European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. February 28. 1990 the stars and stripes Page 5 Gao warns Pentagon of aids crisis by the los Angeles time Washington by 2000, the military could refacing a s3 billion a year health care crisis regarding aids within its ranks and has thus far made no provi Sions to Deal with it according to a 2" year study by the general accounting office released monday. The congressional watchdog Agency said that thus far aids has had a minimal Impact on Overall department of defense operations and said that its Impact was unlikely to increase. However. Aids has had a significant Impact on military hospitals the report said primarily because of the strains imposed by the department s mass screening program for aids infection and by the care required by those already ill or infected. Medical officials at the hospitals we visited expressed concern about their ability to handle the in creased workload and  the study said. Medical officials stated that military hospitals arc generally de signed to handle acute care patients rather than chronic Long term care  such As aids patients inthe later stages of the disease. The Gao said that since 1985. More than 6,000active-duty personnel have been identified As being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus audit predicted there would be 1,500 to 1.700 new infections annually in the military. The report criticized the Pentagon for failing to de sign an education program for its personnel that focused on the modification of the High risk behaviour that transmit the his virus that causes aids. Aids is commonly transmitted through sexual Intercourse and the sharing of contaminated hypodermic Needles. In the United states the majority of aids cases has been among intravenous drug abusers Homo sexual and bisexual men. And their sexual partners. The study which was requested by the House armed services committee and he House Small Busi Ness subcommittee on regulation business opportunities and Energy indicates that we May have a ticking budget time bomb said rep. Ron Wyden d-orc.,chairman of the regulation subcommittee. Wyden re leased the study. The Gao recommended that the Pentagon develop financial staffing and Hospital plans to meet the projected increases in patient workload the demand for expensive prescription drugs such As at and  which Are used to treat Early infection and prolong lives and the growing need for More chronic care services As More personnel become ill. The department of defense after reviewing a draft of the report wrote in a feb. 16 letter to the Gao that it agreed with the Agency s recommendations and said it intended to improve its education program and to order the services to plan More effectively for anticipated problems. In 1985, the department of defense began test Ingall recruits and All Active duty personnel for aids infection. As of August. 6,269 of about 2.3 million Active duty members were found to be infected. Fewer than 2.100 of the 6,269 were still on Active duty the report said. The remainder had retired left the service or died the study said. From the beginning of the department s testing pro am 2,752 potential applicants were found to be in positive and denied entry into the military i restudy  commander says leak Hurt Panama invasion raised . Casualties by the los Angeles times Washington the army Gen eral who led december s invasion of Panama said monday that Security of the operation was compromised by a still unknown source forcing the Mili tary to Speed up the invasion by 15 minutes and increasing the casualties suffered by american forces. It. Gen. Carl w. Stiner also said that military commanders were surprised by the intensity of the opposition from the Panama defense forces and by the strength and organization of the so called dignity  the militia groups that waged a guerrilla Campaign against american troops for three Days after the dec. 22 invasion. Despite the acknowledged  called the operation an unqualified Success and said the american military did t learn a single lesson from the Brief War. There were no lessons Learned fro this operation the three Star general said. We validated that what we redoing is right. We validated our train ing  Stiner who commands the xviii air borne corps based at fort Bragg . Was the on the ground commander of the massive invasion that crushed the panamanian military and led to the apprehension of former dictator Manuel , currently in Federal prison in Miami awaiting trial on drug dealing an Money land eng charges. The general met with reporters atthe Pentagon monday to give a Brief ing on what the army refers to As Les sons Learned from the military action. Although he denied that the army found any problems with the opera Tion army officers in confidential internal reports have said that the inva Sion pointed out gaps in training of military polite and in preparations for warfare in densely populated Urban areas. Several Days of anarchy including widespread looting followed the american defeat of the Panama de sense forces which under Noriega was responsible for All police functions i addition to its military duties. Stiner said that word of the impending invasion leaked out at least three hours before a hour i . On dec.22. He said the army was investigating three possible sources of the leak a slate department official called Friend who worked for the Panama canal commission saying that the in Vasion was set for that evening and warned him to get your kids off  it is not known whether the warning was then circulated. The National Security Agency which handles All communications intercepts detected a High Speed burst broadcast from Cuba to Nicaragua several hours before the . Troops landed in Panama. Officials arc still trying to decipher the message. Broadcasts on american television at 10 . The evening of the inva Sion said that the 82nd airborne div had left fort Bragg and was headed for Panama. I Don t know How it was compromised but it was compromised Stiner said. I knew wed have enough combat Power but we took More casualties than we would  american forces suffered 23 dead and 324 wounded in the invasion which involved 26,000 . Troops. He said that american commanders 1.1. Gen. Carl a. Sliner tried to accelerate the attack but it was impossible to Speed up the operation by More than 15 minutes because the invasion army was to hit 27 targets in Panama simultaneously with paratroopers helicopters. Ac-130 gunships and special operations forces. Stiner said that the warning allowed some panamanian officers to  their soldiers and move them Inlo defensive positions. He said captured troops told interrogators that Panama defens forces officers told their troops Don t believe a word americans Tell you. They intend 10 torture you and kill  panamanian officers then abandoned their soldiers Stiner said. They left them to die. That firs night we did t capture a single Field Grade officer the general said. Panamanian propaganda motivate the troops to fight harder than expected Stiner said. He noted that belligerent Noriega radio broadcasts i Advance of the operation had the same effect mentally on Young Pana Manian soldiers As Hitler s speeches in the Early Days of world War  Gao says plan to buy copters unjustified Washington a the defens department s plan to buy 34 additional helicopters for commando missions Al a estimated Cost of $532 million lacks a sound Mission based justification according to a congressional report. The general accounting office said monday that the army based its decision to buy 34 Boeing Mh-47e helicopters on a 1984 agreement Between the army an the air Force that provided for the army to assume responsibility for providing helicopter support for commando operations. But in june 1987, the defense depart ment told Congress that it had revised its requirements and Only needed 17 Mh-47e helicopters and 41 Mh-53j helicopters to Fly the missions of about 265 to520 Miles. The army s reason for procuring a additional 34 Mh-47e aircraft is based on an earlier memorandum of agreement Between the air Force and the army which has been superseded by the 1987report." the Gao said. Sen. William Roth a Del who re Quested the Gao report said the Agency was quite Blunt in its  the defense department in com ments on a draft of the Gao report Dis agreed with the Agency s conclusion say ing it needed the additional helicopters because of the Bush administration proposal to cancel the v-22 Osprey tilt Rotor vertical Takeoff air plane. Youth Given 25 years for triple slaying Poughkeepsie . A a17-year-old youth who pleaded guilty to the Shotgun slayings of his father motherland 8-year-old brother in March 1989 has been sentenced to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison. Brian Ballon. Who prosecutor claimed had a fascination with the rambo movie character portrayed by actor Sylvester Stallone showed no Emo Tion when sentenced monday to 25-years-to-Lifc on each of the second degree murder counts. Britton who pleaded guilty Jan. 3,also was sentenced to serve up to 25 years for the attempted murder of his sister during the rampage at the family s Home in Pought Cypsie. Judge Judith Hillery ordered the sentences to run concurrently. Hillery rejected a plea for leniency from Public defender John Garrity jr., who argued that Britton had been abuse Dat Home by an alcoholic father and an overbearing Mother. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1950 an escaped hunger maddened Leopard terrorized Oklahoma City neb., As authorities called in professional animal Hunters from the Rocky mountains a group of marines and search helicopter. 30 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1960 a Senate subcommittee said changes were needed in the administration of . Foreign Aid Tovie Nam. It said the Aid program lacked specific integrated goals. 20 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1970 the California National guard was activated by gov. Ron Ald Reagan and moved in to reinforce Santa Barbara police who had battled demonstrators on the University of Cali fornia at Santa Barbara Campus for four Days. 10 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1980 sen. Edward Kennedy d-mass., following his primary loss in the new Hampshire presidential Pri Mary and defeats in the Iowa and Minne Sota caucuses overhauled his campaigning a desperate bid to come Back against president Carter