No Delays Seen for Pershing-2s in W. Germany

The deployment of Pershing-2 missiles in West Germany will proceed as scheduled while the controversial nuclear weapons are being modified to correct problems that caused one of them to catch fire last January, the Defense Department said today.

The Pentagon said in a report on the Jan. 11 fire that modifications to missiles still under construction have been made on the production line, and those already in West Germany will be modified at their sites.

“Continuation of the deployment of Pershing-2 missiles to the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with the 1979 NATO dual-track decision, will not be affected by modifications to training and equipment,” the report said.

U.S. officials said this meant that neither the rate of deployment nor the plan to locate 108 Pershings in West Germany by the end of 1988 will be affected by the accidental fire, which killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 16.

54 Missles Deployed

North Atlantic Treaty Organization sources said that 54 Pershings are already deployed at three bases in West Germany, including Heilbronn, the accident site.

NATO decided in 1979 to deploy 572 medium-range Pershing-2 and cruise missiles in Western Europe at the same time it sought negotiations with the Soviet Union to reduce both Soviet and U.S. missiles.

The Pentagon said in its accident report, which blamed a discharge of static electricity for the fire, that while training has been reduced at the missile sites in reaction to the fire, important operational capabilities of the rockets have been maintained.

It added that full training will be restored when all modifications are completed. No date was given.