European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Unification one year later Berlin brigade wraps up a historic task by de Reavis staff writer the word Quot brigade Quot used to go with Berlin like Peanut butter with Jelly. It was the muscle that kept the City tree that made it the Western showcase in the Middle of Eastern communism. But since unification on oct. 3, 1990, the Berlin brigade has become but a footnote in the ongoing Story of this vibrant City. By 1994, All foreign military forces must be out of the once divided City. Until a year ago the world War ii allies ruled the City by occupation Law. The position of City commander passed in turn from the americans to the British to the French in the Western sector while the soviets reigned supreme in the East. Today the armed forces in the City have a German commander who works with the four foreign Milit Aries during the draw Down period. Quot since unification the changes in the City and in the brigade have been wide sweeping. You could say that we be now joined the rest of the . Army Quot said col. Steven Bowman Berlin brigade Deputy commander. The . Come Berlin was formed in september 1949 to replace the office of military government . Sector which arrived in the City in 1945. The infantry brigade includes the airmen assigned to the base at Tempelhof Central Airport. This year the brigade has dropped in strength by 500, to a total of 5,500, and the draw Down will continue. On the other Side of the City Are about 1,800 soviet troops although Berlin is ringed by tens of thousands More soviets. Quot up to last fall our Mission was to defend the City Quot Bowman said. Quot the plan was for us to make the Price of taking the City so dear that the soviets would pass us by. We were to hold the City until our forces in the West came and liberated us on their March Forward. We were a kind of a hostage Force Here. A now the City has a German commander and we be become part of usage urn a contingency Force. We be gone from being the Best trained units for City combat to Lead elements that can be used anywhere in the hemisphere the government chooses to Send us. We can be there in less than four hours. Quot the brigade has had a battalion stationed in Turkey since the Start of operation provide Comfort the humanitarian Mission to help the kurd following the failed revolt against iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Quot we were Able to transform our Mission from City defenders to a contingency Force in less than seven months Quot Bowman said. He said another great difference since unification is that the anxiety level has dropped considerably. Quot there were Many soldiers who preferred never to leave the City As Long As they were stationed Here. Now they drive out into the surrounding Countryside and see the sights Quot Bowman said. Col. Alfred w. Baker chief of staff for the brigade recalled that the situation in the past could get very hot with the soviets. In the 1960�?Ts, at the height of the cold War Quot we were As close to War with them As wed Ever be Quot he said. Quot being Back Here now is a remarkable contrast. Quot during the Days of the Wall East Berlin was a fascinating place but dangerous for the Soldier. Cars could be stopped windows smashed and the passengers abused. Of course we could get Nasty in return. It was a kind of gamesmanship Here in the former spy capital of the  Baker said he finds it exciting that Berlin is now the capital of a United Germany. Quot it was our goal Quot he said. Quot and our soldiers Are proud. Now we be changed our role of protector to ensures of  Bowman said Many berliners want the troops to stay. Quot especially those Middle aged germans because they worry about which direction German unification and sovereignty might take. Many of the Young germans want us out of Here As soon As possible. They have no memory of what it took to keep the City free. Quot i find that attitude Normal and even a healthy attitude. People will forget and people want to stand on their own  searching for a new identity by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer in the year since East Germany joined its Western sibling in nato the 42-year-old Alliance has been trying to stay healthy amidst an epidemic of democracy in Europe. The cold wars thawing has caused the word Quot threat Quot to lose its oomph and be replaced with words such As  the question being asked is whether nato s greatest risk now is obsolescence. Analysts agree nato must broaden its political role to remain viable Quot How nato evolves is very difficult to predict Quot said Ken Petrie of the International Institute for strategic studies in London Quot if you wrote a Learned document say 18 months ago predicting what has happened in the last 18 months the men in White Coats would have rushed in and taken you away Quot really it seems there has got to be a political will does one want the son of nato to be the policeman of the world7 i would doubt politically you could get a consensus on that Quot nevertheless events Sulci As the current turmoil in Yugoslavia Hove pushed such questions to the forefront european nations More and Mote arc joining France in looking less to nato and More to the 35-member conference on Security and cooperation in Europe and the 12-member european Community on Security issues in Central Europe. Meanwhile Germany a role in european politics appears to be on the Rise. German foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher has repeatedly pressed for hands on european Community intervention in Yugoslavia where battling Between secessionist croatians and the serb dominated Federal army has claimed More than 500 lives since june 25. Genscher has been criticized for his aggressive stance on sending a unit into Yugoslavia especially since the germans insisted during the persian Gulf War that their Constitution excluded sending soldiers to participate. A germans Are saying  Well of course they can afford to say yes because none of their blood will be spilled Quot Petrie said. Genscher has been looking More toward the Csc As Europe s principal political vehicle to Bridge the East West division. Some Western nations including the Netherlands have accused him of looking too far eastward and turning his Back on the Allan tic connection. Peter , a member of the North Atlantic Assembly a group of legislators from nato nations said he believes nato can complement the Csc with nato providing defense and Security in crises and the Csc filling a peacekeeping and conflict management role. The failed coup attempt in the soviet Union should Speed nato s examination of ways it can link itself with the former East bloc countries. The option of having those countries As members or associate members must be left open said Couturier adding that the countries have Strong sympathy for nato and close trans Atlantic relations. A final nato strategy should be finished for a Summit in Rome Early next month. In Many ways the new world order is the new world disorder Quot Petrie said. Quot basically i think what is happening now is that the permanent representatives within nato Are sort of looking at the situation and going through the strategy almost line by line in preparation for the ministerial  the Heads of state of the 16 nato nations Are to converge on the eternal City nov. 7-8, the main elements of the new nato strategy remain the same despite current instability in Europe. Its design Calls for a smaller Mobile Force that can respond rapidly to trouble spots in Alliance territory the new nato would rely less on nuclear weapons As supported by president Bush s announcement last week to unilaterally remove the United states 1,700 ground based tactical nuclear weapons from Europe. Germany which has been Home for almost All of the Alliance s nuclear artillery shells and Short Range missiles has Long called for the move a nato source said monday Bush s announcement had been anticipated and should not affect the alliances nuclear planning group meeting scheduled for later this month in Sicily Page 6 a the stars and stripes wednesday october 2, 1991