From: CMSgt Mike Bergman <bergman@afnews.pa.af.mil>
Subject: AF News Notes 07/21/92
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 17:01:22 GMT


From CMSgt Mike Bergman <bergman@afnews.pa.af.mil>

OPP014.  Arms treaty
By TSgt. David P. Masko
     RHEIN-MAIN AB, Germany (AFNS) -- After 20 months of negotiations, the
United States and 26 other nations have finally arrived at the beginning of
inspections called for in the treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
     The provisional application of the CFE treaty began July 17 with the
announcement that an On-Site Inspection Agency team would go into the former
Soviet Union beginning July 18 to collect data relevant to the treaty.
     OSIA is a separate operating agency of the Defense Department that is
tasked with inspection and escort responsibilities for CFE, the Strategic Arms
Reduction Talks, and treaties involving other arms treaties between the United
States and other nations.
     The treaty mandates that the numbers of conventional armaments and
equipment limited by the treaty -- within the area of application from the
Atlantic to the Urals -- will not exceed 40,000 battle tanks, 60,000 armored
combat vehicles, 40,000 pieces of artillery, 13,600 combat aircraft and 4,000
attack helicopters.
     These numbers are divided equally between two groups of nations.  One
group consists of those who signed the 1955 Treaty of Warsaw, commonly known
as the Warsaw Pact.  The second group consists of those who signed the 1948
Treaty of Brussels or the 1949 Treaty of Washington -- that is, NATO.
     The CFE treaty was originally signed by 22 nations in Paris on Nov. 19,
1990, but now includes 29 parties involved, including the United States forces
in Europe.
     "This marks a momentous turning point in the history of Europe and our
international relations," said Army Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, commander in
chief, U.S. European Command.
     "For the first time, Americans, our allies and our former adversaries
have chosen to limit voluntarily the number of tanks, artillery pieces and
other conventional weapons our armies maintain," he said.
     The CFE agreement also places limits on army and air force troop
strengths throughout Europe.
     At a news briefing marking the beginning of the inspection process, Air
Force Maj. Gen. John M. Davey, director, plans and policy directorate,
headquarters United States European Command, said CFE will become a daily part
of the lives of every soldier, airman, sailor or Marine in the European
Command.
     During the July 17 briefing at Rhein-Main, Davey also said he expects to
see inspection teams from the former Warsaw Pact in "our motor pools and in
our unit areas" within the next 120 days when inspections may be conducted at
more than 87 U.S. military installations in Europe.
     Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert W. Parker, director, OSIA, said that between
one and 16 hours after arrival at the nation's designated point of entry, the
inspection team chief will declare the first site or specified area to be
visited.
     "They don't know, even when we arrive at the point of entry, where we're
going to go," Parker said.  "That country being inspected has a window up to
nine hours to get us to the site, and then we have roughly a window of 24
hours or so to do the inspection."
     Parker described the initial 120-day baseline inspection period, during
which approximately 50 U.S. inspections will take place in the Commonwealth of
Independent States and former Warsaw Pact countries.  On the other side, he
said, U.S. European Command can expect 30 to 35 inspections.
     An OSIA inspection team by the treaty is made up of nine people in such
specialties as linguists, team chiefs and weapon systems experts.
     "We sent notification to Moscow this morning we would be doing an
inspection this weekend," Parker told reporters July 17.  It was to be the
first inspection of a former Soviet Union site.
     The same situation will occur when the treaty parties come to U.S.
military locations in Europe, he said.
     One member of the OSIA team to go into the former Soviet Union for CFE
treaty provisions is Army Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Ingram, the team's NCO in
charge and a weapons inspector.
     "We're ready for this inspection.  We've been doing practicing since
February 1991, and now we're finally going to go," Ingram said.
     He said the team would be at the former Soviet site for approximately 24
hours.
     OSIA headquarters is at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.  For CFE, OSIA
inspectors will be working out of their field office at Rhein-Main.  (Masko
was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Command Information
Bureau.)


OPP015.  European drawdown
by TSgt. David P. Masko
     RAMSTEIN AB, Germany (AFNS) -- The changing security situation in Europe
and budget cuts are forcing changes at U.S. Air Forces in Europe bases, while
taxing its people to find options to the belt-tightening demands.
     The USAFE personnel center, for instance, has been laboring to achieve
the budget reductions, while at the same time trying to look out for the
command's most important resource -- the airmen and families that support the
mission.
     Tom Frost, chief of personnel programs, said USAFE is no stranger to
force reductions because European bases have been drawing down since 1984.
     "We started out with almost 100,000 blue-suiters in Europe back in 1984
when we had the first troop strength reduction," Frost told Air Force News
Service July 16.
     "Right now the target for 1995 is to have 44,000 Air Force people
assigned in Europe... currently, we have about 52,000 here."
     In addition, he said, approximately 60 percent of those assigned are
married, and they average about two children per family.
     To assist the Air Force families in Europe, USAFE has a network of 25 to
50 family support centers to give people information on family-related
programs.  Because of the drawdown, they are especially busy with transition
assistance programs and an array of special briefings given to explain the
current list of benefits for those people leaving the military.
     "Our transition assistance offices are swamped," said Kathleen Tesi,
chief of USAFE's family matters.
     "Since we introduced VSI and SSB, we've tripled the number of seminars we
offer, and are seeing a lot of anxiety in our people," she said.
     While the drawdown is difficult to manage around the Air Force, Tesi
believes it is especially complicated in Europe.
     "We (family support centers) are the only show in town because we don't
have things like employment agencies."
     Through family support center job fairs, briefings, and special executive
transition seminars, the centers are trying to help people get the information
they need.
     "It's pretty much do it yourself over here, or it doesn't get done," Tesi
said.
     She credits USAFE with strong people programs that keep family issues up
front when requesting help from the Air Force and the Pentagon.  She backs
this claim up with the recently approved special benefit package for those
people getting out of the Air Force overseas.
     On July 9, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney announced that all eligible
military people who leave active-duty installations overseas can now receive
additional transition benefits to help them find a new home and job.
     The benefits are a direct out-growth of what USAFE has been fighting for,
Tesi said.
     The additional benefits include an increase to 30 days from the current
10 in the amount authorized permissive temporary duty, and authorization for
eligible people to select the military processing station nearest their final
destination in the United States.  Or, for residents of territories or
possessions, from the overseas port to the port of entry in the territory or
possession.
     In addition, there's a new authorization for command-sponsored dependents
to travel on government aircraft if there is space available for one round
trip between their overseas port and their port in the United States.
     However, dependents would not be permitted to travel on government
aircraft within the continental United States.
     These and other enhanced transition benefits are in addition to special
programs already available to Air Force people who face separation.
     At the same time, the Air Force is looking for better, more equitable
means to downsize.  Some Air Force managers are questioning whether the
service can cut its forces more efficiently.
     "Our squadron is facing huge cutbacks, and it doesn't look like it's
going to end in the near future," said MSgt. Robert Hugg, first sergeant,
435th Supply Squadron, Rhein-Main AB, Germany.
     Hugg feels the drawdown has become a large part of the focus of his work
these days because there's "so much uncertainty out there."
     His squadron of almost 300 people, is "losing some of our best people"
through the early out programs, he said.  This year, 2,730 USAFE enlisted and
339 officers took either VSI or SSB incentive programs for an early exit from
the Air Force.
     Hugg admits he doesn't have any answers on how the force can be made
smaller without the painful side effects.  However he does have some very real
concerns about maintaining mission performance while losing important workers.
     The Defense Department projects -- as a result of budget cuts, reductions
in force and base closing worldwide -- that almost 400,000 military and
120,000 civilian employees will leave their jobs between now and the end of
1995.
     The rippling effects of the drawdown are also evident in how the Air
Force is managing its assignments in Europe.
     Enlisted people planning their next assignment to, or from, Europe can
expect major changes in the assignment process because of the drawdown, said
SMSgt. Mark Billingsley, USAFE's deputy chief for airman assignments.
     The computer system used to work enlisted assignments has changed, he
said.  "What happens in drawdowns is that it all goes out the window, because
nothing is normal anymore."
     He explained that about 12 months before a base in Europe closes,
assignments to that base are cut off, and at the six- to eight-month point, an
assignment team briefs the enlisted members on what to expect in terms of
their next assignment.
     "Obviously that's not necessary from a procedural standpoint, but it is
considered that way because of the high stress factor," Billingsley said.
     He also said the team is able to give "on the spot assignments" in some
cases, depending on job speciality.
     "We try and put ourselves in their shoes, because in reality we may very
well be in their shoes in our Air Force career," he said.  "We tell them
up-front that the system is based on equity, and not who they know or don't
know."
     In view of the changes caused by the drawdown, enlisted people planning
their next assignment now have a different set of factors to consider if
they're thinking about Europe.
     "There's still a pretty good pipeline of new assignments coming from the
states.  I would say this is the time, if you want to come over here, to
volunteer for an extended long tour," Billingsley said.
     However, he said people are "waking up to the realities that what used to
be a pretty easy assignment to get is now more difficult."  (Masko was
assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Command Information
Bureau.)


584.  Editorial:  National Security Act
by Gen. Merrill A. McPeak
Air Force chief of staff
     On Sunday, we celebrate an anniversary that will draw little attention,
but that had dramatic impact on those of us wearing Air Force blue today.
     When we think of the birth of the U.S. Air Force, we usually focus on
Sept. 18, 1947, the day Executive Order 9877 defined our roles and Stuart
Symington was sworn in as our first secretary.  But our genesis really
occurred two months earlier, on July 26, when the National Security Act was
signed into law.
     That law designated that a national military establishment, headed by a
civilian secretary of defense, provide unified direction of the armed
services.  It also provided for a third military department -- the Air Force.
     The Air Force was created largely as a result of airpower lessons learned
during World War II.  Over the past 45 years, we have demonstrated repeatedly
the wisdom of forming a separate air arm within the Department of Defense.
Today, we are building a new Air Force anchored firmly on the foundation laid
45 years ago, but tailored to a mission for the '90s and beyond -- defense of
the United States through control and exploitation of air and space.
     You will note little fanfare on Sunday.  But during these times of
turbulence, it is well to remember that our heritage is rooted in a document
-- the National Security Act -- that dramatically changed the organization of
airpower, and opened the door to the evolution of the world's finest air and
space force.


586.  UFT board
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force will conduct its next
Undergraduate Flying Training Selection Board July 12, 1993, at the Air Force
Military Personnel Center here.
     Because of a continued reduction in pilot training quotas, future UFT
boards will convene on an annual, rather than semiannual, basis, AFMPC
officials said.
     Officers with a date of birth before April 15, 1966, will not be eligible
to apply because the first available class start date will be mid-October
1993, and people must be no older than 27 and one-half upon entry into
undergraduate flying training.
     Applications for the July 1993 selection board should arrive at
AFMPC/DPMRPC1, Randolph AFB, Texas 78150-6001 and be postmarked no later than
June 7, 1993.
     More information is available at local personnel offices.


587.  Early warning exercise
     PETERSON AFB, Colo. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Space Command and members of
Australia's department of defense are conducting a joint exercise to test
providing the two governments vital early warning data.
     The exercise involves the deployment of components of a mobile ground
system and several operators to the Joint Defense Facility Nurrungar near
Woomera, Australia.
     An Air Force C-5 transport arrived in Woomera July 17 with two trailers
containing satellite communications equipment.
     The deployment will test the ability of the Air Force to provide timely
back-up for equipment already in Nurrungar, as well as experience in deploying
equipment to Australia.
     The Nurrungar facility is a satellite ground station for the United
States Defense Support Program, which provides early warning of a ballistic
missile attack and data related to missile launches, surveillance and
detonations.

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