European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes thursday april 16, 1992 russians pushing plans to establish own armed forces Moscow up a Russia has begun laying the groundwork for its own army Navy and air Force and expects the first russian federation units to be activated next month according to defense officials. Strategic nuclear forces will remain under the joint command of the Commonwealth of Independent states but virtually everything else from the old soviet military apparatus will become russian according to members of a presidential commission to establish a new russian defense ministry. Units stationed in other former soviet republics elsewhere in Europe and in Cuba will become part of the russian army commission chairman Dmitry to Logonov said tuesday. Many of those troops will be withdrawn and then released from service As soon As officials can determine How to pull off such a massive withdrawal and cutback Given the problems plaguing the russian Economy. But Russia also plans to maintain military bases in other former soviet republics assuming they agree said Gen. Konstantin Kobets. A concerning the troops located in the territory of foreign states a by which i mean former republics making up the former soviet Union a we Are deciding upon a list of such units based on their tasks Kobets said tuesday. A this list will be handed to the president and they will be included in the armed forces of the russian  this May come As news to the other states. Some already have been clamouring for Moscow to remove former soviet army units. Kobets said he expected troops based outside Russia to be non combat units assigned such duties As maintaining communication links and radar stations. But the disputed Black sea Fleet based in Ukraine would be an example of a combat unit in another sex soviet Republic. A we should first decide on the status of their stay in those countries a he said and then there will be a bilateral negotiations with the appropriate  a fall the units which Are not required in the territory of other republics or other states. Will be withdrawn a to Logonov said. The soviet military totalled about 3.7 million people and Russia envisions a Force about one third that size once it completes its reductions. A the figure we should aim for a and it will take two or three years a will be 1,250,000,�?� to Logonov said. The initial Force will be less than the soviet Union maintained since several new states Are forming their own military but it will be More than double the ultimate goal Gen. Yuri Rodionov said adding that a Large number of officers will be Cut. A it is too Early to talk in terms of specific numbers a he said of the plans for reducing forces but a according to initial estimates about 600,000 officers will be fired or resign or be relieved of their  Russia is struggling to come up with a social safety net Tor the mass of troops that need to be repatriated and returned to civilian life. To Logonov said that task May pose a the greatest  one solution for raising Money to solve such problems to Logonov said is to sell surplus military hardware. A we must count on the fact that Russia will sell its surplus weapons including outdated and very sophisticated weapons such As artillery pieces tanks etc.,�?� he said. A we have about 77,000 tanks so that a More than the whole of Europe and we should probably try to sell these weapons to get the necessary funds for trying to resolve social  russian president Boris n. Yeltsin declared last month that Russia would have its own army. But the commission appointed to implement the presidents wishes indicated at tuesdays news conference that the Job was Well underway. To Logonov said a in May we believe a decree of the russian president will be adopted and the russian army under this decree will be an Independent structural unit of the military  army sgt. A. Scott Low Ronco training in Germany pfc. Christopher Cook Aims his grenade launcher during a training exercise in Rammelburg Germany. The Soldier and spec. Curtis Mcvaney covering behind Cook Are assigned to cob 3rd in 325th airborne combat team in Vicenza Italy. Their unit travelled to Germany last month for the training  age of cutbacks Junior workers face threat by Mike Causey the Washington Post Washington a younger Federal workers especially in army Navy and air Force offices could find themselves taking a greater interest in the want ads unless their More senior office mates Start taking interest in Early retirement offers. Many . Offices anticipate Job cuts Over the next few years. The department of defense which employs about 45 percent of the Federal civilian work Force nationwide is already downsizing but the biggest cuts May be yet to come. The number of civilians fired will depend on How deep a and fast a Congress wants the cuts. To protect the jobs of Short service workers Many of whom Are minorities and women downsizing agencies have been getting Early retirement authority at a record Pace. The problem is that older workers Arentt taking the bait. To get an immediate unreduced pension under Normal rules employees must be 55 with 30 years of service 60 with 20 years of service or 62 with five years of service. Annuities Are based on length of service and the retirees highest three year average salary. A worker retiring with 30 years of service with a High three average of $42,000 a the average Federal als. A salary in Washington a would get a starting Benefit of about $23,600. A Retiree with 20 years service and the same High three would get a pension of $15,200, and a Retiree with five years service at that salary level would get about $3,800. Pensions Are reduced if the employee takes a survivor Benefit and Are adjusted upward each year for inflation. In 1990, the office of personnel management approved a record 86 Early out authorizations. Most were for defense department units. Last year pm approved 81 Early out authorizations. So far this year it is ahead of the 1990 Pace with 19 Early outs approved and More in the pipeline. In previous years one of every six workers offered an Early out took it. But now Only about one in 20 is retiring Early. Officials blame their reluctance on two things the tight private Job Market and the Hope Springs eternal workers who like would be car buyers anticipating a rebate Are waiting for a better offer. Some employees Are convinced that Congress will make a special Cash or service credit offer although nobody in Congress believes it. The White House recently rejected some Early out options proposed by Senate leaders. But until older workers Are convinced that Early retirement is a Wise move the jobs of some younger workers remain in  strike looms for Spanish hotels bars Madrid Spain apr a strike threatens to cripple hotel restaurant and bar service throughout Spain during the easter holidays one of the country Seak tourist periods a Union official said wednesday. The stoppage called for today and Friday for the sectors 650,000 employees was expected to hamstring services in thousands of establishments said Javier Gonzalez spokesman for the hostelry % federation. The strike comes during one of the country speak tourist periods and is scheduled to end three Days before expo �?T92 starts in Seville. Gonzalez said the strike the first nationwide was called to demand negotiations to update the sectors 48-year-old National labor agreement. Proposals for talks were rejected by the sector s four main management associations he added. A we have no wage problems. We simply want to sit Down and negotiate a Gonzalez said. A we Are not calling for hotels and restaurants to close. We just want salaried employees to Back the  the strike was not expected to affect service in thousands of family run establishments. A spokesman for Vontur the association of hotels in tourist areas said he expected few workers in the country a estimated 7,000 hotels to follow the strike Call. He said the four management groups rejected the idea of a National Accord because they believed that provincial pacts in the sector were sufficient and that a National one would prove impossible to implement