European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cracks found in f-16s Jane s from staff and wire reports London a almost All of the f-16 fighters operated by the United states and other countries have cracks that will require More than $1 billion Worth of repairs a defense journal reported tuesday. Jane a defence weekly said 2,900 of the fighters Are affected by cracking due to Metal fatigue including 1,861 operated by the . Air Force. Some aircraft May require new wings it added. Of about 180 f-16 aircraft assigned to . Air forces Europe bases Only 27 have fatigue cracks As described in Jane a said Doug Moore a Safe spokesman. The aircraft were identified through Normal inspections which involve structural integrity checks. The problem is not a threat to safety Moore emphasized a the majority of these 27 aircraft fall within the 50-hour re inspection criteria a Moore said. That Means that after every 50 hours of flying time each aircraft is inspected and the length of the crack is measured. He added that a few of the aircraft Are a inspected every 25 hours. All 27 aircraft that have the cracks belong to the 86th fighter Wing at Ramstein a. The command also bases f-16s at Torrejon a Spain and Hahn and Span Dahlem air bases in Germany. Only one f-16 assigned to Safe has been grounded because of a crack in the Wing Moore said but it is not the same Type of problem Jane a reported. That plane will be repaired at a european facility probably in Belgium he said. None of Rani Stein a f-16s deployed to Southwest Asia for operation desert shield or storm. Moore said the cracks have not had any effect on training. Capt. Betsy Freeman an air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon said officials Are curious As to Why this Issue is surfacing now. A a it a really old news a Freeman said. A we went around and around on it in May and once several months before see f16 on Page 2 i vex.  to arms a Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf is surrounded by a sea of was bidding Farewell to some of the nearly 3,700 . Soldiers during a visit monday to Doha Kuwait. The 56 troops still in the emirate. Earlier he received the order year old general who plans to retire at the end of August of Kuwait in recognition for his  link Kennedy Nephew to other attacks by Larry Rohter the new York times Miami a prosecutors in the rape Case against William Kennedy Smith said monday that they had uncovered three previous incidents in which Smith either raped or attempted Toi. Rape women and that they would seek to use these accounts As evidence against him. In papers filed in Palm Beach county assistant state attorney Moira  Lasch asserted that Smith had raped a woman in. Washington in the Spring of 1988. Lasch said she intended to use the incident As evidence that Smith the 30 year old Nephew of  Edward m. Kennedy d Smith mass., had committed acts similar to the rape he is charged with Here. The prosecutors also alleged that Smith tried to rape two other women. The first such encounter described in the court papers is said to have taken place in Manhattan in the summer of 1983, and the second in Washington in Thesee Kennedy on Page 2base closure criteria unfair lawmakers say by Joan Mower the associated press Washington a several lawmakers charged tuesday that an Independent commissions methods for selecting which military facilities to close were unfair ill advised and politically motivated. A these recommendations should be sent Back to the department of defense because they Are not the product of a fair impartial base closure process we established less than a year ago a rep. Curt Weldon r-pa., told a Houise armed services subcommittee on military installations and facilities. The lawmakers were among those angry at the Way the defense base closure and realignment commission targeted 34 military facilities for closure by 1997. The House hearing kicked off what is expected to be a round of lobbying by lawmakers who want to scuttle the recommendations. By Law Congress has 45 legislative Days to either approve or reject the list with no amendments. The clock started ticking july 10, the Day president Bush signed off on the recommendations. A group of Indiana congressional members complained about the panels decisions to shut Down fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis and Grissom fab near Peru. A we think the process was illegal and irregular a said rep. Frank Mccloskey a Democrat. Rep. Dan Burton r-ind., said the commission voted to shut Down the defense finance and accounting service in Indianapolis after a commissioners 15-minute visit and a four hour debate. A it is fiscally irresponsible to allow a decision costing several Hundred million dollars and affecting the lives of thousands of citizens to be based on a half Days analysis a he said. Rep. Jim Jontz d-ind., said the selection of Grissom was made for the wrong reasons. Although Grissom is an isolated strategic air command base that can survive attack from cruise missiles he said it was chosen because the costs of shutting it Down were less than those for Mot Balling other bases in More populated areas. Weldon said the base commission ignored recommendations from a Navy Admiral in targeting Philadelphia naval shipyard. The Admiral said keeping Philadelphia open was Cost effective but the Navy issued a a gag order against his position. Rep. Robert Andrews d-n.j., said politics played a big role. By his statistics bases located in democratic Law see base on Page 2