World : E. Germany to Cut Troops, Tanks

EAST BERLIN — East German leader Erich Honecker said today his country would unilaterally cut its armed forces by 10,000 men and reduce defense spending by 10% by the end of 1990.

Honecker, in a speech at a banquet for visiting Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson, said the move would involve 600 tanks in six tank regiments and one aircraft squadron comprising 50 fighter planes. Honecker, the East German Communist Party general secretary and head of state, said the aim of the cuts was to give East Germany’s armed forces an “even more defensive character.” East Germany’s armed forces total 176,000 men, according to Western defense estimates.