European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 15, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary Eric . War machine becoming Angel of mercy fresh off a triumphant year bracketed by the crushing defeat of iraqis army and the breakup of the soviet Union the United states military faces a growing role As an International Angel of mercy. In the last 12 months american led Allied forces provided food water and shelter to 500,000 kurd in Northern Iraq and Turkey. Navy hovercraft ferried tons of supplies and Medicine to typhoon ravaged Bangladesh. An Olive Green tent City sprouted at an american naval base in Cuba to House 7,000 haitians fleeing their country. Perhaps most emblematic of this changing Mission. Air Force cargo planes this Winter Are flying tons of food blankets and medical supplies into the former soviet republics. The Bush administration last week sent former assistant Secretary of defense Richard l. Armitage to London Bonn Germany and Helsinki Finland to scout a location to coordinate the flow of Western Aid to the newly Independent soviet republics including $100 million Congress earmarked in this years $291 billion defense department budget to transport supplies. The military has embraced its humanitarian Mission with some ambivalence despite its training to rebuild cities handle vast medical emergencies and whisk life saving Aid to disaster areas on a few hours notice. Battle hardened generals boast of turning their War machines around to help the sick and needy. But they also worry that Quick infusions of emergency Relief can drag into lengthy and costly commitments. A a we re not that excited about staying for the Long term but we have to plan for that eventuality a said Marine Brig. Gen. George h. Walls jr., commander of the military task Force at Guantanamo Bay Cuba that built tent Camps for the haitian boat people in late november and May be running them for weeks or months. The military has conducted Relief operations for years though few on the Large scale engaged in last year. But As the soviet threat fades and the military scrambles to justify its huge budgets Congress and the Pentagon Are focusing the armed forces sights on new missions suppression of terrorism and drug trafficking and humanitarian Aid. And in a world where Many nations Are racked by political unrest and natural calamities where new impoverished nations Are forming in the ashes of the Eastern bloc and where former soviet clients Are willing or eager to accept help from other Corners both Pentagon officials and International Relief organizations say the fastest Way to Rush Aid and know How to a disaster is to Send in the marines. Or the army Navy or air Force. After the kurdish Relief operation a americans appeared to take it for granted that the . Military forces would play a similar role after a Cyclone struck Bangladesh and a Volcano erupted in the Philippines a rep. Les Aspin ,s., who Heads the House armed services committee said last week. The military a natural ability to operate a under hos vex maybe. On our sit to pm them it tile conditions and Adverse circumstances where there is very limited infrastructure makes it Ideal for disaster Relief said Marine it. Gen. Martin l. Brandtner. Director of operations for the joint chiefs of staff. But while americans in uniform might form the Backbone of future emergency operations International coalitions that can share costs and ease sensitivities will be needed. A your strengths Are organization Speed and efficiency but the . Can to go it alone any More a said Marine it. Gen. Henry c. Stackpole Iii the american commander of the Bangladesh Mission which relied on help from British French pakistani japanese and bangladeshi forces. Ideally commanders want to defuse a crisis and then turn Over responsibility to a local government or a Relief organization that May have been overwhelmed at first. Robert p. Devecchi executive director of the International Rescue committee one of worlds largest private Relief agencies recalled asking an american army commander in Northern Iraq How Many weeks it would take to set up 3,000 tents for 15,000 kurd. By Nightfall six c-130 cargo planes had parachuted the tents and army engineers had erected them. While the engineers had scores of bulldozers cranes and Heli copters Devecchi said a my Agency motor poo was a rented 10-year-old turkish land Rover and a stolen iraqi taxi that had to be  and once the military has taken command of a crisis a Graceful exit is not always easy. Last week months after most american forces left Northern Irao army helicopters flew 12 tons of food Over Snow blocked Mountain roads to kurdish settlements that United nations trucks could not reach. This week As the haitian refugees await Federal court rulings army linguists plan to open a school for 300 children in the Camps. And despite interservice rivalries in the Pentagon Relief work in the Field depends on blends of specialized skills from each service. At Guantanamo Bay for example army civil affairs specialists and military police run the Camps. Navy doctors provide medical care. The air Force set up tents for the 1,800 americans. Marine engineers built the refugees tent City. Political sensitivities limit such operations and the Cost runs into the millions quickly. Quot we done to seek the Mission a said Brandtner. Quot but Relief operations can be expected to be something Well be involved with from time to time As situations  c Tho now York Timos John e. Yang Bush Trade Mission yielded dubious benefits the image White House political advisers wanted to emerge from president Bush a visit to Japan last week was that of a Strong president using his foreign policy skills to wrest Trade concessions from the japanese that would translate into help for an ailing Economy at Home. But As things turned out the lasting image is Likely to be one of Bush Slack Jawed and Ashen faced collapsing at the Elbow of japanese prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa. Although Bush hailed the agreements he reached in Tokyo As representing a dramatic Progress Quot that a will result in jobs for the american workers a even some of the . Corporate executives who accompanied the president criticized them As being too Little. And a new poll showed widespread scepticism among americans about the value of the trip. A politically it was disastrous for him a said Bruce w. Jentleson a political scientist at the University of California at Davis. A if this is w hat the president presents As evidence that he cares about Domestic policy. The results fall Short of the expectations he set up. Cutting a ribbon in Japan for toys a us and getting japanese orders for 20,000 cars Isnit enough. A the two Days of meetings were headlined a a Summit a a term previously reserved in bilateral relations for top level .-soviet sessions. But instead of bringing together leaders who controlled the worlds two largest nuclear arsenals this Summit involved the leaders of the two most powerful economies. As arguably the most significant bilateral meeting for Bush  far in the Post cold War Era it represented the shifting focus of International Competition. The results of the Tokyo Summit raise questions about How Well Bush will be Able to handle the new world situation As the emphasis in diplomacy changes from military and political to economic considerations. Bush a Strong suit As president Long has been his handling of foreign affairs. Approval of his management of global matters helped buoy his Overall Job performance ratings As the Economy became mired in recession last year. On earlier stops of his four nation 12-Day Pacific tour Bush demonstrated his skill on Security issues. In Singapore he reached agreement with prime minister Goh Chok Tong to move a . Naval task Force there from the Philippines and on the korean Peninsula he sought to Advance the political thaw Between North and South. On economic issues though Bush appeared less sure footed. While superpower summits Between the United states and the soviet Union were meetings of equals Bush is no longer dealing from strength when confronting his japanese counterpart on economic issues. Bush went to Japan hat in hand and caught an earful of criticism about . Problems. At thursdays news conference Bush sat looking chagrined As Miyazawa reeled off a list of troubles plaguing the United states homelessness the Scourge of aids a deteriorating education system and industries that have lost their competitive Edge internationally further economic issues cannot he handled boat ally As nuclear arms control matters could. Also complicating matters Lor Bush he cannot count on a unified front at Home on global economic issues. The president sought to show Unity Between government and corporate executives by leading a High powered delegation of top . Businessmen Down the Steps of air Force one when they arrived tuesday night at Tokyo a Laneda Airport. But any semblance of Unity was shattered on thursday when the chairmen of the big three . Automakers held a news conference to criticize the .-japanese Trade agreements barely an hour after Bush announced them. In the United states More than half of those questioned for a new York tires cubs news poll last week said they thought Bush a meetings in Asia and Australia Quot were mainly for  Only about one third told the poll takers they thought the trip would a increase jobs in the ."fhe Wasfi Brigton Pum