§ 46. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for War what tactical nuclear weapons are now available. and will be available within the next three years, to the British Army of the Rhine; and how this scale of weapons compares to that of other nations' North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces.
§ The Secretary of State for War (Mr. John Profumo)The tactical nucear weapons available to the British Army in Germany are 8-inch howitzers, Honest John rockets and Corporal guided weapons. It would not be in the public interest for me to give the numbers of these weapons, but they are generally in line with those available to our North 939 Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies. I do not expect the position to change greatly in the next three years.
§ Mr. WallCan my right hon. Friend say whether the two American weapons to which he referred are wholly under our control? Will he bear in mind that the Americans are replacing their field and medium artillery with no less than five different types of guided missile? Will he undertake to get some British tactical missiles more modern than the two which he mentioned?
§ Mr. ProfumoI expect the weapons which I have mentioned to last for some years to come. What happens about replacing them will depend on a number of factors, but, meanwhile, we are, generally speaking, on a level with our allies with the exception of the United States, who have a wider variety of these tactical nuclear weapons.