European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages b the stars and stripes thursday March 26, 1992nato facing dilemma on facilities by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Mons Belgium a the end of the cold War has left the 16-member Western Alliance scrambling to determine whether its new strategy requires keeping nato facilities vacated by Allied troops and if so How the Alliance can afford to maintain them. Officials at supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe have been considering the Fate of about 92 installations ranging from air bases to ammunition depots and a Large number of communications Sites that have or will be Given up by individual nato members. And the list promises to Reisch grow As nations Are forced to make deeper cuts to their troop strengths in nato s Central Region. Alliance infrastructure in question includes such wartime essential facilities As bunkers hardened aircraft shelters airfields missile and ammunition storage Sites. Officials at nato first faced reversing a 40-year trend of building up infrastructure in August when the Alliance was formally notified of the United states intention to leave we Brucken a Germany. When the letter came a nobody was really sure How to proceed a said German air Force col. Herbert Reisch Deputy chief of the shape operation divisions encumbered requirements Branch. The Headquarters had always been a geared for construction not for tearing things Down or giving it  in the past nato members had been Able to hang on to facilities by stationing Small units there. Not anymore. A now the forces Are so under scrutiny they Are so Short of Money that they cannot allow them units there a Reisch said. Bases to be vacated a now nations and everybody must think a it does no to help me to have a Bunker if in a not operating the Bunker and its a Damn expensive thing to operate a  a the alliances budget wont stretch to maintain the commonly funded infrastructure either Reisch said. Annual operating costs equal about 10 percent of investment costs Reisch explained this Means that a $10 million Unker for example would Cost $1 million a year to run. Even assigning a a caretaker status to facilities can run into millions Reisch said. A you cannot leave any installation alone a he said. A it will be occupied there will be Tea Downs robberies All kinds of problems associated with  facilities such As airfields also must be kept at some degree of readiness. Although an Airfield might not have to be maintained to the extent that it could be used in an hours notice strategy might re 3uire that it be ready for use in a couple of ays or weeks Reisch said. A therefore things must be functional like an aircraft shelter must be functional. You can do a lot of Mot Balling but still you have operation and maintenance costs a Reisch said. After being notified by a nato member that it has no further use for a facility Alliance officials have 12 months to decide whether the facility is needed for its strategy and if so How it can affordably maintain it. A the military requirement is one thing a Reisch said a but if we done to find a Way to provide the Money for operating it in peacetime then our requirement does no to help us at  the one year time limitation is Given because the vacating nations Are eager a to get rid of the facilities and save Money a All bases listed Are base located in Germany. User nation we Brucken United states Oldenburg Germany Brem Garten Germany hops ten Germany of Ersfeld Germany Leek Germany Husum Germany Ahlhorn Germany gift Erslon United kingdom Wildenrath United kingdom Lahr Canada Baden Solingen Canadas amps Reisch said. One Way for nato to keep these installations is to find a civilian company to use them in peacetime Reisch said. For example a regional air charter business is considering using an Airfield in Lahr Germany that Canadian forces Are leaving Reisch said. In this Type of Deal the civilian user gets an excellent Airfield a practically free of charge and we get maintenance of the Airfield until we need it in Case of emergency or tension or crisis a Reisch said. Nato also explores the possibility of moving another military unit onto a facility. A surface to air missile unit for example May be moved to an air base at Leek Germany that will be vacated by the germans. And Airfield facilities at Hahn a Germany will be kept on the nato inventory because enough military personnel will be stationed nearby to maintain it. A minimum amount of flights also must be flown at airfields in order to keep the air traffic Protection zones granted by civil authorities. The alliances ability to come up with such alternative funding solutions is limited by the 12-month deadline Reisch said. A a we re committed to Rush this As fast As we can but you have to Contact a lot of  in the Case of we Brucken a nato officials determined it could be Given up because it was one of Many . Bases in Germany a Rheinland Pfalz Region Reisch said. A a if you miss one or two then you most Likely would not spoil nato strategy a he said. A this would be quite different if you go to another place because an air base especially is a prerequisite to conduct a  after nato officials decide to give up a facility it is returned to the Host nation in the same fashion the . Army has been returning its installations to Germany. With nato facilities however three parties a Host nation nato and the user nation a negotiate the Transfer. Factors considered in the three Way negotiations include the value of existing facilities funded by both nato and the user nation whether the property has suffered environmental damage and if it has who will pay to restore the property. The Host nation also must find a user for the facility. The value of facilities could be affected by whether the new user needs the the facilities. A $1.5 million hardened aircraft shelter for example Isnit Worth a dime to someone who has to pay to tear it Down. We Brucken Abs situation is especially complicated because Over the years it has been occupied by French Canadian and . Forces. Because of that blame for any existing environmental problems must be shared Reisch said. Most Likely nato funds will be used to take care of any pollution problems Reisch  probing allegations against Hanau staff by Gary Pomeroy staff writer the criminal investigation come has begun an internal investigation into charges that include sexual harassment insubordination and misuse of government vehicles by its staff in Hanau Germany according to documents. A some charges May also involve racism a said Michael Lamberg president of the National association for the advancement of coloured Peoples european conference of branches. Officials at the criminal investigation Comdr a european Headquarters in Mannheim Germany confirmed tuesday that an investigation was under Way. They refused however to provide any details or answer questions a it is Cid policy not to comment on open investigations a according to a written statement issued by officials at the european or 2nd Region Headquarters. Lamberg said wednesday that maj. Gen. Peter t. Berry commander of the army a criminal investigation come in Falls Church a is in Germany. But Lamberg was not certain whether the general a presence was in conjunction with the investigation. Officials at 2nd Region Headquarters would not confirm Berry a whereabouts. Investigation command officials told Lamberg earlier this week that the allegations which Date Back to 1989, were made by three people assigned to the Hanau area office and were levelled against five members within the unit Lamberg said. A eight Are under investigation Lamberg said he was told. Of the accused two have returned to duty and three Are pending reassignment reprimands or both Lamberg said he was told. Two of the accusers have been reassigned in Europe pending the outcome of the investigation Lamberg said. The third person was training to become a special agent he said. The Soldier was relieved from training status and told by his superiors not to make any statement or allegations to anyone a unless it is in a court of Law a Lamberg said. 1 he five accused soldiers Are White Lamberg said two of the accusers Are Black and one is White Lamberg said. Bremerhaven to tune in to pm despite pullout by Ken Clauson Bremerhaven Bureau Bremerhaven Germany a the by Iii Craven affiliate of the american forces network will begin broadcasting april 1, at 106,2 on the pm band despite the american Cavern a a scheduled closing next year. The pm transmission in Bremerhaven has been in the works for More than seven years but just last week the station received final approval from the German government to begin the pm broadcasts according to the station manager army master sgt. Bill Boyd. A we were authorized 5,000 Watts on i a but what we re going to put out is about 300 Watts a he said tuesday. A we actually had the transmitters several years ago but the primary and backup ended up going to operation desert storm. So we got those replaced but because of the shrinking Community Well Only be transmitting at 300  during its 24-hour broadcast Day the new signal will carry a pm programming from an Headquarters in Frankfurt in addition to local Bremerhaven programming from 5 . To 9 . And 3 . To 6 . On weekdays and from 8 . To 1 . On saturdays. The local shows Are currently broadcast on the am band but will he carried on both frequencies beginning next week. The local programming and the pm transmission will probably end next Spring but the station does not have a firm closure Date yet Boyd said. That s based on the Community a go away time currently september of 1993. They would like most units out of their buildings about three months prior so that would put us out around april or  although Carl Schurz Cavern in Bremerhaven is being returned to the German government a Small detachment of americans affiliated with the military traffic management come May remain to supervise port operations. Television and am radio service will be provided to that remaining american Community but there will not be any local programming Boyd said. When the Bremerhaven station closes its equipment will be returned to an Headquarters to be used by other network stations he said. The station first went on the air july 28, 1945, then broadcasting from Bremen about 40 Miles to the South. The military Community was then known As the Bremen enclave a major redeployment Center for soldiers returning to the states after world War ii