European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 18, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Voi 53, no. 215 500 Friday november 18,1994 d 8693 a mum by Effie bat1ien Heidelberg Bureau Heidelberg Germany . Army officials in Europe after admitting this week that there Are chinks in their readiness Armor refuse to Point out those chinks. A the ratings of units Are classified information a a said Gol. Dick Bridges a senior spokesman for the . Army Europe. A their exact identities Are  nevertheless a congressional source said the army a five Forward deployed divisions a two in Europe and one each in Korea Hawaii and Alaska a Are rated slightly below full readiness according to an associated press report. Although the report did not name units the see ratings on Page 2 tank readiness Cut called deliberate Washington a the . Army deliberately weakened three of its backup divisions As the costs of overseas missions mounted the services no. 2 general said  comments by Gen. John h. Tilelli jr., vice chief of staff of the army came two Days after the Pentagon disclosed that four of the army a 12 combat divisions suffered significant declines in readiness because of the missions. Officials said three of the divisions have fallen to the defense departments second lowest Grade of readiness. A a a Tilelli said top officers and the Pentagon s civilian leadership made a conscious Choice to reduce the readiness of the three divisions a stateside based tank units a a that would be asked to fight in the event of a so Quot i 9 4 it i it v % v Quot v i ss3 n v Quot $ v a i fat says peace process comes first at Gerry Adams Leader of the iras political allies sinn fein tells reporters in London that his party is ready to cooperate with anyone in Power following the resignation thursday of Irish prime minister Albert Rey nolds. The peace process in Northern Ireland Adams said is the overriding concern. Earlier Adams tried to persuade Reynolds and labor party Leader Dick Spring to Settle their differences. See Story on Page 9. Korean or persian Gulf conflict. A the fact is that it should not have been a Surprise Quot Tilelli said at an army conference. A it was something we were looking  the decline of the three tank divisions to the second lowest Grade of readiness for Battle combined with lesser problems in front line combat divisions has pushed the army to its lowest level a at least on paper a in 12 years. But Tilelli insisted the army remains a Well trained Force ready to fight on a moments notice. A we remain trained and ready. We now have the Best Force in our nations history Quot he said. And even though the army is 40 percent smaller than it was five i see tank on Page 2 Pentagon plans cuts in reserves National guard Washington a scores of National guard and Reserve units across the country will be closing Over the next 10 months As the military tries to Cut costs. The cuts announced by the Pentagon on wednesday Wilt affect Reserve units in 39 states the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. National guard and reserves in the army Navy Marine corps and air Force will drop from 1.036 million to 996,100, a reduction of nearly 39,900, or almost 4 inside a Germany. England to loan Reserve units percent Long term Pentagon plans Call for cutting an additional 44,400 by 1999. Defense Secretary William Perry said the cuts will eliminate redundant forces and enable the remaining guard and reserves to operate at a higher level. A to do that it is imperative that we eliminate Force Structure we done to need and apply our finite resources to enhance the Mission readiness of those who remain in the Force Quot Perry said. While Reserve forces Are getting smaller the parallel reduction in the Active duty Force Means the rese yes will play a larger role in military operations Perry said. The largest cuts Are coming from the army and Navy. See cuts on Page 2 trim tax on income by Cindy Killion Washington Bureau Washington a Junior enlisted service members stationed overseas could soon see a Long awaited tax break through an unlikely source an International Trade treaty known As the general agreement on Tan is and Trade or commonly referred to As Gatt. Tucked into the agreement is a provision that will extend the earned income tax credit to lower income families living outside the cont mental United mates. Both houses of Congress will meet for a rare lame Duck session starting nov 29, to debate and vote on Gatt. A few weeks ago Gatt supporters expected a Quick approval for the agreement that would ease tariffs on International Trade. However last weeks elections which gave the republicans control of the House and Senate in the next Congress have caused supporters to worry about the upcoming vote. Several key republicans oppose the measure or want significant changes. Sidney Hickey of the National military family association said her group is a a ecstatic that the overseas tax credit has finally reached the floor of Congress. The association has lobbied lawmakers for nearly 10 years to extend the tax break to americans overseas she said a but it had to be on a piece of tax legislation which rarely comes Forward that a one reason its taken so  she said the provision was slipped into the Gatt by the Clinton administration and would take effect in the 1995 tax year which begins in january. A a it a a fairness Issue a she said. A if a military family can claim the credit stateside Why should they lose it when transferred overseas they re still taxpaying .  the 1993 tax rules say a family with two children including single Parent households can get a refund see Gatt on Page 4