European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes Friday february 8, 1991cheney reserves right to reverse direction of optimistic Dod budget by Chuck Vinci Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon budget proposals for fiscal 1992 and beyond Are based on optimistic assumptions that Are far from assured defense Secretary Dick Cheney told Congress on thursday. A a a a. A a this is a six year look being offered at p time of considerable uncertainty and Little notice a he said. A not that we can ignore the continued and although a conventional forces reduction treaty has been signed soviet interpretation of that pact a has raised doubts they. World with the capability to destroy the United states a he said. But the collapse of the Warsaw pact the soviet withdrawal front Eastern Europe and the continued economic decline _ of the soviet Union allow for much More turmoil and i would Reserve the right to Advance warning of a Large scale conflict come Back at a future Date and say we Cheney said. Can t go Down this far this fast a Cliency told the mouse armed services committee. A a a. A a a a a a a. A a a Over the next few years the Pentagon plans to Cut 10 army divisions 94 Navy ships 10 fighter wings 87 strategic bombers and As Many personnel As Are now serving in operation desert storm a More than half a million people. The single biggest Factor allowing the Pentagon to make such Radical reductions is a lessening of the soviet threat he said. A we think we can now place less pm possibility of global War with the soviets a rotation or Inai paw., was Yovu they remain the one nation in the 0fi our part about their Good Faith c said. Some officials have charged that the soviets Are flouting the treaty. They say that instead of destroying tanks and other equipment withdrawn from Central eur said. It was 27 percent during the Peak years of the Reagan buildup and More than 40 percent during the Vietnam War a when you re spending Only 18 cents on the Dollar for defense its not the defense budget that a driving the deficit a he said. A a a a a a a a a a a a a Cheney also used the congressional hearing to launch the first official shots in the geographic scope of the treaty. Yet even As soviet influence wanes a the prospects for arms control Are in Moscow a internal problems a including doubt a Cheney said. Hopefully we ii e Cheney said the very real possibility of Quot a a to conclude these agreements but it civil War a have the potential to create ainu to of erect rope the soviets Are shipping the equip what is expected to be a heated Battle ment East of the ural mountains outside Over future . Strategic spending Par new series of challenges for the United states. A a. A. A the greatest threat May Well come More from the soviet inability to control events inside the soviet Union than any conscious policy of seeking to expand their influence by military Means a Cheney said. R. . Officials also remain concerned titular by on the b-2 stealth bomber and the strategic defense initiative. Although the Pentagon a budget proposal makes cuts in strategic forces Overall Cheney said operation desert storm has already shown the need for continued Phasis on the requirement that meant we about  control agreements a. To c. A a had to have sufficient forces deployed to with the soviet Unibe. The wrangling sume about 18 percent of the Federal Budr weapons on the soviet Union has become fight a global conflict with the soviets on con Tinjum amps a Over a strategic arms treaty get the lowest percentage since 1939, he less of a priority. Cheney strongly signalled his intention. To combat any congressional complaints funding of the b-2 and sol that defense spending remains too High a a a one lesson we be Learned from the Given the economic difficulties facing the Gulf is the value of stealth technology a United states. Cheney said referring to the numerous a in my opinion anyone who suggests successful sorties flown by the f-117 that the defense budget is a significant stealth fighter. V Drain on the . Eccl foxy. Is not critics say that at $850 million each the looking at the facts a he said. B-2 is simply unaffordable and that its by 1997, the defense budget will con primary Mission of dropping nuclear fight a glob War deactivation of unit Cloud gis future a editors note this is another article in a series Cov Cring the withdrawal of  units from Europe by Chuck Roberts and Gary Pomeroy staff writers Giessen Germany a first it. Robert Kirby had been destined for fort drum n.y., along with his units Flag which was wrapped and furled Quot thursday morning during ceremonies at Rivers bar a Racks. A. But like several other soldiers assigned to the 4th in 7th Field arty regt Kirby a future has been Given a new direction for the second time in four months. The first occurred aug. 16 when he was told that the battalion Kirby would be deactivated March 1, along with 22 other units and head be going to the states. Then a few weeks ago he was told head stay in Europe. A i was looking Forward to going to fort drum but they said they need me Here a said Kirby a howitzer fire direction officer from Louisville by. His assignment to the 10th Mountain div at fort drum was cancelled by the Stop loss actions prompted by the persian Gulf War. A you just have to go with the flow a said Kirby who will be reassigned somewhere in Europe. The Stop loss policy affects assignments for service members whose jobs Are essential to support operation desert storm or who possess Job expertise that is in Short Supply. At a reception after the Farewell ceremony spec. Edward Weaver said he did no to know where his next assignment would be either. But if its to saudi Arabia he said he would prefer going with fellow soldiers from Giessen.  rather go with these Guys because they Are real professionals a said Weaver a Niagara Falls n.y., native who has been with the unit since it was reactivated three years ago. The unit began in 1916 As Btry a 7th Field arty at fort Sam Houston Texas. A but in a a Soldier and i go where and when Ifrey want me to go a Weaver said. Wherever they go the soldiers will have a special feeling for the old unit said staff sgt. Brian Moton a truck Driver from Akron Ohio. A they will always remember the 4th of the 7th,�?� he said. A. Maj. Steve Keeling said his Job As battalion executive officer is nearly Complete. A fall that a left to do is take care of getting people  Keeling said that 279 enlisted soldiers and officers plus their families Are waiting to depart and report to new units. A. A a a a a a. A. A. A a its the final Days of the big garage Sale a a Keeling said a it went smoother than i thought it  a a it a time to move on a said spec Jennis Stone a Cannon fire direction control specialist Pershing ii battalion takes its place in cold War history by John Millar Wurzburg Bureau Mut Langen Germany a staff sgt. Steven Neal closed a chapter of cold War history thursday when he placed a Green Canvas cover Over his unit Flag. The ceremony at the Mut Langen missile storage area marked the inactivation of 2nd in 9th Field arty. The unit is the second Pershing ii missile battalion in Europe to shut Down under the intermediate Range nuclear forces treaty. The treaty ratified by the United states and soviet Union in May 1988, requires the destruction by May 31 of All missiles with a Range from 30 a to-5,000 Miles. Maj. John Falkenbury a spokesman for the 56th Field arty come said the last per things left Europe in november. The first and second stages of the missiles Are incinerated in the United states he said while the launchers were Cut into pieces in Germany. There were Only four Pershing battalions in the army three of them in Europe Falkenbury said. The third one along with the entire 56th Field arty come will inactivate in june he said. It. Gen. John m. Shalikashvil Deputy commander of the . Army Europe told the battalion that it had brought Victory in the cold War a without a single Pershing missile having to Fly in  a what the Patriot is to desert storm so the Pershing has been to the birth of peace in  for Neal covering the unit Flag brought Back Many memories. The 32-year-old native of Detroit mich., has worked with the Pershing for almost 10 years. A i know All the Pershing soldiers a he said. A there Are Only like 2,500 of us in the army. So we always run into each other. If you done to know a Guy by face you know him by  like most who work directly with the Pershing Neal has been retrained. He will work on the army multiple launch rocket system some of the systems soldiers have been deployed to operation desert storm. A a in a ready to go a he said. A get me out of Here. I want to go to desert storm.soviet space station bums up on re entry Moscow apr a 40-ton soviet space station the size of a Railroad freight car tumbled into Earth a atmosphere Over Argentina before Dawn thursday and a burned out of existence a the official news Agency Tass said. A a there were no immediate reports of any debris hitting the ground. Tass said salyut 7 and an attached spacecraft re entered the atmosphere Over a sparsely populated area of Central Argentina at 12 47 am local time a soviet tracking stations confirmed that the Complex burned out of existence a Tass said. Salyut 7 was put into orbit in april 1982. Tass said that if should have stayed in orbit for several More years but that a sudden increase in solar activity in 1988 caused it to descend  zvezda the military newspaper has reported that the biggest danger was from pieces of the Cosmos 1686 cargo spacecraft which is docked to the space station. Soviet officials said the space station powered by solar Energy and chemical batteries contained no nuclear fuel or other dangerous substances