European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 26, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 3 Aspinw a stand drawing colleagues ire by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington a rep. Los Aspin the Lone holdout against a Transfer of funds to fill the Pentagon a empty military personnel spending accounts is toying with service members futures a colleague says. Aspin the chairman of the House armed services committee opposes a list of funding sources that would be used to make up a $1.5 billion shortfall in personnel funds and the Pentagon a civilian health insurance program. As an expression of his opposition he has refused to put the Issue on the committees Agenda. Aspinw a stand prompted one committee member to attack the chairman this last week. A i think we both know that if you allow the committee to work its will an overwhelming majority will approve the new Transfer As is a said rep. William Dickinson r-ala., in a memo sent to Aspin on wednesday. Dickinson stressed that if the matter is not resolved soon drastic actions will have to be taken. The department of defense told Dickinson that without the Transfer the services will need to Force More than 40,000 involuntary Early retirements before sept. 30 and to accept 90,000 fewer new recruits. Promotions would be Frozen for More than 50,000 officers and enlisted service members and reassignments would be delayed for More than 30,000 personnel. A in All honesty los if these actions Are implemented the responsibility will fall on your head a a Dickinson wrote. A House staff member said opposition in Congress to Aspinw a stand is widespread. A the overwhelming majority remains on one Side a against Aspin a the House staffer said. A it began As a political crisis and has escalated to a matter of personalities and egos. A How far will one Man go to save face a in the latest attempt to solve the Issue the House and Senate appropriations committees and the Senate armed services committee have approved a Transfer that would shift funds from 37 military programs. About $800 million would be used for military salaries and related personnel costs while about $650 million would bad out the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services champs. But Aspinw a condition for granting his approval has been that the Money must come from the might Aryl a most cherished programs including the b-2 and the sea Wolf submarine. Dickinson said the military would be forced to begin the personnel actions june 1, if the Issue was not resolved before Congress adjourned Friday for its week Long memorial Day recess. The Pentagon has agreed however that it will not implement any personnel actions until after Congress reconvenes june 4. Pentagon officials said they arc eager to see the reprogramming matter resolved but believe they have conceded enough already. A we wont accept a Compromise Quot said one Pentagon official who requested anonymity. A Why should w c when three committees and the majority of Aspinw a committee will accept it As it is we re pushing to get a full committee meeting on the  Dod targets programs for personnel funds from Page 1 Senate appropriations committees and the Senate armed services committee. But one key lawmaker refuses to accept the funding sources for the Transfer which is known in the government As reprogramming. Without the approval of rep. Les Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House armed services committee the entire Transfer Issue remains in limbo. All four committees must approve such a shift. For his part Aspin is insisting that the Pentagon tap four of its most cherished weapons systems for the Money necessary to get its military personnel accounts and champs through the end of the fiscal year. Those systems include the strategic defense initiative the air forces stealth bomber the Navy a sea Wolf at tack submarine and the  a experimental Light helicopter program. Up to $8 billion in budget authority a Money approved by Congress but not yet spent by the Pentagon a could be shifted from those programs to the personnel accounts Aspin said. None of these systems Are sources for the Transfer Deal worked out by the appropriations committees. Aspin is willing to negotiate. In a May 22 letter to his fellow committee members he said a a reasonable compromised might be to take half the Transfer Money from his list and half from the list approved by the other three committees. A if we can come quickly to such an agreement i Hope the committees will agree with us and we a ill have a solution a hich will protect our military personnel a Aspin wrote. A we can then move on to the More difficult tasks of the by 91 defense  proposed military fund transfers the Pentagon in an attempt to avoid firing thousands of service members has agreed to shift millions of dollars from air Force  and Navy programs in an attempt to refill its personnel and civilian health insurance accounts. The Pentagon has one major obstacle to overcome rep. Les Aspin. The Wisconsin Democrat has his own ideas about which programs should be trimmed. Here Are the highlights of both plans. The Pentagon a rep. Les Aspin my missile Advance procurement engine replacement program for the Kc-135 Tanker Hawk missile Bradley fighting vehicle Trident missile Navy aircraft modernization fast sea lift ships ship support equipment modernization $42 million 49.5 million 42.3 85 20 123 217 206.3 million million million million million million b-2 bomber strategic defense initiative sea Wolf attack submarine  slight helicopter $5.2 billion 1.7 billion 500 million 100 million source dept. Of defense a amps  f Lim military strength drops More than expected by Chuck vinci1 Washington Bureau Washington a Overall military strength is Down almost 10,000 More people than expected for the fiscal year with three months left to go. The Pentagon originally had planned to Cut 53,824 troops this fiscal year As part of a slight budget decrease which would have saved about $875 million in funds for pay and allowances and millions More in reassignment costs. But figures show that since the fiscal year began oct. 1, Active duty strength has dropped by 63,221. Budget officials said the difference can be attributed almost solely to the air Force voluntary Early separation program which had thousands More takers than anticipated. A the air Force is actually undo strength right now based on our original projections for fiscal 1990,�?� a Pentagon budget official said. A but there a really no reason to try and make it up since we know what a going to be happening to the defense budget Over the next few  budget recommendations for fiscal 1992-1997 that the services recently prepared for defense Secretary Dick Cheney would Cut almost 300,000 service members from Active duty with about two thirds coming out of the . That does no to include a separate personnel Cut of about 38,000 that the Pentagon had planned for fiscal 1991, a Cut that May be even deeper when Congress approves the budget for next fiscal year. The Pentagon announced this past week that Overall military strength at the end of april dropped 7,347 from the previous month. The latest monthly total lists 2,063,743 full time military personnel including Reserve troops on Active duty and officer candidates and cadets at the three military academies. That figure is 44,544 fewer than the number of troops on Active duty on the same Date last year. Totals for the services listed 745,763 for the  Down 4,430 since March 581,525 for the Navy Down 378 195,384 for the Marine corps Down 519 and 541,071 for the air Force Down 2,020. The  and air Force arc at their lowest Force Levels since 1950, just prior to the Start of the korean War. Actor Vic playback of tvs Glendale Calif. Apr actor Vic Tay Back who played Mel the crusty diner owner on the old a a lice television series died at Home of a heart attack Friday his agent said. He was 60. Tayback who had a history of Tayback heart trouble including triple bypass surgery in 1983, died in his sleep at 1 a.m., said his agent and Friend of 20 years Fred Amsel. Paramedics took Tayback to Glendale adventist Hospital but there was no Chance of reviving him he said. A the just died in his sleep of a heart attack a said Amsel. A the was just Fine yesterday. He Hadnot had any trouble since the heart surgeries. But he was a smoker in fact he just told me he quit smoking  although he was Best known to to viewers As the Loudmouth Mel Sharp a Alicel Dies of Les for nine years Tayback played supporting roles in numerous motion pictures including a papillon a a a bullitts and a the  his to movie credits included a they Call it murder in 1971, a the night the City screamed in 1980, a the Jesse Owens Story in 1984, and a the three Kings in 1987. The actor attended Glendale Community College and the Frederick a. Spare school of radio and to broadcasting. Before turning to acting full time he was a Bank Teller and a cab Driver. His parents were born in Aleppo heart attack Syria but Tayback was born and raised in Brooklyn . A i Learned to speak the syrian language but i left Home when i was 16. Ill never deny my heritage. In a proud of it a Tayback said in interviews. After the end of the a a lice series in 1985, Tayback returned to the stage starring in such plays As �?o12 angry men Quot and a death of a  he is survived by his wife Sheila son Christopher Mother Helen sister Emily and brother Joe. Funeral arrangements were incomplete