European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday Marchu 1993 . The stars and stripes Pago 5 Aspin hears pleas for bases Washington a it a Mississippi rep. . Quot Sonny Montgomery d-miss., buttonhole an old House colleague in an attempt to save Meridian Nas from the military base closure list. The army Navy and air Force have presented the defense Secretary with recommendations that about 30 major . Installations be closed. Aspinw a final list is expected to be released Friday but Law the base closure list also May include a Quot Mega port concept in which Navy bases would be consolidated in a few major harbours. That idea received a thumbs Down from rep. Sam Heidenson int a a and did he learn anything tuesday makers were expected to learn the Fate of d-Conn., who lobbied Aspin in Hopes of from defense Secretary los Aspin his former chairman on the House armed services committee Quot nothing a said Montgomery resigned to the facility s Likely Fate. The congressman was one of a Stream of lawmakers to make an Lith hour pitch to Aspin who sat in a Senate reception their bases a bit earlier. Congressional sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Aspin and William Perry the Deputy defense Secretary planned to begin calling members wednesday approves the. A a wednesday night once the White House be list. The final list will closely resemble the services recommendations room listening to arguments on Why the sources said although the Clinton and scores of bases should remain open Quot he listened to what we had to say. He did not indicate in any Way what final decisions might be made a said sen. Donald w. Riegle jr., a Democrat who pleaded for . Sawyer fab. In Michigan. The base employs about 3,300 military personnel and 1,000 civilians. Saving the Navy submarine base in Groton Conn. A Quot it should be the lesson we Learned from Peari Harbor a Gejdenson said explaining Why he opposes concentrating ships in a few mag sports. Part of the Navy plan appears to include establishing two or three Mega ports with Norfolk Vagt Kings Bay a. Ministration is looking to soften the blow and san Diego Calif., being the leading in the stars and stripes 10 year Sago March 11,1983 Anne Mcgill Burford yielding to growing pressure from Congress Over her refusal to turn Over documents to congressional subcommittees resigned As head of the environmental Protection Agency. 20 year Sago March 11,1973 a president Nixon said he will ask Congress to restore the death penalty for certain Federal crimes and require mandatory life sentences without parole for habitual drug traffickers. 30 year Sago March 11,1963 a president Kennedy prepared to Tell Congress that unemployment the nations no. 1 problem is wasting lives and hampering production that could raise . Living standards. 40 year Sago March 11,1953 a . F-84 Jet fighter was shot Down by soviet built Mig-15 jets inside the . 2one of Germany near Regensburg. The Pilot parachuted to safety. 50 year Sago March 11,1943 a the German cities of Munich and Nurnberg began digging out of the wreckage left by two consecutive British Royal air Force night raids. World War ii 50 years ago today March 11 1943 the red army pushes Forward on a Broad Swath of the Central front retaking a Fayaz a without a fight. In Tunisia Montgomery secretly moves his new zealand troops South of Mederine Tor an attempt to sweep them around the Axis forces on the Marrih line. Factory workers strike in Turin Italy touching off a walkout that shuts Down italian War production. Source 2194 Days of War w. H. Smith punishes inc. World almanac Book of world War ii Bison books corp. 1931. A for California. Not Only was the state hard hit in the last two rounds of base closures but democratic sen. Dianne Feinstein is up for re election in 1994 and California came through for Clinton in the presidential election. Candidates. Smaller bases such As the Groton submarine base would be consolidated into the larger centers. Aspin s final list will go to the base closure and realignment commission which can change the package before sending it to Clinton and then Congress. Defense Secretary los Aspin to free up millions areas Hurt by closures from wire reports Washington president Clinton is planning to make available a Relief package for workers and communities expected to be hit in this years military base closings officials said tuesday. Administration strategists said Clinton will release about $80 million in Grants for workers and localities. The Grants had been approved by Congress in the fiscal 1993 budget but was Frozen by the Bush administration. He also will approve the use of $1.35 billion in unspent Money a part of last a broader congressional Quot defense year s conversion program a to provide Early retirement incentives for military personnel and department of defense workers and to help subsidize efforts by smaller defense companies to develop commercial products. Officials said the administration will ask Congress for about $1.7 billion in defense conversion funds for fiscal 1994, which begins oct. 1. Even so government and private analysts said the Money was not Likely military Aid Here is a partial list of Money that will help the Economy adjust to defense cutbacks about $550 million to develop products to sell in both the defense and commercial markets. About $160 million to help communities plan ways of diversifying their economic base because of the closing of military bases or defense plants. To go far in helping workers. Analysts say most such programs have a marginal Impact and that the real solution to creating jobs for displaced workers is to Spur the Economy. A in some ways what we re trying to do is run a triage operation a said a senior official. Those industries that can be saved or Are critical will be nurtured or kept on life support systems he says. The rest will be allowed to die. Another aspect of the plan is $550 million to encourage Pentagon contractors to develop products that have civilian As Well As military uses. This dual use idea is in tended to preserve the Middle tier of the military Industry a those companies not among the surviving makers of Large weapons systems that require a dedicated Industrial capacity. The intent is to give the medium size and smaller companies the flexibility to move More readily Between military and commercial work. That would make it easier to rebuild a Large defense Industry if the need Ever arises. One reason that dual use products Are not More common is that the military imposes rigid technical specifications for products it buys a requirements that done to make economic sense in the commercial Market. Builder ignored c-17 woes former Dod overseer says from wire reports Washington expansion and a reorganization overwhelmed the Mcdonnell Douglas corp. Unit building the c-17 transport plane resulting in serious problems that went unheeded says a former overseer of the project. �?o1 will not be Able to present you with a pretty picture a Ken Tollefson told the House armed services committee on tuesday. Tollefson was the Pentagon a representative at the Mcdonnell Douglas Plant in Long Beach Calif., from july 1987 to june 1992. The retired air Force colonel said he warned of Cost overruns and schedule delays stemming from the company s problem with building an aircraft that involved a great Deal of technology. A it was a plane Douglas had never built before a Tollefson said. He recalled a March 1990 Meetin with the then air Force chief of staf Gen. Larry d. Welch in which Tollefson said Quot this program will stall  the warning went unheeded he said. The $42 billion program is about $1 billion Over budget and More than a year behind schedule for completing flight tests. The air Force originally planned to buy 210 c-17s but has Cut the request to 120 aircraft a the aircraft delivery schedule is fixed by contract the budget is not a Tollefson said. Quot they re behind schedule and Over budget because of. A failure to execute the  the plane has had problems with fuel leaks its wings Landing gear and computer software during development. Tollefson said he warned company officials including the chairman and chief executive officer John Mcdonnell about problems with the program. Tollefson said he realized in August 1990 that for every Dollar invested in the program the air Force was getting Only 37 cents performance. The Fate of the c-17 will be decided in the coming weeks As defense Secretary Les Aspin and the Clinton administration decide on a military budget for the fiscal year beginning oct. 1. After the hearing the committee chairman rep. Ronald v. Dellums d-Calif., said some Type of major change or restructuring of the c-17 program is necessary.1 potential changes could include slowing production reducing the Pentagon s future Purchase of c-17s, renegotiating Mcdonnell a contract or some Type of financial Aid said rep. Norman Sisisky d-va., chairman of the oversight and investigations subcommittee. Accounting centers May face new study Washington a defense Secretary los Aspin indicated tuesday that he May want to review a decision on where the Pentagon will put several regional accounting centers members of Congress reported. The decision was expected Friday. Twenty cities in 13 states Are awaiting word on whether they will land one of the centers that could mean thousands of High paying jobs. The bidding has evolved into an economic development contest with states including Texas Louisiana Oklahoma and Indiana pro losing packages Worth tens of Mil ions of dollars in incentives. The Pentagon is considering two to five facilities that would employ from 4,000 to 7,000 people. The 20 cities under consideration Are Lubbock and Bangor Maine Cleveland Columbus and Youngstown Ohio Denver Colo. Indianapolis and Evansville ind. Huntsville Ala. Jackson miss. Macon a. New Orleans and Shreveport la. Oklahoma City Tulsa and Lawton okla. Pensacola Fla. Saginaw Mich. San Bernardino Calif. And Southbridge mass