From the S&S archives: Cheney remains optimistic on relocating wing in Italy

RHEIN-MAIN AB, West Germany — Defense Secretary Dick Cheney on Thursday remained optimistic about relocating the 401st Tac Fighter Wing to Italy, despite a congressional committee's threat to pull the wing back to the United States if its allies don't bear more of the transfer cost.

"There are some members of Congress who argue not so much from a military perspective of what's required as they do argue that they'd rather see the money spent back home, rather than overseas," Cheney said in an interview.

"Ultimately, if they're successful, that would undermine our efforts, but I think ultimately we'll be successful in getting the 401st moved."

The Spanish government ordered the United States to move the wing from Torrejon AB, outside Madrid, by 1992. The resulting plan for the costly relocation to Crotone, Italy, angered members of the House and Senate conference committee, who refused to appropriate $70.8 million for the move.

The issue, which is aggravated by base closures in the United Slates, is still being negotiated with the authorizing committees and is not yet resolved, he said.

Stationing of the wing with its 72 F-16 fighter jets in Italy is "crucial in terms of the southern flank of NATO," he said.

"It's a commitment NATO's made and the Italians have made, and I think we ought to go forward with it," Cheney said during a stopover at Rhein-Main AB before flying to Bonn to meet with West German defense officials. Cheney is on a three-week overseas tour that includes visits to U.S. bases and meetings with senior military and civilian officials.

The congressional committee OK'd a construction package of $8.5 billion Tuesday, but it deeply slashed funding for overseas projects in President Bush's proposal. U.S. facilities in West Germany, for example, will receive only $130.9 million of a requested $209.8 million if Congress accepts the conference committee's work.

Despite the cuts, Cheney promised to guard the quality of life of servicemembers overseas.

"We ask our men and women in uniform to put up with a lot, and, in terms of the budget cuts that we've had to take and that we'll have to take in the future, one of my priorities is to protect those things that affect quality of life," he said.

White Cheney supports NATO bearing the costs of other overseas construction projects, as is also called for by the committee, he said it would be difficult in a time of tighter defense spending throughout the Western alliance.

"I'm a big advocate of burden sharing," he said.

"I think we need to do everything we can to persuade our allies to pick up a larger share of the cost of mutual defense. But it is difficult, obviously, at this time when everybody is cutting defense.

"I've got the same problem. We have to make choices. We do the best we can and Congress will as well, I hope."

Cheney said there are no plans to close overseas bases unilaterally or for budgetary reasons, but Bush's proposed cut of 30,000 personnel in Europe might ultimately lead to base shutdowns or realignment.

"We haven't made a decision yet about exactly how we would take the (personnel) reductions, because the reductions haven't teen negotiated," he said, referring to continuing conventional arms talks in Vienna, Austria, that would affect overseas base requirements,

While Cheney expressed an optimistic altitude about the apparent thaw in the Cold War, he still urged the West to respond to the reforms of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev with prudence.

"I think it's far too soon for us to declare that the Cold War has ended or that peace is at hand," he said.

"The Soviet strategic nuclear capability is more robust today than it was when Mr. Gorbachev came to power. The reality is that their strategic capabilities continue to grow."