European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To la Sipes vol. 50, no. 304 350 thursday february 13, 199215-year retirement plan is proposed for military by Chuck v1nch Washington Bureau Washington a a key lawmaker has proposed a temporary but significant change to the military compensation system that would allow some servicemen Bers to retire with 15 years of service rather than the Standard 20 years. Sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., also wants the Pentagon to provide training and incentives aimed at funnelling departing service members and civilian employees into critical areas of the Domestic Job Market such As health care and teaching. Nunn chairman of the Senate armed services committee outlined his far reaching proposal in a speech last week. The plan is sure to be controversial. Erik Johnson legislative director for the association of the . Army said there Are some lawmakers who feel the retirement system is already too generous. A if you go to 15 years you risk creating pressure in Congress to revisit the entire retirement system a with no guarantee that the result will be favourable for serv ice members he said. To preclude that any Effort to lower the retirement minimum should be temporary and should be used strictly to Aid the services during the draw Down he said. The military coalition a group of 22 advocacy organizations that includes the Ausa is designing its own 15-year retirement proposal and will Forward it to Congress shortly Johnson said. Nunns plan goes Well beyond simply allowing retire see military on Page 2 Japan keeps lid on Aid to sex soviets Tokyo a prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa on wednesday rebuffed a renewed Appeal from German foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher for Large scale Aid to the former soviet Union. Instead Miyazawa asked Genscher to support Japan a demand that Russia return four Small islands seized by the soviet Union at the end of world War ii. Japan has promised Aid totalling about $2.66 billion about $1.9 billion of that in import and investment credits the remainder primarily in humanitarian Aid such As food and medical supplies. Genscher did not fully Back the japanese demand but said he understood Japan a position that the islands Issue should be settled in accordance with a International Law and Justice a aides to Miyazawa said. Soviet troops occupied the islands off Northern Japan Detoro fun Shi Kotan Kuna Shiri and the Hab omai islets group a two weeks after Japan a surrender to the allies in 1945, forcing 16,000 japanese to flee. Now 50,000 russians live there nearly half of them military personnel. Inside i Oday s paper w a stars and a stars and stripes Magazine russian Hopes . Will step up humanitarian efforts for Winter Moscow apr a top russian official said wednesday that he Hopes the humanitarian Aid received from the United states this week is Only an opening american gesture toward helping his people through a difficult Winter. A we regard this As a Start of Large scale assistance from the . Government and governments of a number of countries a said Alexander Zhitnikov head of a commission appointed by president Boris n. Yeltsin to oversee Aid shipments. At a news conference Zhitnikov noted that the amount of . Aid is far less than that sent by Europe. The two week $78 million . Airlift that began monday a and the $5 billion Washington has pledged Overall a is far less than the roughly $45 billion Given by Germany. A this process is getting under Way gathering momentum a Zhitnikov said. A the Airlift is Only the first  Zhitnikov also sought to assure the american people that their Aid has not fallen into the wrong hands. A the things we read in the press about supplies being stolen and so on. Are simply untrue a he said. A some reports say 60 percent to 70 percent of the supplies do not find  to the target population. That is just  As Aid from the United states poured into cities across the former soviet Union Yeltsin acknowledged see Russia on Page 2 a Moscow woman cuddles a feline Friend after i Joying a meal at a soup Kitchen that uses food donated by the International Relief Effort. Bush officially enters Campaign Washington a president Bush formally launched his re election Campaign on wednesday telling a cheering crowd a i want to continue serving As your president four More  a from this moment on i am a candidate for president of the United states officially Bush said. Wednesdays announcement was hardly a Surprise. Bush already has so related photos on Pago 4 raised $11 million for his re election drive and is on the ballot in 26 states. He enters the race with diminished popularity in polls amid widespread anxiety about the Economy. Bush and vice president Dan Quayle launched their Campaign at a Lincoln a birthday rally at a downtown hotel before 1,000 of their most Loyal supporters. The audience cheered them with Calls of a four More  later the president was flying to Manchester n.h., for a Day of campaigning before its Lead off primary next tuesday. Bush was introduced by his wife Barbara who presented him As a the person i love and respect most in the world the next president of the United  Bush told the gathering a a we re gathered Here because the american people wanted leadership and we answered the Call. A and we did no to do the easy things. We did the right things Quot he said. A from Day one i fought for Strong and effective National defense i stuck to my principles and we kept Strong and we won the cold  Bush took a veiled swipe at his conservative challenger commentator Patrick Buchanan who is running his gop Campaign on a theme of a America  a the american people do not believe in isolationism because they believe in themselves a Bush said. A we americans do not hide from a Good test of our ability. We Rise to the Challenge. Our National Bird is the Eagle not the Ostrich. A a let a not kid ourselves a the president said. A a we re in a Tough fight. 1 done to seek unnecessary conflict but when principle is at stake i fight to win. Together we will win i am certain of that. A i came Here to do important work and i finish what i  in a broadside at the democratic con trolled Congress Bush vowed a this see Bush on Page 2 exploring the Black Forest masterpieces in the Snow