European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 12, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 9tactics not changing Navy says by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy a the collapse of the soviet Union will not bring about a change in . Navy tactics according to the Navy Stop officer in Europe. That a because the threat of soviet Type sophisticated arms a cruise missiles accurate guns and quiet submarines a is proliferating All around the Globe said adm. Jeremy a a Mike Boorda commander of . Naval forces Europe and Allied forces Southern Europe. A a in a like to Tell you that tactically we Are changing because the soviet Union is no More but basically our equipment needs and our tactics Are still for the modern High Speed High threat kinds of weapons that any third world nation can buy now a Boorda said monday in an interview at his nato Headquarters in Naples. A there is an arms Bazaar going on in the world now from the soviet Union. They Are Selling things off to get hard currency. There is a worry about that and we have to keep the kinds of weapons that can counter that a Boorda said. A fall of those things Lead you to the kinds of tactics that we generated during the �?T60s and �?T70s and �?T80s, and we can to forgo those tactics. We have the right kind of ships for them the potential weapons threats. So i done to see our tactics changing a Boorda said. The 52-year-old Admiral said he is working hard to find a Home in natos Southern Region for some air Force f-16 fighters. The Region is losing its f-16 capability with the removal this year of the 401st fighter Wing and its planes from Torrejon a near Madrid Spain. The planes were supposed to move into a new base at Croton in Southern Italy but congressional opposition to funding for the base has shelved that plan. A i Hope we can find a place for some air Force fighters Down in the Southern Region. I think it is essential. I believe air Force air has a very big role to play in the Southern Region and i am working to try and help As much As i can Boorda seeking to improve Quality of life in the two months he has been in his Post Navy adm. Jeremy Quot Mike Boorda said he has done a lot of looking around at . Navy facilities and services. And while there Are a a lot of very Good things to report a Boorda said a there is a lot of improving to be  the Admiral has stated that the Quality of sailors lives is one of his chief concerns. Life Boorda said a should be Safe clean and enjoyable and it can to be enjoyable if sailors Are worrying about things a their housing and personal Security a that they should not have to worry about. Boorda said that personal Security chiefly the fear of being robbed is one of the biggest concerns people have in Naples and that the american military Community a Quality of life Board has recently started a Public affairs program to make Community members aware of what they can do to increase their own Security. Housing is the next biggest concern of the Naples Community Boorda said. He reported that the Navy has a concerted Effort under Way to seek Boorda out Safe and adequate housing units that it can lease for rental to service members. Boorda also cited Progress on getting a new support site established in Naples a was quickly As we can so that we have a commissary Exchange clinic and decent  the Navy is reviewing a number of preliminary bids submitted by developers willing to construct such a facility and the service Hopes to move into the new installation within two years. Boorda said. The Admiral said the support base will have a full service clinic As an adjunct to a new Hospital the Navy wants to build in Naples plus an Exchange commissary child care Center and a residential area with about 800 housing units. A a in a not sure of the exact numbers of unit but its big a Boorda said adding a my goal is to House As Many people As possible Here in Naples in leased  j. King Cruger to get some aircraft in the Region a Boorda said. A we Are working now on that Issue and i done to want to get out in front of some of the things we Are doing but we Are working now to find appropriate locations that the Host nation can agree to put some air Force air planes in this Region. I Hope it is real soon because i think that is a presence we  the Admiral foresees Little change in the strength of the Navy a 6th Fleet. A i think you will see continued the kind of presence that we have seen in the 6th Fleet a he said. A i done to think the 6th Fleet is evaporating or leaving the Mediterranean. In a not getting indications that that is True and the Force Levels we Are assigning to the 6th Fleet would indicate that Isnit True. A i think you will see less now than you saw five or six years ago a Boorda continued a and that would be proper. I see the 6th Fleet at about Levels people have gotten used to a a Carrier Battle group a Marg a Marine amphibious ready group and the associated support ships and submarines that go with  the Overall size of the Navy Boorda said depends on the budget that is being put together. A it has about a 450 or 460-ship Navy Down from the 600 or so level that was the target goal before the soviet Union ceased to exist. I think that a about where it will be at least i Hope that a where we will be and i think that a what it takes to do the Job around the world that the Navy is supposed to do a he said. Boorda who formerly served As the chief of naval operations for manpower personnel and training and is generally credited with devising a relatively painless draw Down plan for his service is optimistic about the future of the Navy. A we really Are trying very hard to not have involuntary separations for people a he said. A the Sailor who docs a Good Job can count on getting to retirement eligibility and not being Cut off in mid career. A Young Man or woman who is coming up on a re enlistment Point or for an officer who is coming to an end of a period of service.  worry about that career termination a the Navy will get its Overall strength Down by taking in fewer people Boorda said and if that Isnit enough to reach the required goal there will be some forced Early retirements. A we will keep that forced retirements to a minimum. Right now if nobody changes our numbers very much we can get there to anticipated Force Levels without involuntary separations a he said. A i think Young people ought to believe that if they make a career commitment to the Navy that the Navy is going to Honor that and make a career commitment to  said Boorda the Only serving four Star Admiral to have made his Way up from the lowest enlisted  following Fra on breast implants by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a All the military services As Well As the defense departments civilian health insurer Are adhering to the food and drug administrations requested moratorium on the use of silicone breast implants health officials said. Citing new evidence of health risks the Fra last month asked manufacturers to Stop making the devices and doctors to Stop inserting them in patients. The military services and the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services or champs quickly agreed to the moratorium although the air Force waited until the of Day a request was supported by the american society of plastic and reconstructive surgeons. A we Are not currently implanting any silicone pros theses a said or. Col George Smith plastic surgery consultant to the army surgeon general at Walter Reed army medical Center in Washington. A we have stopped using them and we Are now in the process of trying to follow up on patients who have received them a said Patty Turner a spokeswoman for the air Force surgeon general. A we Are following the moratorium although a lot of the implants used in Navy hospitals Are the Saline Type rather than the silicone Type that is under review right now a said it. Rob Newell a spokesman for the Navy Bureau of Medicine. In Germany the Frankfurt army regional medical Center has performed no silicone breast implants in the past two years a 7th medical come spokesman said tuesday. Bill Swisher said his commands other key medical Center in Lan Stuhl has performed about 50 implants per year the past two years. A the majority were what is called reconstructive surgery a Swisher said a typically a follow up to cancer surgery. We done to do cosmetic surgery at  a . Air forces in Europe spokeswoman said seven of the operations were performed in her command during the last three years a five of them last fiscal year and two since september. Both the army and air Force spokespersons in Europe said their overseas medical facilities perform implant surgery Only for health As opposed to cosmetic purposes. Champs has also ceased covering costs for the silicone implants said spokesman Dave Potts although he said costs for removal of implants might be covered if a doctor determines that it is medically necessary. As in the civilian sector women in the military environment Are worried the army a Smith said adding sea related Story on Page 20 that a number have called Walter Reed to seek More information since learning of the of Day a announcement. But he and the other service officials agreed that if there is no current problem with the devices women should not be alarmed. A a we re not calling patients in to have the implants removed if there does no to seem to be anything wrong a Smith said. If a woman is experiencing problems with the silicone implants officials said a military health care facility will handle removal of the devices. A certainly we will extend care to any beneficiary a Smith said. A a we be even handled some patients who had the original surgery done in a civilian  although the Fra estimates that As Many As 1 million women have had the implant surgery in the United states military officials said they could not estimate the number of women who have had the procedure done in military facilities. Prior to the Fra announcement the services and champs generally limited use of the implants to re constructive surgery for it breast cancer patients although Smith said the army did a fair amount of cosmetic implant surgery to keep physicians trained in the procedure. The air Force used to do More cosmetic breast surgery than it does now Turner said. A in july 1990 the policy was made More strict so that most procedures would be reconstructive rather than cosmetic a she said. A but we continue to do some cosmetic  the Navy a policy is to perform the surgery Only if there is a sound health related basis for doing so such As Post cancer treatment Newell said. Likewise champs limits its coverage to operations for reconstructive surgery following a Mastectomy Potts said. The champs policy manual says that costs will not be covered for implant surgery a for a breast that is simply incomplete or  the of Day a decision was based on evidence that has surfaced since the Agency a last review of implant safety information in november an Agency official said. The evidence includes information from medical specialists noting an increase in the number of Auto immune disorders among breast implant patients which May be related to silicone leakage from the implant shells. Other possible risks related to the devices include hardening of the breasts pain numbness loss of nipple sensation and delayed cancer detection. The implants May also be a Factor in the development of several kinds of connective tissue diseases. The Fra is not taking a definitive stance on the safety of the devices until an expert advisory panel finishes evaluating the new data probably in the Spring the official said. Contributing to this report Start writer Vince Crawley