cents to $20.81, its highest close since aug.7,1987, unleaded gasoline for april de livery soared by 3.01 cents to 63.19 cents a gallon the highest level  More than three years  the Exchange. The last time the Price was higher was Jan. 27, 1986, see Oil  Back Page mechanical error blamed for Trident failure by the new Yark times Washington investigators examining the explosion of a Trident ii missile  its first undersea launching be Lieve the Accident was most probably caused by a mechanical failure not a breakdown  the missile s computer or electrical system a Pentagon spokesman said thursday. A he also said that the air Force had concluded inspections  More than a third of its Fleet of by bombers and found no malfunctions like the one thai led to a fuel tank puncture  monday. The $25. Million Trident ii missile the Navy s newest nuclear weapon exploded just four seconds after it was launched by a submarine off Cape canaveral fla.,  March 21.  was the missile s third failure since january 1988, after a string of successful tests.  Daniel Howard the Pentagon spokesman said Ai a news briefing thursday that the investigation of the blast was continuing and the Navy had not yet recovered the rocket nozzle from the missile,1 pans of which Sank to the Ocean floor under 2,400 feet of water but he said the Navy has enough  formation from radio signals during the test to indicate that the difficulty was not with the guidance system or any of the electrical systems aboard the Tri Dent ii. The most Likely suspect is a mechanical failure  the nozzle mechanisms he said. Specialists  rocket design said a mechanical breakdown could have less a Nous ramifications and be More easily corrected than ?.n electrical or computer failure provided that the mechanical problem was not inherent  the rocket s design. Answering reporters questions about the bomber Howard said the air Force was hopeful that the mounding of the 97 plane by Fleet be lifted quickly but he said he could not predict when. He said engineers had not pinpointed the reason that the movable wig  a a i Ai Dyess fab Texas swung beyond  Normal position and caused a leak  one fuel tank. He said the Gearbox that moves the wings was dismantled and shipped to the manufacturer Sunstrand corp. Of Rockford 111., for examination