European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 17, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 5stealthy b-2 poses quandary for air Force by Robert Burns the associated press Washington a the air Force is reconsidering How Stealthy its b-2 stealth bomber needs to be now that the main threats it was designed to overcome a the Warsaw pact and the soviet Union a have disintegrated. No final decisions have been made but the Mere existence of such an air Force study adds a new twist to the debate Over the b-2 program which began in 1981 but still is in the Early stages of testing and production. Some Independent analysts say the air Force is going overboard on stealth buying More of the radar evading capability than the b-2 reasonably can be expected to need. A the receding threat ought to change the requirements Quot for stealth investment said John Foster chairman of the defense science Board which advises defense Secretary Dick Cheney on scientific matters. The b-2s, costing a projected $865 million apiece Are the most expensive air planes Ever built. Pressure is growing in Congress to Stop production after the 15 planes now in order Are built. The Bush administration is arguing the need for 75 of the aircraft. In the 1992 defense Bill signed by president Bush on dec. 6, Congress rejected the administrations request to buy the 16th through 20th stealth bombers. One of the arguments used by b-2 opponents was the planets failure in a july 26 test to demonstrate its required degree of stealth. After the air Force publicly disclosed the failure in september it began analysing whether it makes economic sense to stick to the original stealth requirement according to maj. Gen. Stephen b. Croker who oversees the b-2 acquisition program. The value of stealth the air Force says is that it provides an unprecedented degree of Confidence that manned bombers could penetrate sophisticated air defences anywhere in the world with relatively Little risk of being shot Down. Stealth is a matter of degree though. It can be a Little or a lot. The air Force says the b-2 already is far More capable of evading radar than the f-117a fighter bomber used so effectively against Iraq. But the b-2 is far from having demonstrated that it will be As Stealthy As originally advertised. The question is does it need to be that Stealthy Given the vast changes in the world since the b-2�?Ts requirements were set a decade ago How much stealth in thl stars and St Hills 10 years ago dec. 17,1981 a the soviet Union sent transport planes to Poland to Back up the martial Law regime but the aircraft were loaded with food not troops or military supplies a soviet source said in Moscow. The source also said that the soviets Are pleased with Gen. Wojtech Jaruzelski s a decisive action Quot to break strikes that erupted in Poland. 20 years ago dec. 17,1971 a Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi announced that Pakistan s forces have surrendered unconditionally in East Pakistan and added that she is declaring a unilateral cease fire on the Western front. 30 years ago dec. 17,1961 a More than 150 marching singing Blacks were arrested As they staged their fifth anti segregation demonstration in five Days in Albany a. Among those arrested were the Rev. Martin Luther King or. Of Atlanta president of the Southern Christian leadership conference. 40 years ago dec. 17,1951 a pan american airways ground Crew and flight personnel struck to support their demand for a pay raise. Airports in new York Miami san Francisco and Seattle were among those affected by the strike. Worl d War 50 years ago today 17 dec. V94-1 two More japanese divisions begin Landing in Malaya to strengthen the offensive aimed at Singapore the major British Island base off the Southern tip of the Peninsula. Adm. Nimitz is named new commander of the . Pacific Fleet. Can the nation afford to buy Given competing needs for Federal dollars the problem with trying to answer those questions in the View of the air Force is that it brings up a related More troubling question is the b-2 needed at All also by discussing the possibility of lowering the official Standard for b-2 radar evading capabilities the air Force fears it May give the impression that it is looking for an excuse not to resolve the aircraft a july stealth test failure. Croker said corrective work on the stealth problem is under Way and that for political reasons it is essential that the air Force find and demonstrate a solution. A there is an element of distrust a on Capitol Hill when it comes to air Force claims about its products Croker said. The concern that the air Force wont live up to its promises is a not wholly undeserved Quot he conceded. Even if the stealth flaw is fixed the air Force s new study May determine that the degree of stealth Ness originally sought is no longer Worth the Cost. 1 Given future missions How much stealth is enough Quot Croker said in an interview last week in his Pentagon office. Naf employees have until dec. 23 to sign up for tax deferred plan by David Tarrant staff writer about 10,000 government workers in Europe have less than a week to sign up for a tax deferred investment option that Uncle Sam is making available to army non appropriated fund employees. The program with a sign up deadline of dec. 23, is modelled on the highly pop ular 401 k savings plan. The plan lets employees who work at least 20 hours a week invest up to 15 percent of their pay in Stock Bond or Money Market funds. Those who put in at least 4 percent of their salary get a Matching 3 percent contribution from the employer. For an employee paid $30,000 a year that Matching contribution comes to about $900. All savings Are tax deferred. Among other things the plan also a lets current employees who enrol now receive an advantage for vesting that is not available later. For example the plan has a first time offer of immediate vesting to those people who have been non appropriated fund Naf employees for at least three years. A fully vested employee is eligible to receive All employer matched contributions immediately. Those who done to enrol at the first offering do not get credit for their prior Naf service. They Are treated like other new employees who must participate in the plan for three years before becoming vested. A gives credit for time worked to employees with less than three years in an Naf position who sign up for the plan during the first offering. For example an employee with two years who signs up for the plan during its first uttering needs Only one More year before becoming fully vested. A limits eligibility to overseas Naf employees who Are . Citizens or the spouse or child of a . Citizen. A offers three investment options with a Range of risks option a a Money mar vesting in the 401 k savings plan if you participate before Jan. 1, 1992 a immediately if in eligible class for 3 years a upon your death regardless of age or time participated in plan a upon approval of disability regardless of age or time participated in plan a upon age 62, regardless of time participated a when you have been in an eligible class for 3 years for example a 2 1/2 years a vested in 6 months a 2 years a vested in 1 year Ket Cash fund which offers the least risk option a a Bond fund or option a a Stock fund which offers the most risk. The Money Market fund currently pays 5 percent and has averaged a return of 7.95 percent Over the last 2vi years according to a statement released by the . Army Community and family support office Alexandria va., which administers the plan. The Bond funds annual return for the past year was 15.99 percent and 9.54 percent for the last 5 years the statement said. The Stock fund paid 44.25 percent Over the last year and has averaged 16.96 percent for the last five years the statement said. A allows employees to become fully vested also upon death or approval of disability or when they turn 62, regardless of time participated in the plan. A lets employees make Early withdrawals Only in cases of hardship such As for medical expenses Purchase of a principal residence except mortgage payment payment of tuition for the next semester or Quarter for the employee or his immediate family and other hardships recognized by the internal Revenue service. Employees can begin withdrawing from the account at Ige 59vi, but the Money is then subject to Federal state and local taxes. If an employee withdraws before age 59v4, there is a 10 percent tax penalty on All funds withdrawn Early unless the Money is rolled Over into a similar tax exempt account or plan within 60 Days. The contributions Are taken by payroll deductions and arc tax deferred until retirement when the tax bracket could be smaller. The Fidelity Mutual fund group was selected As managers of the plans assets after six firms bid for the Job said Marcia Coldwells Naf benefits program manager Europe. Some Naf employees received their information packets about the plan late Coldwells said. But Coldwells stressed the importance of taking advantage of the one time offer of credit for time in Naf service. 40 contacting file at the Naf benefits program office at Tompkins Barracks in san wetting Germany. Phone ets 379-6240/6076 or civilian 06202-18754 or fax06202-25025. In breast implant defect nets record award source world almanac Book of world War ii. Bison books corp., 1981 a san Francisco a a Federal court jury has awarded $7.34 million to a woman after finding that her Dow Corning silicone breast implant had ruptured causing a painful permanent immune system disease. The six member jury found that the implant was designed and manufactured defectively. It also found that Dow coming corp. Had failed to warn the woman of the risks of the device had breached its warranty and had committed fraud. The jury on Friday awarded Mariann Hopkins of Sebastopol calif., $840,000 for economic losses and pain and $6.5 million in punitive damages. A lawyer for Dow Corning the nation s largest implant manufacturer said the Midland  company will Appeal the verdict. Hopkins a College Secretary had both breasts removed in 1976 after a diagnosis of potentially cancerous tutors. She had the silicone gel devices implanted the following year after reconstructive surgery. Bolton said Hopkins began experiencing extreme fatigue later that year. She was diagnosed in 1979 with an immune disease called mixed connective tissue disorder. The lawyer said the disease it irreversible and causes severe swelling and severe pain of the joints and Muscles