European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday january 26, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here a computer image View of the Battle Field left alerts soldiers in the Simu lated tank that a target has been hit and Calls Tor a cease fire. Sri Michael Smith above sets his sights on a simulated enemy vehicle. Sunday Drivers when mechanics go into bottle by Ron Jensen staff writer Fulda. West Germany inside the my Lank simulator the Crew was trying to answer a radio Call from Bravo four. Bravo four this is Bravo two. We Are Bravo two. Aren t we no. We re Echo two. I think we re Echo  Bravo four. Come in Bravo four. Who is Bravo four just Call them by their names. What Are they going to say. Nothing they la answer  communicating was Only one of the problems for support personnel waging simulated warfare in Fulda last week. The soldiers from the 3rd army div s he troop. 4lh in. 8th Cav in Gln Hauson. Normally work As mechanics mortar Crews and fuel and ammo Supply personnel. Usually we just fix this stuff one Mechanic said attempting to explain Why his simulator had become lodged in a simulated River. These Guys usually support the  said capt. Bobby Brown the troop commander. They always say. I wish i could ride a Lank. I wish i could shoot a tank " so. For one Day Brown let them be tankers even if Only via a simulator. Make that realistic Battle simulators. The sound of artillery and bomb bursts jump from speakers. The scats vibrate when the vehicle is hit. And those vehicles moving about on the screen in the Yiew finders arc being controlled by soldiers in other simulators. The key element is. It requires the Soldier to fight the Light said Joe k. Owen the site operations manager for what is called Simnet. The research project that developed the simulators. The Soldier is in charge during the Battle making All the decisions required during real combat. Owen said. The Soldier s got to determine when to Send the ammo and fuel Forward he said. The Soldier s got to determine when to bring in the air  careless driving can cause a simulator to lose a track or get stuck. In that Case a simulator will be Down for a period of time equal to that usually required to make the repair for real. It also requires a Crew commander to read a map. A skill that eluded Manv. Of the temporary tankers in the Fulda exercise. The River was supposed to be to the West Brown told his troops after a morning Battle won a the mechanics. It got to the cast real Quick for a lot of of i m surprised the mortars did t win. I did t Sec the mechanics do anything  Brown had designed the Battle for the Day. Two armies the mortars is. The mechanics with other support people filling gaps were to Advance from opposite directions. The first to reach the objective was to hold it when the other army arrived. The exercise was mainly a morale Booster. Brown said since there is Only a slight Chance of mechanics jumping into tanks or Bradl cys to fight a War. We could have six or eight vehicles Back there getting worked on during a Battle he said. The battalion could get wiped out and i d hav to i these tanks. It s possible. Unlikely but  which is a Good thing during the morning Battle. Some mechanics were at the controls of a Era dec simulator. The commander and his gunner were not on the same Wavelength so to speak. You lost me.  the commander said where you at minutes later they were destroyed. At the Post Battle briefing a Soldier asked what it takes to destroy a tank with a Tow missile i Bohably to hit  Brown answered. On a master video screen. Brown watched each Bailie s Progress shaking his head As the Crews drove their simulators Heller shelter across the simulated terrain. Some drove directly away from the objective. One vehicle passed directly Between two enemy vehicles without firing evidently unaware Hal inc enemy was there. There were probably three vehicles Hal made it across the  Brown said at a briefing. The rest of you were wandering around on your  in an afternoon Bailie the commander of a tank simulator asked his Driver. Do you see Hal Road  in front of of. That Road there. See it the Driver still did t see it. Fortunately another member of the Crew poin cd out to inc Lank com Mander Hal he was looking through the Lurrel View ing screen and the Turret was pointed backward opposite the View of the Driver. Sol. I is class Terry Brown a Mechanic from Albany. Cia. Said the exercise is a Good leaching tool. It gives us a break from working on  he said. It gives us a Chance to see How it really works " plus he said we  Greece May extend deadline on . Bases Athens. Greece a parliament s foreign affairs committee approved a Bill wednesday calling for a six month Extension on the May deadline for inc United slates to dismantle its military installations in Greece. Under the terms of a defense Accord Hal expired in december 1988, the United Stales has until May 21 to re move personnel property and Mai Crial from four major bases and several smaller installations unless a new agreement is reached. The proposed new deadline for Dis mantling the bases is nov. 21. The full parliament will debate the Bill on Mon Day slate it i television said representatives of the conservative and socialist parties on the standing committee for foreign affairs and de sense voted in favor of the Extension re ques cd by inc United slates so negotiations on a new defense pact could continue. The communist led coalition of the left and Progress inc third party sup porting Premier Xenophon Zolotas administration voted against inc Bill in was passed by a simple majority in the 50-Mcmbcr committee. The conservatives and socialists hold 276 scats in the 300-Mcmbcr parliament. The communists Are opposed to the bases but have said they would not with draw from the government if a Law is passed postponing the bases removal. The Zolotas administration was appointed after inconclusive general elections in november. New elections Are sealed Lor april leaving inc next government to deter mine inc Fate of the bases with the United slates. A previous five year defense and eco nomic Coop ration Accord Negolia led by the former socialist government and Washington expired in december 1988. In gave the United states 17 months to dismantle the bases if no new Accord was reached. The bases were established in Greece in the mid-1950s. After 17 rounds of fruit less negotiations Athens and Washington suspended talks before National elections last june. A Short lived coalition formed by the conservative and communist parties after i Host elections put the Issue on  socialist government headed by former Premier Andreas Papandreou had demanded any new defense Accord include guarantees of Aid in Case of aggression by nato ally Turkey. The United Stales has been wary of providing Hal agreement. Greece and Turkey nearly went to War in March 1987 Over disputed Lerr Lorial Waters in the Aegean sea