ACCESSION 
NUMBER:364684

FILE ID:POL401

DATE:10/20/94

TITLE:DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 (10/20/94)

TEXT:*94102001.POL

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20

(Haiti, Iraq, Korea) (340)

NEWS BRIEFING -- Spokesman Dennis Boxx and Admiral Paul David Miller,

commanding officer of the U.S. Atlantic Command, discussed the following

topics:



NO ADDITIONAL EFFORTS NEEDED IN U.S. HAITI OPERATION

The U.S. military operation in Haiti will not be stepped up to disarm

politically disaffected Haitians, and no additional efforts are needed to

conclude the original mission there, Boxx said.



"To try to go house-to-house to disarm the population is not what this is

all about.  This is about an effort to help the Haitian government get on

1ts feet," Boxx told reporters.



Miller said that he has no plans "to enhance the efforts that are currently

ongoing.  The local commanders are comfortable with what they are doing."



But the admiral noted that "there are still risks in Haiti.  There are still

people who -- if the opportunity were there -- would hold our soldiers at

risk."



"We have an alert force," he said, "to insure that doesn't happen."

U.S., ALLIES DISCUSSING OPTIONS IN KUWAIT

Iraqi troops seem to have ended all immediate threats to Kuwait, and the

United States and its allies are still deciding what to do to prevent a

recurrence, Boxx said.



"Intelligence indicates that the Iraqi Republican Guard units...below the

32nd parallel are now...out of the region," said the spokesman.



Certain "diplomatic efforts" are underway between Washington and governments

in the Persian Gulf region regarding U.S. troop deployments there.  "Those

need to work themselves through" before further decisions are made on

movements of American troops in the area, he said.



PERRY TALKING WITH OFFICIALS IN SOUTH KOREA

Defense Secretary Perry is conferring with officials in South Korea as part

of his round-the-world-trip, Boxx said.



"They will be discussing a number of security issues, including the

agreement that will be signed with the North Koreans" regarding Pyongyang's

nuclear program, according to the spokesman.



Another subject will be the future of the joint U.S.-South Korean "Team

Spirit" military exercise, he said.



NNNN



.