European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 4, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 4, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 3galvin squaring off with Congre she s lobbying to hold line at Europe troop level of 150,000 by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a Gen. John r. Galvin the top . Military commander in Europe is facing a fight in Congress this week in his Effort to hold the line at a Post draw Down Force of 150,000 troops in Europe. Galvin was in town for three congressional hearings in As Many Days to testify on the . European come and nato portions of the defense budget for fiscal 1993 and the next few years. The most important hearing was to be the first one. Galvin was scheduled to testify tuesday afternoon before the Senate armed services committee on . Military strategy and troop Levels in Europe. With him Are the top army and air Force commanders in Europe. They Are Gen. Crosbie e. Saint of the . Army Europe and Gen. Robert c. Oaks of the . Air forces in Europe. Galvin was scheduled to testify today before the House appropriations defense subcommittee. He is to meet with the House appropriations military construction subcommittee on thursday. He is to return to Europe later that same Day. Since his arrival in the states on sunday Galvin has been giving interviews. Among them was an appearance on no cd a today show in new York on monday a to set Forth his arguments on Why the United states needs to maintain a credible military presence in Europe. A if the United states wants a seat at the table in Europe with a Little influence we ought to at least con tribute militarily As much As the europeans Are doing a an aide to Galvin said. The germans for example have assigned three corps to nato while such nations As Belgium und Denmark have contributed a corps apiece despite the relatively Small size of their armed forces he pointed out. The United states plans to keep an army corps in Europe As Well As an approximate equivalent representing the air Force and the Navy a 6th Fleet assets in the european theater. Galvins aide said that . Forces in Europe provide very specific capabilities for nato and that cuts in any one area would weaken the Alliance. A what do you want to give up someone has to stand up and say a we done to need air defense a or Galvin Long Ange communications or logistics support or intelligence a he said. A if someone wants another number Gen. Galvin has said that someone has to Tell him what to drop. A the Only alternative is to thin our combat Power a which could Lead to a disastrous return to the a hollow Force syndrome that afflicted the armed forces in the late 1970s, the aide said. But not All lawmakers Are convinced. In a recent series of articles and speeches rep.  Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House armed services committee has called for deep military cuts because of the Laek of a credible threat despite the instability among the former soviet republics. Aspin said the Only current threat As potentially dangerous As prewar Iraq is China. In an unusual Public rebuke at a Pentagon news briefing last week defense department spokesman Pete Williams chided Aspinw a comments As Quot merely political and lacking the weight to be considered a viable alternative to the Bush administration proposal to Cut $50 billion in defense spending Between now and 1995. This week Aspin settled on a plan that would save $91 billion Over five years. It Calls for fewer army divisions air Force tactical fighter wings and Navy ships As Well As a final total of 1.4 million troops 200,000 fewer than the Pentagon wants. But details on what that plan or most of the other plans on the table might mean for Europe is unclear. Said Galvins aide a the question people who want to Cut further have to answer is a what docs the United states now provide militarily in Europe that you would be willing to eliminate a troop from Page 1 Tion and Host nation activities a would remain based outside the United states. Heavy equipment including tanks and planes As Well As ammunition and rations would remain pre positioned overseas at bases in foreign countries provided by the Host nation. Pat / Schroeder District first congressional District Denver party Democrat elected 1972 House committees armed services research and development military installations and facilities. Judiciary civil and constitutional rights intellectual property and judicial administration. Post office and civil service compensation and employee benefits. Select committees on children youth and families. Education . At University of Minnesota Law degree at Harvard University marital status married two children age 51s&s Schroeder said All the tax Money used to station troops overseas could be better spent at Home to boost the . Economy. A How Many paychecks go overseas obviously Over 400,000,�?� she said counting . Troops and civilian employees worldwide. A a that a a lot of Money going overseas. That a a lot of Haemorrhaging. So if you re going to spend the Money at least if you re spending it in our Economy it helps our Economy rather than others. I think that a very  so Schroeder is girding for another Battle with the Bush administration including defense Secretary Dick Cheney and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Colin l. Powell to see a if we can to accelerate bringing people Back As part of our  Schroeder wants nothing less than a a top to Bottoms review of the armed forces in the Post cold War Era. A it looks like the administration just subtracts a Little from this and subtracts a Little from that a she said. The House armed services committee headed by rep. Les Aspin d-wis., is in the process of conducting just such a review through March Schroeder said. That review includes whether the United states should continue to base some 150,000 troops in Europe. A a they re looking at iraqi equivalents and Panama equivalents a she said referring to the two most recent . Military operations just cause and desert storm. Schroeder As chairman of the House subcommittee on military installations and facilities is in a Good position to influence the debate on overseas bases and promote her concept of dual Basing. A actually for desert storm Type things you get much better training doing that. Because half the training is How fast can you be on the plane and packed and get somewhere Ana get Back. If you re already Over there then you be never practice that a she said. A so if you say to countries Well come train Well come exercise with you for a couple of weeks anytime you want to then you re keeping the families Here in the United states she said. A they have a Root. They re spending their Money in the United  there also would not be a need for All that expensive infrastructure that is part of the trappings of . Bases overseas. A you have to reinvent America everywhere you go. And that a very expensive a she said. A if you re in America you done to have to reinvent it. You re there. You got the real  Schroeder dismisses the idea that Short overseas Tours can be hard on the morale of troops particularly those who Are married. A when you look at Norway those exercises Are never More than one or two weeks a she said. A even if you look at the major exercises in Germany they Start out Tor two weeks and they end up being Only 10 Days because they run out of Man Euver claim forms at that Point. I mean you re not talking huge ship deployments. You take Bright Star in Norway or any of those Type exercises we re not talking 11  Schroeder also rejects the notion shared by Powell and Cheney that the situation in Europe is too unstable and volatile to permit a Complete withdrawal of . Troops. In fact said Schroeder it is for that very reason she does not want to see a Large . Military presence remain in Europe. She is afraid . Troops will become entangled in non military missions such As refugee control. A a in a almost frightened to have the number of troops we have in Europe because if the soviet Union becomes More unstable and you suddenly have millions of refugees pouring into Western Europe what do we do when Western europeans ask us to help them guard their Borders a she asked. A look at How Long we be fought Over that silly new base in Italy of Croton. They finally figured out it was t going to go a she adamantly rejects the idea that her views Are isolationist or that she is simply jumping aboard the fashionable bandwagon carrying a growing number of politicians demanding an a America first Quot foreign policy. A i think we re saying we re More internationalists and less isolationists a she said. A a it a not americans role to be the policemen. Its americans role to do their part through joint exercises. But everybody gets an oar and everybody gets to help  Schroeder is also Blunt when talking about european concerns about american isolationism. How Many paychecks go overseas obviously Over 400,000, Schroeder said counting . Troops and civilian employees worldwide. That s a lot of Money going overseas. That a a lot of Haemorrhaging a a we be had trouble dealing with that Issue in Mexico and that a our own Border. Do we really want american troops out there turning Back refugees who Are hungry and on the Border what if we Start seeing refugees pouring into our bases like we now see the haitians pouring into Guantanamo a she continued. A now if that a what Cheney and Powell want Fine. But i done to think the american people want  its not the first time the 51-year-old, 10-term congresswoman from Denver has found herself in a Battle with the military. Long before the fall of the Berlin Wall in november 1989, Schroeder outs Okenly championed the Issue of a Burden snaring a the idea that europeans should assume a larger share in defending Europe. In 1990, she successfully led the fight against congressional funding for an air base in Croton Italy which would have replaced Torrejon a Spain As Home for the 401st fighter Wing. Schroeder acknowledges that battling the military is never easy. Quot i get very angry when europeans say to me if you bring americans Home if you bring even 10 troops Home that shows you re being isolationist and you done to like nato anymore a she said. A the whole concept that the Only Way we would come to Europe said is if we be got some of our Guys and our women in deep trouble because they re based there i think that a really crazy. We can get there now faster and they europeans Are so much stronger. This Isnit 1946, its 1992. Together their Economy is bigger than ours and they have 100 million More  she a also not saying that the United states should leave nato. A of course you keep those alliances going. But if the number of troops based overseas becomes our test of loyalty we go  asked How much support her position has in Congress Schroeder said a a it a one of the ideas we re trying to sell and i think in this Day and age its going to be More