European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 29, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 29, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 top Admiral endorses plan on Gays by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau aboard the amphibious transport Dock Ponce the Clinton administration s recently unveiled policy on Gays in the military is workable the Navy s chief of naval operations told sailors aboard ships in the Medit Teranen this week. I think you can support it  b. Kelso ii said. The policy that has come Forth  Clinton s policy announced july 19, permits homosexuals to serve inthe military if they do not reveal their sexual orientation. But it already has come under fire. On monday the Ameri can civil liberties Union filed Sui against it saying it violates the Constitution. Homosexuals in the military was one of several issues that Kelso said he hoped were about to become issues of the past or in his words come off the radar  Navy is dealing with the issues so the service could move on to building forthe future Kelso told sailors and marines at bases and abroad ships in Europe Southern Region. We need to plan for tomorrow no yesterday Kelso said monday night Dur ing a speech on the aircraft Carrier Theo Dore Roosevelt s closed circuit television  visited the Roosevelt on monday and the destroyer Arleigh Burke and the Ponce on tuesday. He also visited Nas Sigo Nelta Sicily and Naples naval sup port activity in Italy. Anyone looking for a status quo in the Navy in the coming years Wilf be hard pressed to find one Kelso told service  even though about 45,000 service members will leave the Navy in 1994 More people in one year than at any time in recent history the service will re Duce its forces without forcing out Mem Bers of the career  reach the goal of reducing the Navy from about 6fx ,000 people to about400,000, some service members will have to retire earlier than they planned fewer people Are being recruited and some first term sail ors May not be Al Lowed to  were Many personnel programs we had to tute that we Lent rally be Able put away keloid. Anticipating a estion from his audience Kelso explained that fewer Kelso people Manning fewer ships won t under Normal circumstances mean longer deployments. He offered two recent examples on of them very dear to the Roosevelt Crew to prove his  return the Carrier Nimitz to its Home port of Bremerton wash., on schedule it was recently allowed to leave the persian Gulf before the Lincoln relieved it. Because of the arduous nature of the Roosevelt s deployment it is returning to the United states by aug. 26, two week before its six month deployment was scheduled to end Kelso  Crew members were glad to hear Kelso confirm what had been arum or about the Carrier s Early return. But another Rumor that had been circulating through the Roosevelt that 500 women would join the Crew when it re turned to the states proved to be less than  has not yet repealed the com Bat exclusion Law. As Long As the Law is on the books Kelso explained it limits the kinds of ships and aviation units to which women May be assigned. However women will be assigned to combat squadrons later in the year and to support ships that deploy with Carrier Battle groups Kelso said. Although Congress has been slow to repeal the exclusion Kelso said he expected the Law would be eliminated  the ships in the Mediterranean Kelso headed to naval station Rota Spain to talk with service members there before returning to the states. Role of Rhein main a my change Oaks says by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Burea Ramstein a Germany the commander of . Air forces in Europe says military officials expect to keep a very Active presence at Rhein main a although adjustments May be made in the base s role. The future of the base known As the Gateway to Europe could be resolved by year s end Gen. Robert c. Oaks  Are some possible changes that Wilt take place in Rhein main s configuration Oaks said. But we would expect to keep a very Active . Presence there. The exact nature of that presence is not yet  Rhein main is Home to the 435th Airlift Wing the Host Wing on base and the 362nd Airlift group an air mobility come unit. In fiscal 1992, the base handled about 12,960  located on base is the on site inspection Agency Europe which helps administer the intermediate Range nuclear forces and conventional forces in Europe treaties. There Are 3,052 service members assigned to the base said Susanne Bartsch a base spokeswoman. The base population including family members and civilian employees is about 8,600. Oaks would not discuss any of the possible scenarios being considered for Rhein main saying he Hopes officials will soon have a Good fix on where we  the base he said is Sim ply part of the Puzzle confronting air Force officials who Are As Sessing future needs in conjunction with Thedra Down. The draw Down has been Dis cussed at the senior Levels in the Oaks air Force and in the department of defense As to exactly what our proper and most advantageous configuration should be throughout the command and not just at Rhein main Oaks said. But he said that it s not been determined that we will return any part of the air base Over to Germany. Early retirement buyout plans in works for some Naf employees by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington the army is completing plans to offer some no appropriated fund employees Early retirement and buyout incentives As part of its draw Down y Effort officials said this week. Officials said the army s morale welfare and Recrea-tion.,Board of directors is being brought up to Date on the Early retirement plan and guidance should be sent out this week. The new policy May take effect As Early As next week. The voluntary separation incentive plan is being Given a final review by the office of the assistant army Secretary for manpower and Reserve affairs and officials said that plan also should be in effect shortly. The voluntary incentive will be the same As what i being Given to appropriated fund workers the amount they would get in Severance pay if they were riffed up to a maximum of $25,000, the Naf Early retirement program will follow regu Lar civil service guidelines although it will be More lib eral in its age eligibility requirements said Bria Gormley director of human resources for the army Community and family support Center. Normal retirement age in the army Naf system Isnow 62. Under the current system employees younger than that who meet length of service requirements an choose to retire have their pensions reduced by 4 per cent for each year under age 62. Under the new Early retirement authority that will Lake effect shortly there will be no Jension reduction for employees who Are at least 55, Gormley said. Pen Sions will be reduced Only 2 percent per year for employees under age 55, Gormley said. Eligible army Naf employees will have until sept.30,1994, to apply for the Early retirement program. Early retirement and the buyout incentive will not be available to All army Naf workers. Gormley said commanders will have to request us of the programs and permission will be Given Only in areas where Large personnel cuts can be expected. The . Army Europe has been the driving Force behind the development of the Naf Early retirement package and will also Benefit the most from the voluntary incentive program. That s the command most affected by the Naf downsizing Effort Gormley said. The number of . No appropriated fund employees in the army in Europe has dropped from 11,462 in Early 1990 to about 7,900. The command is projecting a drop of another 700naf employees Over the last Quarter of 1993. The army has no Overall goals for the number Ornaf employees it would like to see retire Early or take the voluntary incentive because the Naf work Force expands and contracts based on local needs Gormley said. It s just something that we feel is appropriate for commanders to have available if necessary to help them avoid involuntary separations in their downsizing efforts he said. However by the end of the draw Down the total reduction in the number of army Naf workers will be proportional to cuts in other segments of the Force about 25 percent to 30 percent he said. Officials at Frankfurt International Airport which i adjacent to Rhein main have asked Safe if they could rent a parcel of land at the Southwest Corner of the base. The 3,000 Square meters would be used to construct a building to House Asylum seekers. Usa Feis waiting for a written request before making a Deci Sion. Meanwhile Oaks said Safe officials continue to work closely with italian and nato officials to find a permanent base in the Mediterranean Region for .fighter aircraft. The 16th air Force which encompasses the Region has not had fighter aircraft assigned to it since 1992, when Safe cease flight operation sat Torrejon a Spain. The . Navy installation at Sigo Neua Sicily an nearby Comiso air station have been mentioned As possible Sites Oaks confirmed. However they would require a considerable amount of Money to accept a significant fighter Force Oaks said. It s one of the options being considered Oaks Saidof using one or both Sites but it is not a leading of  French get ready to Roll into monthlong vacation Paris a about 1 million travellers Are expected to Jam Paris train stations this weekend As the country s monthlong vacation crunch be gins rail officials said wednesday. The state owned National railway in of said that Between Friday and sunday 984 trains were to Roll out of the capital s six train stations and 568 were to arrive. Highways from Paris to the Riviera and other Points in the. South of France also Are heavily congested at the beginning of August the traditional vacation month in France. On wednesday afternoon traffic snarls up to. Six Miles Long developed near , an Abbey built on a Rock off the Northwest coast of Normandy where keyboard and synthesizer artist Jean Michel Jarre was to give a concert in the evening. Indian Leader survives vote new Delhi India a prime minister . Narasimha Rao survived a no Confidence motion wednesday in parliament where opponents accused him of corruption and incompetence. It was the third no Confidence vote Rao s minority government has Defeated since it came to Power injure 1991, the Victory Means Rao 72, can continue opening in Dia s closed Economy and battling hindu fundamentalists who have touched off violence with muslims that has killed 3,000 people since 1990. \