European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday october 5, 1991 the stars and Stripe commentary Kenneth l. Whiting Singapore experience should hearted filipinos those in the Philippines who worry about suffering economically when . Forces finally leave might find encouragement from Singapore a experience. When a massive British military pullout seemed to imperil this Island Republic 20 years ago the resourceful use of military assets in a diversified Economy helped save the Day. The Navy Yards air bases army Barracks and other facilities that were once viewed As superfluous colonial relics now serve one of the most prosperous nations in Asia. Instead of the massive unemployment that was feared when Britain announced in 1967 that it would pull out the country now wrestles with a labor shortage. More than 50,000 housemaids from the Philippines Are part of the foreign workforce. Former army Camps hum with Industrial activity. Government built apartment blocks stand on old Parade Grout ids. The one time Royal Navy Salvage depot at Loyang bustles As an offshore Supply base for the Oil drilling Industry. Dry docks and other Navy installations were successfully converted to commercial shipbuilding and repair or adapted in support of what is now the worlds busiest Container port. Her majesty a naval dockyard found new life As the private Semb Awang shipyard. Buildings devoted to weapons and military radio repair at the dockyard now House an electronic engineering company. Facilities at Geletar air base were leased to Lockheed aircraft of the United states and other companies to serve general aviation in the Region. A flying school was opened there. Changi Airport can handle 24 million passengers a year the largest capacity in East Asia and the Western Pacific. It started As a British military Airfield and was converted to civilian use in 1981. Singapore gained internal self Rule in 1959 and joined the new malaysian federation in 1963. It was forced out of the federation to become fully Independent in 1965. Aside from the economic uncertainty and ambivalent feelings about a former colonial Power there Are few outward similarities Between this City state when the British pulled out and the Philippines now. Singapore has a population of Only 2.7 million and occupies less territory than the . Bases at Subic Bay and Clark Field. Its Economy relied far More on the British military presence than does its much larger neighbor. When Britain announced the withdrawal of most of its forces East of Suez it had 26,100 troops plus about 5,000 local enlistees. More than 34,000 civilians worked for the military at its Peak and 20 percent the nations Gross Domestic product was absorbed by the Queen s soldiers and sailors and their dependents. The military once occupied 15,500 acres 10 percent of the entire Island which served As Headquarters and main operational and logistics Center for operations in the far East. At one time Britain had More warships based in Singapore than anywhere else in the world. By 1938 the base at Semb Awang could accommodate half the British Fleet. Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew hoped for a phased withdrawal of from six to 10 years but most of it was done by late 1971. Conversion of the military installations was directed by a newly formed bases economic conversion department and helped by some $125 million in Grants and soft Loans Over a five year period. Not everything was converted to civilian use. Under an agreement with Washington signed last november . Warships and planes Are using military bases that were originally built when Singapore was a British Colony. C the associated press r James j. Kilpatrick new bold George Bush deserves cheers. R. A i v unilateral  will not leave the United s remember when they called him a nerd when he was mocked As the gutless wonder does everyone recall those Days in 1988 when critics said George Bush was indecisive the caricature came Back to mind last week when the real George Bush stood up. His pledges of nuclear disarmament Are stunning. They also Are unconditional. These Are not qualified proposals hanging upon the contingency of complementary soviet response. The president is acting unilaterally on his own As commander in chief. A i am therefore directing that the United states eliminate its entire worldwide inventory of theater nuclear weapons. The United states will withdraw All tactical nuclear weapons from its surface ships and attack submarines. I am directing that All . Strategic bombers immediately stand Down from their Alert posture. I am terminating the development of the Mobile peacekeeper  it is a fair Assumption that before announcing these Steps Bush privately had obtained assurances from Mikhail s. Gorbachev and Boris n. Yeltsin that the soviet leaders would respond in kind. The threat of nuclear holocaust has not ended a in some degree it will never end a but overnight that awful awesome possibility has been greatly diminished. In cynical Washington cynical motives at once arc assigned to Bush a initiative. Since the Pinnacles of desert storm the presidents approval rating has been steadily dropping. Meanwhile several democrats have announced plausible candidacies against him in 1992. To regain the spotlight and to emphasize the inexperience of his prospective opponents last weeks address was a useful political ploy. It is further objected that the key proposals really Are old stuff. Paul Nitze was trying to sell Ronald Reagan and Caspar Weinberger on naval nuclear disarmament six years ago. The Mobile icbms already was in trouble on Capitol Hill Bush just got in front of the wave. Remembering How he was criticized for timidity in recognizing the Baltic nations Bush in this instance wanted to show his leadership. And so on. A simpler explanation is much closer to the Mark. Bush Felt the time had come to match the dramatic events in the soviet Union with a dramatic response Here at Home. He wanted to maintain what he once called the a big to a i.e., the big momentum. The soviet people Are in for a rough Winter both literally and metaphorically. If their morale can be lifted by lessening the tensions of nuclear arms so much the better. When americans Are surf edited with bad economic news it makes sense to take to the to tube with some Good news. Bush s directives Are indeed Good news. These nuclear artillery shells these nuclear missiles these ship borne nuclear bombs Are not merely to be withdrawn. For the most part they Are to be dismantled and destroyed. Many nuclear weapons will remain a the exact numbers and descriptions will Norbe made Public hut these weapons will be a secured in Central areas where they would he available it necessary in a future crisis. Perhaps that Point should be emphasized. Hush s unilateral decisions will not leave the United states naked to nuclear assault. The atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 was a pathetic Little pop gun. Its destructive Power was roughly the equivalent of Only 18,000 tons of int it killed Only 98,000 persons and wiped out Only a single City. Our nuclear arsenals Are now thought to contain the rough equivalent of 4 billion tons of int. After Bush a terminations it will be half As much. Maybe 2 billion tons. Surely the remaining nuclear weapons Are enough a More than enough a for any foreseeable Mission. It never has made sense for the United states and the soviet Union to maintain nuclear arsenals of sufficient Power to destroy the planet Earth. Once the presidents initial Steps have been completed work should begin toward further reductions. Bush anticipated that his decisions would set off u renewed cry for a a peace  eventually there will be savings from a reduced level of nuclear arms but the savings will not be immense. Significant savings would come from cancellation of such needless ventures As the $2 billion super submarine sea Wolf. Some of the soundest advice Ever Given to a Leader was Given to the fearless maid in Spenser a the Faerie jul conc a be bold be bold. Be not too bold a Friday evening George Bush ailed perfectly on that advice. Let us re Oice. A Luto Vursel or tabs Syndicate