NATO plan for troop level in Europe -- 900,000 each

Western nations are offering proposals in Vienna today (July 8) that would result in substantial cuts in military manpower in Central Europe, NATO sources said.

NATO will present to a plenary session of the 19-nation East-West troop reduction talks a four-stage initiative along the lines of proposals set out by President Reagan during a visit to West Germany last month. The plan is aimed at a final ceiling of 900,000 troops for each side, no more than 700,000 of whom could be ground forces, the sources said. According to NATO, there are 1,180,000 communist troops in the area, compared with 993,000 on the Western side.