THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 23, 1994             TAG: 9409230564
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                         LENGTH: Medium:   57 lines

PENTAGON TO CUT 4 TRIDENT SUBS OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED MINOR TRIMS TO MAKE THE NUCLEAR FORCE SAFER AND LESS EXPENSIVE.

The Pentagon will retire four of the nation's most powerful nuclear submarines and reduce the B-52 bomber fleet by nearly a third but will not cut nuclear warheads more than already planned, officials said Thursday.

In announcing the relatively minor adjustments to the nation's nuclear force, Defense Secretary William Perry said President Clinton had endorsed the decisions. Perry said the changes would make the nuclear force less expensive and more safe.

Many private defense experts argue that the United States should take more radical steps to disarm, such as eliminating a bigger chunk of the nuclear arsenal. But Perry said it was too risky to make major changes when the outlook for a successful Russian transition to democracy is clouded.

``We want to hedge - hedge against a reversal of reform in Russia, a return to an authoritative military regime hostile to the United States,'' Perry told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

U.S. nuclear policy is expected to be a central subject of discussion when Clinton meets next week with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Washington.

The decisions announced by Perry were the result of a nearly yearlong study of U.S. strategic nuclear policy and forces that was begun last October when Les Aspin was defense secretary.

John Deutch, the deputy defense secretary, told reporters that at one point the reviewers considered eliminating all of the Air Force's remaining intercontinental ballistic missiles - the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear ``triad.'' The two other legs are submarine-based ballistic missiles and nuclear bombers.

Among the actions to be taken as a result of the review:

The fleet of Trident nuclear submarines, with long-range nuclear missiles capable of striking anywhere in the world, will be reduced from 18 subs to 14 by the year 2003. The subs, some of which no longer patrol on full alert, will continue to be based at the Bangor base in Washington state and at King's Bay, Ga.

Instead of having older, C-4 nuclear missiles aboard some of the Tridents, all 14 of the surviving submarines are to be armed with newer, more accurate D-5 nuclear missiles. Currently, 10 Trident subs are armed with D-5 missiles.

All Navy surface ships will eliminate their ability to carry nuclear weapons. Although none now carry them, Deutch said the Pentagon has decided that nuclear training for the ships' crews, as well as nuclear equipment, will be discarded.

Navy attack submarines will retain the ability to fire nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles.

KEYWORDS: MILITARY DOWNSIZING U.S. NAVY by CNB