ACCESSION NUMBER:296278 FILE ID:POL407 DATE:07/22/93 TITLE:DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, JULY 22 (07/22/93) TEXT:*93072207.POL DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, JULY 22 (Belarus, Yugoslavia, naval exercise, new ships) (660) NEWS BRIEFING -- Navy Captain Michael Doubleday, the spokesman, discussed the following topics: NEW SECURITY RELATIONSHIP WITH BELARUS UNFOLDING As part of President Clinton's decision to build a new security partnership with states of the former Soviet Union, Defense Secretary Aspin committed the United States July 22 to three historic agreements designed to help the Republic of Belarus give up former Soviet nuclear arsenals, the spokesman announced. Clinton ordered the new policy April 23 following his Vancouver summit with Russian President Yeltsin. 1he Defense Department has a two-part role in implementing the policy, Doubleday said. The first, he said, is to establish defense and military contacts with the former Soviet states and take the lead on de-nuclearization initiatives; the second is to implement a special law recently passed by Congress. That law provides U.S. money and assistance to help former Soviet states safely rid themselves of Soviet weapons of mass destruction. It also charges the Defense Department with ensuring that materials and technology from the dismantled weapons are not proliferated, Doubleday said. Aspin and Belarus Defense Minister Pavel Kozlovskiy signed the three pacts, under which the United States will provide $59 million "to help ensure safe, secure dismantlement and destruction of the former Soviet nuclear weapons on Belarus soil." That brings to $75 million the total of U.S. aid to Belarus for such purposes, Doubleday said. The spokesman also said that Aspin will meet with Ukrainian Defense Minister Kostyantyn Morosov July 26-27 and Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachyov sometime in September. He said the meetings are "a key part of this two-fold role" mandated by the president and Congress. The meetings will have three goals: -- to finalize agreements under the special weapons-dismantlement law; -- to strengthen defense and military relations with the former Soviet states, including announcing joint initiatives with the defense and military leaders of each; and, -- to support the administration's efforts to become a friend and partner of the former Soviet states as they resolve disputes among themselves. U.S. PLANES BACK UP U.N. IN YUGOSLAVIA U.S. aircraft of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command are deploying in Italy to provide air cover for the U.N. Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in the former Yugoslavia, should the secretary general ask such support of the alliance, Doubleday said. He said 12 Air Force A-10 ground attack aircraft arrived July 13, six Marine Corps FA-18 ground attack aircraft arrived July 20 with two more expected in one or two days, and six transport aircraft have arrived with two more expected later. Five other support aircraft also would be part of the prospective operation. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is in the port of Naples and will deploy six of its aircraft to the prospective operation next week, said Doubleday. AMERICAS CONDUCT NAVAL EXERCISE The United States Atlantic fleet and forces of eight other republics in the hemisphere will conduct the 34th in the "Unitas" series of joint military exercises from July to November, the spokesman announced. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela will participate, he said. About 2,400 U.S. military personnel from all four armed services and 12,000 from the other republics will take part. Four U.S. naval vessels are assigned to the exercise, a destroyer, a cruiser, an amphibious assault ship, and a submarine, he said. NAVY TO LAUNCH THREE NEW SHIPS The Navy will commission three new vessels July 24, Doubleday announced. It will launch: the guided missile destroyer Paul Hamilton at Bath, Maine, the 10th of 26 vessels in its class; the guided missile cruiser Lake Erie at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the 24th of 27 vessels in its class; and the attack submarine Columbus at New London, Connecticut, the 53rd in it class of vessels, he said. 1 NNNN .