OCR Text |
Show Sept. 9. 1993 Hilltop Times 7 Operation Deny Flight continues over Bosnia aircraft in the wing and rotary-win- g of Bosnia and airspace Herzegovina. NATO aircraft have been "invinciWASHINGTON The United Na- ble" in Deny Flight operations, and tions' ban on military flights in the air- are also capable of the close air supa contin- port role, said an Allied space of ues into a sixth month amid specula- Forces Southern Europe report on the tion of a peace agreement to end the operation. war. In addition to ongoing negotiations As of Aug. 29, U.S. Air Force to end the war, there is renewed talk 6 and KC-13- 5 aircraft have flown from Washington and U.N. headquartmore than 1,800 sorties in support of ers for the allies to send more troops d will hold. to Bosnia so a cease-fir- e the Operation Deny Flight action to enforce a no-fl- y zone Frank G. Wisner, under secretary of in Bosnia. defense for policy, recently told ConThe fighters use Aviano AB, Italy, gress that the post-Col- d War world is as a staging base, while tanker aircraft fragile; and regional, ethnic and reliare flying out of Malpensa and NAS gious antagonisms are on the rise. "In many nations, government as Sigonella, Italy. U.S. Navy FA-1- 8 and 4 aircraft are supporting Deny we know it is disappearing in the face Flight from the USS Theodore Roose- of civil war." Wisner described U.S. peacekeeping velt, which has been operating in the miliAdriatic. actions as "generally In addition to U.S. Air Force and tary operations to monitor an existing Navy assets, France, the United King- agreement, undertaken with consent dom, Spain, Turkey and the Nether- of all major belligerent parties and lands have sent a variety of fighter, conducted under Chapter VI of the tanker and surveillance aircraft to sup- United Nations charter." However, Wisner said the United port the operation. The allies ended would not put American troops flown States more than 6,200 August having harm's in over sorties former the way without certain guidepeacekeeping decision-makinfor lines "When we Yugoslavian republics. U.S. involvement in Deny Flight be- decide that force needs to be used, we gan April 12 when the U.N. deemed it must and will retain the freedom to act fixed- - as necessary to protect our interests." necessary to ban all non-U.by TSgt. David P. Masko Air Force News Service - Bosnia-Herzegovin- F-1- 5, F-1- r5 J GERMANY f U.N.-backe- AVT No-F- ly lV f yv V Aviano F-1- AB I zone includes all of Bosnia non-comb- at Y s -- w Yugoslavia yfmontenegro Y g. Source: U.S. involvement in Somalia will Continue ' ASDIII AFNEWS DOD 66 The danger now is that unless we return security to south SQVS Mogadishu, politicar chaos will ' Defense Secretary WASHINGTON (AFNS) Les Aspin has spelled out three security aims which must be met before U.S. forces can leave Somalia. "First, the security issue in south Mogadishu must be settled," he said. "Second, we must make real progress toward taking the heavy weapons out of the hands of the warlords. Third, there must be credible police forces in major population centers. "When these three conditions are met, then I believe that the U.S. quick reaction forces can come back." Aspin laid out the benchmarks in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Aug. 27. About 3,100 U.S. troops currently are in Somalia as part of an international force of 24,000 under the command of the United Nations. About 1,600 others are under U.S. control supporting the international effort. Aspin said the United States' involvement in Somalia, which began last August, has gone through three stages: providing food, providing security and the current stage which began in May food, and conditions whereby the people of Somalia creating can rebuild their country. The task of delivering food has gone so well that emergency food deliveries are scheduled to end this month, Aspin said. On security, he said, "We've made progress. "Banditry has been significantly reduced throughout Somalia and in some places eliminated." Except for south Mogadishu warlord Mohammed Farrah Aideed's stronghold Somalia is "generally peaceful," Aspin said. "The danger now is that unless we return security to south Mogadishu, political chaos will follow the U.N. withdrawal. Other warlords will follow Aideed's example. Fighting between the warlords will ensue, which is what brought the famine to massive proportions in the first place. "The danger is that the situation will return to what existed before the United States sent in the troops," Aspin said. Aspin said that some progress had been made in helping Somalia rebuild its economy and political structure, "but more work needs to be done." He listed six actions to meet those objectives: B Bring U.N. combined troop strength up to the planned level of 28,000. follow the U.N. withdrawal. Other warlords will follow Aideed's example. Fighting between the warlords will ensue, which is what brought the famine to massive proportions in the first place. 99 Les Apin Secretory of defense B Begin immediate efforts to set up a police force to help establish security. B Continue removing heavy weapons from the militias and begin planning to implement, in conjunction with Somali police, a consistent weapons control policy. B The United Nations must develop a detailed plan to pull together its economic, political and security activities into an overall strategy. B The United Nations should draw on the experience of its success in Cambodia to form a core group of African nations, and other countries, to speed Somalia's economic and political recovery. B The United Nations and the Organization of African Unity should act now to bring the parties back together on the peace track. Looking back at Somalia just a year ago, Aspin said, the United States can be proud of what it has achieved, "particularly our men and women in uniform." He also credited the United Nations' peaceg efforts which kept the keeping and United States from having to shoulder "much more of the load." Aspin noted, however, that any lasting solution in Somalia lies with the Somali people "who must invest themselves in reconstruction of Imminent danger pay eligibility changes in Gulf Servicemembers WASHINGTON (AFNS) in some Southwest Asia locations are no longer eligible for imminent danger or hostile fire pay due to a change to Department of Defense policy, effective Aug. 31. The pay is $150 per month. It is also awarded in some cases to airmen flying through the airspace of an imminent danger or hostile fire location, said DOD officials. . Locations no longer eligible are the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Arabian Sea lying north of 10 degrees north latitude and west of 80 degrees east longitude. People assigned to or overflying the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq or Turkey in the Southwest Asia region are still eligible for the pay. Even though some locations no longer qualify for hostile fire or imminent danger pay, they are still considered combat zones and qualify for the combat zone tax exclusion, officials said. The exclusion means all compensation earned by enlisted people while in a designated combat zone is excluded from income tax. The first $500 per month of an officer's pay is excluded. The income tax filing deadline is also extended up to six months after someone leaves a combat zone. Arizona now requires income tax withholding Arizona now requires mandatory state income tax withholding for military members who claim Arizona as their state of legal residence, says MSgt. Kevin Ellis, chief, Military Pay Section. The minimum withholding will automatically begin this month. Members who have previously filed under the voluntary withholding plan do not need to change their voluntary election. Members wishing to request exclusion for tax withholding must their own country." fill out an Arizona Military Not to Withhold Form at the Accounting and Finance Office, Until that time, he said, "President Clinton has (Form to preclude the tax from other with course 1238, clear the to direction us immediately Bldg. stay given nations to help Somalia once again provide for its being withheld from their paychecks. for Contact SSgt. Debra Mclnnis, Ext. people. This is what the new world asks of Ameriinformation. more can leadership and American partnership." peace-enforcin- A-4- |