European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                . Replacing duty trains to West Berlin with bus shit list from Page 1 at a news briefing. Williams did not say How Many service Mem ers would be returned Home by the closures. However the West German defense ministry told the associated press late tuesday that some 60,000 troops would leave West Germany As a result of the base closings. Torrejon a is the Home for 16th air Force Headquarters and the 401st tac fighter Wing. It previously had been announced that the 401st would leave Spain by May 1992. The wings scheduled to move to Croton Italy is being debated by Congress during budget negotiations. The list is the result of a continuing review of . Force Structure in Europe in the face of a diminishing soviet threat As Well As the near certainty of declining defense budgets in future years Williams said. The defense department could not provide Cost figures associated with the closings or the numbers of military and civilian personnel that will be affected. Among the Sites to close Are 94 in West Germany 11 in Spain nine in South Korea one in Japan and three each in Greece Italy Australia and the United kingdom. Among the Sites to be scaled Down Are 14 in West Germany three in Korea two in Spain and one each in Italy Japan Canada and Bermuda. Safe officials acknowledged that some unplanned personnel movements will result when the closures begin. A some people May be required to retrain into other jobs As missions change a a statement from the command said. Safe commander Gen. Robert c. Oaks said a we Are going to do everything we can to minimize the negative effects on  air Force officials also said the closure of Wei Brincken a West Germany which was announced in january will be accelerated. . Forces will now leave by sept. 30,1991. Among the Sites on the Pentagon a list is Mcgraw Cavern in Munich West Germany Home of the 66th military intelligence brigade and the european Headquarters of the army and air Force Exchange service. Three other Sites in Munich Are billets or family housing facilities. Also on the list Are two training areas a commissary an administrative facility an athletic Field the autobahn filling station at in Olstadt and facilities housing the american forces network and Munich area youth activities. All Are scheduled for closure in fiscal 1992 or later. The list Calls for reducing operations at Camp King Drake Barracks Edward Barracks and Michael Barracks in Frankfurt West Germany. Also listed Are Sites in Augsburg Hanau Darmstadt Aschaffenbur Timberg Stuttgart and Wurzburg. Some installations will be closed or Cut Back next fiscal year but action on others will not take place until fiscal 1992 or even later Williams said. The overseas closings and reductions can take place without further action. Unlike Domestic bases which must undergo a lengthy congressional review process the Pentagon can close . Bases in foreign countries unilaterally. Williams said defense Secretary Dick Cheney will present a list of Domestic bases that he would like to close when the Pentagon forwards its fiscal 1992 budget request to Congress in january. That will be in addition to 86 Domestic bases that Congress has already approved for closing. Cheney also recently approved closing a handful of other overseas bases in addition to the ones announced tuesday including Zweig Rick air a hell Nikon a Greece Comiso a Italy Perhac a and Eskisehir munitions storage site in Turkey Nea Makri naval station Crete and Raf Fairford Raf Greenham common and Raf Wethersfield All in the United kingdom. Three bases in the far East a Kwangju Suwon and Taegu air bases in South Korea a a also were on the original list. By Ken Clauson Bremerhaven Bureau the american duty trains linking West Berlin to Frankfurt and Bremerhaven in West Germany will soon be replaced with charter buses according to . Come Berlin officials. The command is negotiating the bus contract and the duty trains will continue to run until the bus service begins said capt. Pete Pierce a command spokesman. For a 90-Day test period beginning in june the service Between Berlin and Frankfurt was reduced from daily service to six trips each Way per week. The total number of passengers did not decrease during the test so the command thought travellers were Able to adjust to the reduced schedule Pierce said. The schedule reduction will remain in effect for As Long As the duty trains run he said. Since the bus contract is still under negotiation he would not say How Many Days per week the bus service will include. There is no duty train from Berlin to Frankfurt on tuesday nights and none from Frankfurt to Berlin on wednesday. The Bremerhaven train however runs in both directions daily. Nearly 70,000 passengers used the duty trains in the 12-month period ending june 1990. Washington apr Iraq has increased troop strength in and near Kuwait to 360,000 Over the last two weeks while pulling Back some tanks and artillery the Pentagon said tuesday. The Pentagon a last estimate two weeks ago was that there were 265,000 troops and 2,200 tanks in Kuwait and in adjacent areas of Iraq. In another development Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said that a team from the guided missile Cruiser Biddle stopped and boarded a soviet cargo ship the Pyotr Masherow on monday As part of the Effort to Block Trade with Iraq. He described the boarding in the Waters of the Northern red sea As a a routine and said it was conducted with the permission of the soviet vessels Mas Bonn West Germany apr talks on an amnesty for East German spies ground to a stalemate on tuesday even though Security officials warn that without it German Unity Day could be marred by a wave of arrests. Government officials said they saw Little Chance that an agreement could be reached soon on the details of an amnesty proposed by the West German Justice ministry. West Germany a parliament the bundestag had hoped to pass the proposed legislation on thursday. But officials within the government speaking it in condition of anonymity said they feared the legislation wont even make it out of committee this week. Chancellor Helmut Kohls government wants speedy action on the amnesty so that it can take effect Washington apr president Bush tuesday signed legislation giving free mailing privileges to . Troops deployed in the persian Gulf. The proposal was approved earlier tuesday in the House by a 368-0 vote. The Senate approved the measure by voice vote last week. Previously free mailing privileges were Only extended to members of the armed forces engaged in hostilities. This legislation extends free mail to participants in operation desert shield including those aboard ships. The free postage applies to cards letters and audio the two duty trains Cost nearly $14 million in 1989. The amount of Money saved by converting to it bus service wont be known until the contract negotiations Are Complete a command spokesman said. Seating priority on the buses will be the same As for the duty trains Pierce said. Those priorities Are a passengers on official travel. A Berlin based individuals and groups on recreational travel. A immediate family members sponsored by Berlin based . Military members. A All other . Forces members and their families on a space available basis. The american duty trains have run to and from Berlin since december 1945, Pierce said. The British army a duty train service is also Likely to end soon said a British military spokesman in Berlin. He said no Date has yet been set for cessation of the daily train service Between Berlin and Braunschweig in West Germany. The British duty train service began in May 1949, the spokesman said. The French forces have no plans to halt their duty train service which runs Between Berlin and Strasbourg France said a spokesman in Berlin. Ter. The soviet ship was permitted to proceed and entered the jordanian port of Aqaba Williams said. He said the soviet government did not protest. In discussing the iraqi troop buildup Williams said the Overall combat status of the forces remains about the same with the Only major difference being an increase in infantry. Williams said there Are now 360,000 iraqi troops in and near Kuwait together with 2,800 tanks 1,800 armoured vehicles and 1,450 artillery pieces. Williams said there is no indication Iraq has assumed a More offensive military posture. A the Overall posture continues to be defensive a he said. On oct. 3, German Unity Day. Lutz Stavenhagen Kohls chief intelligence adviser said that without the amnesty West Germany a spy Hunters would be legally bound to go after agents in what is now East Germany when that state ceases to exist. A time is pressing a the conservative Bonn daily die Welt quoted him As saying in an interview that appeared its weekend editions. A if there is no amnesty our officials would have to Issue some 7,000 to 8,000 arrest warrants Over there immediately. The courts would be totally overburdened a the newspaper quoted him As saying. Stavenhagen said there Are at least that Many people in East Germany known to have participated in espionage against West Germany. Cassettes. Members of a recent congressional delegation visiting saudi Arabia heard troops complain that they were unable to Purchase Stamps and that Stamps brought from Home were made unusable by the extreme heat. The congressional budget office estimated that the measure will Cost Between $6 million and $8 million in fiscal 1991, Money that the defense department would pay to the postal service. The postal service sought to Institute the free mail last week but the Pentagon refused to begin the program without legislation. Iraqi troop strength grows in Kuwait area Dod says negotiations stalled on amnesty for e. German intelligence agents Bush signs Bill on free Moil for troops