European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 09, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 r wednesday february 9,1994 a i at glance i a resident along the Pacific coast Highway surveys the Lake of mud created by the latest natural disaster to Pound California Down pours of rain. See Story on Page 6. Harding hearing set Tonya Harding will face a . Olympic committee hearing next week that could Lead to her ouster from the Winter games. Pages sex teacher opens fire a Florida teacher who resigned because of stress fatally shot his for Mer superintendent monday before killing himself. Official found dead a legislator who belongs to prime minister John major s party has been found dead reportedly wearing women s stockings and Garter Belt trussed with Cord and with a plastic bag Over his head. Page 11 buyout plan approved the defense department has approved a voluntary Early retirement plan and a buyout option Worth up to $25,000 for its school system. Page 12  fight sent packing after a one Day walkout by some members the teamsters Union has settled a weight limit dispute with United parcel service. Page 16 Index Abby Ann Landers. 24 classifieds. 25-28 comics. 22-24 commentary. 15 crossword. 24 education. 12 faces a places. 21 focus 17-20 Horoscope. 27 Jumble. 27 letters. 14 Money matters. 16 sports. 29-36 to listings. 35 weather. 13 a act from Page 1 1971, and a report prepared in 1992 by Arthur a. Fletcher chairman of the .commission on civil rights. While acknowledging the military s efforts to improve race relations the report concluded that people still Are concerned about issues that were prime topics in 1971 racial discrimination racial insensitivity and unfair treatment. The report detailed a crumbling equal Opportunity system that was founded with great Promise in the 1970s but has eroded to become Little More than a commander s  when asked about the to complain system a noncommissioned officer with 19 years military service described the to program As a puppet show the re port said. The inspector general system took the Brunt of the criticism about the complaint process. During the 1992 hear Ings participants exclaimed that the in s primary purpose was to prevent embarrassment to senior and local com Manders the report said. The equal Opportunity system also came under fire for being chronically slow in dealing with issues and for failing to provide feedback to people filing claims. To rejuvenate the program the report concluded the military must invest the human and financial resources the pro Gram enjoyed in the late 1970s. One fell swoop is not going to take this enemy out the report said. The military s overseas school system was criticized for failing to hire More minority teachers and for not tailoring Edu cation to meet the needs of minorities. The a act report focused on the re sults of two aptitude tests administered changes urged to fight Bias Here Are some recommendations by the National association for the advancement of coloured people on ways to fight discrimination in the military in Europe the defense department should establish an Independent complaint oversight and Appeal Agency to ensure objective reviews of cases. Equal Opportunity Counselor should be freed from command influence by removing them from the supervision of commanders personnel officers or organizational directors. The military should Grant employees Relief pending review of the invest to native findings of the Case commanders should be responsible for timely investigations. A newer system should include penalties for missing time limits on cases. A for Mal report also should be presented to each person filing a complaint. Permanent full time Independent Counselor positions should recreated in Germany and trained at the defense equal Opportunity manage ment Institute. Community outreach program should be established in which com Manders would hold open forums to hear complaints and concerns. Senior commanders should establish equal employment Opportunity advisory boards composed of leaders from schools the army and air Force Exchange service the military an private organizations. These would meet monthly to review affirmative action plans and focus on Community problems. The a act recommended that the overseas military school system wage an aggressive continuing minority teacher recruiting Cam  establish an affirmative employ ment and education program. The program should address teacher recruitment career development and educational issues. Establish a credible equal employment Opportunity complaint sys tem. Counselor and administrators should be full time employees devote to the equal Opportunity process. \ to Dodds pupils. The results showed that children in elementary grades score similarity despite ethnic background. In the test results for High school Stu dents however White students scored a average of 850 while Black students scored an average of 675. The a act noted that no Agency had investigated the reason for the difference in scores. It . Army Europe officials said the would not comment on specific details of the report until the a act makes a for Mal presentation of its findings. However the command Slid the report is a Chance to take constructive Steps for Ward toward racial Harmony said a spokesman col. Dick  May be More important than the report itself is the spirit in which Chavis delivered the report Bridges said. This is a no adversarial positive step for the command. It is common ground for us to build  the air Force concurred. Along with the a act we seek proactive versus reactive role in discrimination issues said col. Linwood , . Air forces in Europe person Nel director. Forces from Page 1 Only just barely. Could we Cut deeper Shalikashvil said. My answer is no. If we do it would put our country in a  he described the Force financed by the Bud get As lean As we dared make  sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., chairman of the committee signalled that he is read to defend the Clinton plan against Law makers who would Cut further. But he also noted that the administration proposal continues to Cut defense spending for the next three years and fails to take into account the effects of inflation. When people ask me and they frequently do when is the defense budget going to be Cut Nunn said the answer is it has been  Perry said the reduction of forces that began in the mid-1980s is almost Over and will level off in a few years. A combi nation of modernized weapons and efficiencies in purchasing Perry said yields Force that is smaller but still ready for military emergencies. On Capitol Hill the question increasingly is focusing on willingness to fight particularly in Bosnia. A key concern among lawmakers is whether air strike limited to bosnian serb artillery positions around Sarajevo would be enough to end the siege of the City. Many of my colleagues in the House and Senate Are All now Gung to about selective strikes around the City said sen. James Exon d-neb., the second ranking member of the committee. If Clinton orders air strikes Exon said he should consider attacking other War making potential of the serbs throughout the former state of Yugoslavia even to Belgrade  committee members also want the administration to approve sending Patriot air defense missiles to South Korea. These and other foreign efforts have budget implications. The fiscal 1995 Bud get would increase spending on readiness by $1.7 billion after inflation. Pay from Page 1 fiscal 1995 contains a 1.6 percent military pay raise effective next january a reflection of Clinton s plan to limit raises for All Federal workers As part of his deficit reduction Effort. I think it s disingenuous that the Bud get is already being sold As one protect ing readiness yet the very same budget penalizes military personnel who rep resent the Backbone of military Readi Ness said rep. Floyd Spence . Current Law Calls for setting Federal pay raises one half of a percentage Point below the Rise in the department of la Bor s economic Cost Index a measure of Cost of living increases. The eci is expected to Rise 3.1 percent which under Normal circumstances would result in a military pay raise of 2.6 percent next year. In the five year budget plan he unveiled last March Clinton proposed freezing Federal pay in fiscal 1994 an then limiting increases Over the ensuing four years to Ivi percentage Points below the expected Rise in the Cost of living. That would put the fiscal 1995 military pay raise at 1.6 percent which is what the administration has proposed. Last year s freeze proposal did not Sitwell with Many lawmakers. After lengthy negotiations that went on throughout the summer. Congress funded a 2.2 percent military pay raise by shifting Money fro Mother areas of the defense budget. If Spence s comments Are any Indica Tion at least some lawmakers will also take exception to the administration further efforts to hold Down the size of the raises in the next few years. Of All the controversial issues in the defense budget the military pay proposal Best illustrates the growing discrepancies Between presidential rhetoric and the reality of defense cuts Spence said in statement. With thousands of service members stationed around the world on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions and wit increasing tension in such potential Flash Points As Korea and Bosnia and Herzegovina Clinton s military pay proposal is simply incomprehensible Spence said. I m afraid that the message this Bud get sends is Clear providing adequate pay for the men and women in uniform who answer the commander in chiefs Call snot a priority for this administration he said. Pentagon officials some of whom privately express unhappiness about the Mil itary pay situation say their hands Are tied. For the next four years unless some thing else changes any members of con Gress who Are unhappy with the military pay situation will have to do what was done last year and alter the defense Bud get one Pentagon official said. The Odds of that happening Are Likely to be longer than they were last year when there was a threat of no pay raise at All a House staffer said. This increase while relatively modest May be easier to Swallow because people can say Well at least the troops Are get Ting something " the staffer said. It s hard to say whether there will be the same level of sympathy As there was