European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday decembers 1990 the stars and St files Page 3 crisis in the a Smuts Call up present Paradox by Robert Burns associated press writer Washington a at Marine corps Headquarters in the Shadow of the Pentagon col. Russell Appleton shuttles Between two desks. At one he works to Cut the Active duty roster. At the other he tracks Call  of military reserves. This seeming contradiction a getting smaller and bigger at the same time a Points up one of the Par a adores lurking behind the scenes of the dramatic buildup in the persian Gulf crisis. The uniformed services and their civilian overseers Are orchestrating the largest . Military operation since Vietnam while simultaneously carrying out Congress order to shrink the military by 80,000 people Over the next 10 months. Can it be done. The Pentagon says quotes. But there Are growing indications that military leaders May ask Congress to set aside the troop Cut goals. Appleton head of manpower policy and planning for the marines May have to tuck away his a Force reduction files because As he said in a recent interview a putting 200,000-plus soldiers sailors marines and airmen on the other Side of the world. Isnit business As  a 1 a. A v a a a even More unusual is the Challenge of adding yet another 200,000 troops As reinforcements for the original deployment As ordered nov. 8 by president Bush to get Iraq out of  the full contingency of perhaps 430,000 person Nel is in place nearly one Quarter of the entire american armed forces will be committed a More troops than the United states had in Europe at any time during the cold War. Just a few months ago Congress put the Pentagon on a path toward reducing troops by up to 500,000 Over the next five years a part of the now aborted drive to gain a Quick a peace dividend Quot from the collapse of comm a ism.7 a. A a a. A. A a even in the seemingly unlikely event that the Gulf crisis is resolved peacefully and soon it May Force con Quot putting 200,000-plus soldiers sailors marines and airmen on the other Side of the world. In t business As  a col. Russell Appleton Gress and the Bush administration to take a new look at How to restructure and reduce . Forces in the Post cold War Era. The Pentagon could ask Congress for permission to put off the troop reductions. But Pete Williams the chief defense department spokesman said in a recent interview that a a we re still going to try to hit the targets set by Congress in october. The problem is seen most clearly in the colliding paths of Reserve and Active duty forces. A tens of thousands of reservists Are being called out of their civilian jobs to join operation desert shield at the same time Many Active duty career officers Are being forced to retire. The military says it must Cut officers and enlisted personnel to meet the Force reduction targets set by Congress yet it can to prepare for a possible War against Iraq without adding More than 100,000 reservists to the Active duty Force. The reserves provide vital skills not available in the Active duty Force such As certain medical transport water purification and construction services. Somewhere in the Sands of saudi Arabia the Paradox takes on real life meaning. V a a the fact is there a a Reserve colonel standing out there next to a regular colonel facing a forced retirement and it can become a very very emotional Issue a Appleton said. The army which must absorb about half the 80,000 personnel cuts for the total . Armed forces by sept. 30, has found a temporary solution to the conflicting demands presented by Congress and the Gulf crisis. On nov. 23, it froze All Active duty personnel in their positions. In effect it acknowledged a though hot in so Many words a that it could not continue cutting the Force while putting roughly 200,000 army personnel in saudi Arabia. Yet even now the Marine corps while officially preventing some of its personnel deployed for desert shield from leaving the service is using retirement boards to decide which 100-plus Active duty officers will be forced out of uniform. Such boards arc used by the services to meet their troop Cut requirements. A the air Force plans to Convene a retirement Board this month to Force As Many As 750 colonels and lieutenant colonels out of uniform. The army decision to freeze its Force made with the approval of defense Secretary Dick Cheney meant that about 5,500 personnel per month who otherwise would have chosen to leave the army will be kept in uniform indefinitely according to an army planner who spoke on condition of anonymity. The army has not Only stopped shrinking hut also has grown As a result of adding More than 68,000 National guard and Reserve troops to its ranks As part of desert shield. Technically the reservists Are not counted in the total Force level that the army is legally required to reach by sept 30. The complications Are especially great for the army which also is trying to manage the huge task of withdrawing 30,000 troops from Western Europe Over the coming year deactivating some Germany based units and maintaining its other worldwide commitments a including 40,000 troops in Korea and 50,000 in Japan. Already the army announced it has postponed its scheduled May 1 withdrawals from Germany to july. A a it san unprecedented Challenge a said Gen. Gordon r. Sullivan the army vice chief of staff and a Central figure in Long term planning for restructuring the  raised by Greg Krikorian and Jennifer Toth los Angeles times vice adm. Paul a Butcher is troubled As he ponders the massive movement of . Troops and equipment to saudi Arabia. While he reflects the Deputy commander of the  transportation come can look Back on an operation that a accomplished a lot. In just 14 Days several dozen ships were called to the crisis Halfway around the world. The ships then moved the equivalent of a town of 50,000, plus All us vehicles food water and other supplies from ports in the United states to the persian  the months they helped build . Troop strength there to 240,000. Ana they Are continuing to help the United states nearly double that strength. / but Butcher whose command oversees troop deployment and supplies remains troubled operation desert shield he said could have been an embarrassing expose of inadequate , sea lift  it did t turn out that Way because a a we be had an almost perfect scenario in which to do our  he asked t what if Iraq had quickly invaded saudi Arabia after taking Over Kuwait a what if the United states had not won the cooperation of so Many other nations in challenging Iraq v. 7 a what if the crisis had escalated into War m the first weeks after Iraq s invasion _ _. _ others express concerns rep Helen 0. Bentley a md., has asked for a congressional investigation into what she Cal de the a first True test of the nation s Abib to to move military forces by sea since world War ii. A operation desert shield has raised As Many questions regarding the adequacy of sea lift As it has answered said Bentley a member of the House merchant Marine and fisheries committee a was the Middle East drama passes its fourth month Many such questions Are being raised about us. Ability to ensure sufficient equipment and supplies for its Nuu sea lift and other e Rush to strengthen tary in a crisis. And ironically those doubts follow the massive military buildup of the Reagan administration which critics contend shortchanged conventional military forces in t the . Nuclear deterrent. For decades americans merchant Marine has experienced a staggering decline. During the Vietnam War for example the number of .-flagged commercial ships was 1,100. Today the me chant Marine numbers by 402. Airlift capabilities have increased but 95 per Uip ment and supplies in military operations. In sea. A a  America s shipbuilding Industry has All but halted production of cargo ships suitable for military use. Meanwhile the maritime administration s National defense Reserve Fleet an aging Armada of 225 cargo ships includes so Many unreliable vessels that some members of Congress Are pushing to scrap up to a third of the Fleet. A along the James River in Virginia for example Doz ens of pre-1946 Victory ships Sway at Anchor paint peeling their decks covered with Pigeon droppings ninety six of the newest Fleet ships make up a ready Reserve Force and Are supposed to be ready for use by on. Cent of e still moved serf shield sea lift one of the biggest military sea lifts in history is under Way to Supply the multinational forces in saudi Arabia overt million tons of equipment and supplies have been delivered. A a. First wove second wove ii started aug 7 with a started in ships from Plage Garcia mid november in the Indian Ocean a involves 150 naval and a involved nearly 100 merchant ships most ships Many of which of which Are leaving left from the , from european ports. A moved 3,00q tanks along with guns and vehicles. Saur Cap s4s saw no amp Cru the Navy in As Little As five Days notice. But Only 14 of the 41 ready Reserve vessels called to duty in the Gulf crisis arrived on schedule at loading ports and four ships were 10 to 20 Days late. Moreover military officials have emphasized the Force includes Only 17 of a Roll on Roll off vessels Best equipped to transport tanks and other Large equipment. 7 Finger pointing Over the fleets condition has already begun Bush administration officials note that a $240 million funding request for the ready Reserve Fleet this year was slashed to $89 million by Congress. Without enough . Cargo vessels to support operation desert shield the Pentagon has chartered 20 to 30 foreign flagged ships each Day since the sea lift began chartering a foreign bag ship can Cost $7,500 to $35,000 a Day which is often cheaper than spending $1.5 million to prepare a ready Reserve ship for sea or $4 million or More for a Victory  experts including critics of Congress said the sea lift decline can also be blamed on Reagan administration policies including the 1586 tax Laws that eliminated preferences for american shipbuilding Industry a in the Early 1980s, the Reagan administration started removing subsidies that made the Industry less competitive in the world Market a said Butcher who works at Scott fab in Belleville til. A and the 1986 tax Reform said a either compete or  a . Commercial shipping is in critical condition Butcher said noting that .-flagged vessels today Cany Only 3,9 percent of the nation imports and exports compared with 50 percent in 1950. A a it a troubling a Butcher said. A a in a troubled by it As a transportation Guy a naval officer and an american