European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday june 27, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3warning called boost to Rhein main cautious stance on cuts May keep air Force at base by Wayne 11all staff writer Ramstein a Germany a a government report that warns against further cutting of air bases in Europe strengthens the air forces hand in retaining use of Rhein main a said the Leader of a team overseeing the bases draw Down. Rhein main Long nicknamed the a Gateway to Europe Quot will become a contingency air base for the . Air Force after its Fleet of c-130 Hercules cargo planes moves to Ramstein a said col. Tom Dubois chief of special Basing for the . Air forces in Europe. A we see it the report As a reinforce Rhein main a8 Frankfurt i a Bod Kreuz Antich Rama tort a3 ment of the Mission we intend to do at Rhein main Quot said Dubois who also Heads project task Force. A it reinforces where Rhein main fits in the scheme of  the general accounting office recently concluded that cuts of air Force bases beyond those already made could jeopardize the military a ability to provide Airlift support for future operations. The . Government will turn Back a Large portion of the base near Frankfurt to the germans for use by the Frankfurt Airport authority. But part of the base will remain in . Hands and a Small . Military contingent will remain. Although the c-.130s move represents a visible part of Rhein main s draw Down. Dubois said a there s still a lot left to do and there Are still significant challenges ahead. 1 feel comfortable that Well get it done within the time . Earlier this year Dubois had expected to Complete Rhein main ii draw Down by next april. A .-German agreement Calls for if to be finished no later than december 1997. The current schedule Calls for the americans to turn Back some facilities by april 1995, but the full draw Down probably will not be Complete by then Dubois said. Some issues a related to the fitness and child care centers As Well As utilities and communications lines a Are still being worked out with Frankfurt internal canal presence not ruled out Perry says . Would consider request by Panama Soto Cano air base hindu Ras apr defense Secretary William Perry wrapping up a two Day visit to Panama said saturday that the United states might leave forces in the Panama canal area if the panamanian government so requested. During the next 18 months the United states is poised to begin pulling out about 40 percent of the 10,000 service members stationed there. Under the Panama canal treaties Washington has agreed to remove All forces and turn Over All military installations to Panama by the end of 1999. A we will meet our treaty commitments which Call for us to leave in the year 2000,&Quot Perry said. A if the panamanian government requests us to stay on for reasons of for example regional stability that a something we would certainly  Washington Stop concerns remain stability in the Central american Region and a reduction in drug activities in the area Perry said. If satisfied with Panama a policies on those issues Perry said the United states would be a in a positive position to come Forward and consider such  but he added that such developments Are a ahead of us by a Good Many  Perry made the remarks in an inter Perry View with Abc news released saturday. Just before leaving for an hour Long visit with . Service members stationed at Soto Cano air base in Honduras Perry paid a Courtesy Call saturday on panamanian vice president Guillermo Ford and said afterwards that the . Withdrawal is proceeding on schedule. A we had very satisfactory discussions. Things Are going smoothly and vice president Ford and 1 agreed that on a step by step basis we re moving along very Well a Perry said before leaving. Gen. Barry r Mccaffrey chief of the . Southern come based in Panama who is in charge of All . Military operations South of Mexico said it will be up to Washington and the new panamanian government of president elect Ernesto Perez ballade res to initiate discussions on whether there s any Chance . Forces might remain. A at some Point the two governments will try and sort out what their own views Are. So until someone tells me different what we re doing is coming out by do Cembor 99.&Quot Mccaffrey said in an interview. The economic Impact of a . Withdrawal could be significant because the Pentagon is the largest employer in the country. Besides the. 10,000 service members there arc about 18,000 other people a defense department civilian employees family members and panamanians a who depend on the bases for their incomes. By the end of the decade All remaining . Military installations some 4,20u buildings and 77,000 acres of land Are to be turned Over to Panama. Under the 1977 Panama canal treaty Panama assumes general territorial jurisdiction Over the former canal zone and the strategic waterway will be transferred to Panama at noon dec. 31, 1999. Another treaty guarantees the permanent neutrality of the canal and commits both Panama and the United states to continue to defend the canal. While in Honduras Perry met with vice president Waller Lopez and took a Brief tour of the base there which is used by some 700 americans As a training installation and to support activities in other Central american nations. Secretary has fling and slam on Carrier by Susanne m. Schafer a military writer aboard the Dwight d. Eisenhower a in a distinct change of Pace for scholarly defense Secretary William Perry the 66-year-old mathematician slammed twice onto the deck of this warship and catapulted off again aboard an s-3 Viking submarine Hunter aircraft. Perry dad in a Green flight suit and a red and White Check ered crash helmet sat in the co pilots seat of the Jet which can travel about 500 Mph. He flew from puerto Rico to the Carrier landed on the warship took Olf again and was Tail hooked a second time As the huge warship travelled Oil puerto Rico. A it makes quite an impression on you Quot Perry said afterwards. A particularly when you re Corning in at Over 100 knots and you Stop All of a sudden Quot Perry grinned and Shook hands with rear adm. Harold w. Gehman who is in charge of All the warships in the Eisenhower a 12-ship Battle groups after alighting from the aircraft Perry said a everyone ought to do it at least  but one difficulty he said was a that sinking feeling in your stomach right after the aircraft zooms off the warship and then begins to Fly on its own Power. A a it a really a thrill. You done to think of it much As a punishment a he said. Asked beforehand Why he would subject himself to the exc Che normally done by pilots in their 20s and 30s, Perry said he wanted to understand the Job stresses and strains of those who work under him. When jets land on a Carrier they Fly at full Power but Are caught by a Hook and wire system that jerks them so that they stay on the deck. When the jets Are launched their engines Are burning at full Power and they Are released by a catapult system that flings them into the air Accel rat ing from Zero to several Hundred Miles per hour in several seconds Perry planned to spend the night on the Eisenhower and return to Washington on sunday. He was to talk with several women members of the Eisenhower s Crew saturday evening. The Eisenhower will be the first of the Navy a dozen carriers to deploy at sea with women Rcw members and women combat pilots on Board. There will be about 500 women among the Carrier s 5,Odd to 6,000-Meinber Rcw. Tiona Airport authorities. Dubois said however that the air Force will make the 1997 deadline. Since the base is drawing Down rather than closing the project task Force has also been dealing with Quality of i if issues for those Wiljo w ill remain. One major concern has been resolved for . Id card holders who rely on Rhein main for outpatient medical and dental care. Construction will resume on a stalled medical dental clinic. The clinic is on property due to he returned to Germany but German officials have agreed to allow the air Force to Vise it for five years past the end of the bases final draw Down status set for 1997. A of course the clinic is the major Good news Story. The agreement will give us guaranteed Access until 2003,&Quot Dubois said. Completing the clinic is to Lake 180 Days Dubots said adding a that should have us in there six months from now.�?�. Pulls out most envoys from Somalia Mogadishu Somalia a the United states began withdrawing most of its diplomats from Mogadishu on sunday As clan fighting rocked the somalian capital for a third straight Day the United nations said casualties were heavy but officials had no specific figures. A . Official estimated saturday that 30 people died in the first two Days of dashes. Many of the victims were thought to bed milians caught in Cross fire. The state department ordered the temporary evacuation of about 20 members of the . Liaison office which performs the functions of an embassy in a country that has been without a government for More than three years. They were to be flown to Nairobi the capital of neighbouring Kenya Over the next two or three Days. They were leaving behind fewer than 10 state department employees and a . Marine Security contingent of 50. Somalia Shawade and timbre Gedir subclass battled with mortars rifles machine guns and grenades in a Southern Section of Mogadishu known As Medina. Much of the fighting took place near the old . Embassy which the ambassador abandoned in 1991. The targe walled compound now houses the Headquarters of the . Peacekeeping operation in Somalia As Well As the . Liaison office. At least one mortar Shell exploded wit Hiir the compound sunday but no injuries or damage were reported. Two peacekeepers and an american construe Tion worker inside the compound were injured by stray bullets saturday. T he compound did not appear to be a target. The acting . Special envoy to Somalia Hisham Moayad appealed to both sides to halt the fighting but his peacekeepers made no move to intervene. Habre Gedir is the sub clan of to handed Farrah aided the warlord who controls much of Southern Mogadishu. Haw Adle belongs to the same major Dan but has fought the Habric Gedir periodically for several years. . Forces pulled out of Somalia in March after a Mission to save somalis threatened by starvation disease and clan warfare deteriorated into clashes with local factions. The United nations now has some 18,090 peacekeepers in Somalia More than half in Mogadishu the . Troops come mostly rom Egypt Pakistan and India