§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether "the established machinery of the Alliance" is carrying forward the discussion of counter-proliferation requirements at an "accelerated" rate, as stated by Mr. David Omand, in NATO Review of September 1996, and if so accelerated, by how much, and to what purpose.
Earl HoweThe Alliance normally operates on a two-year force planning cycle. Rather than wait until the next cycle in 1998, Alliance Defence Ministers agreed in June 1996 to an accelerated plan of action to address the conclusions reached by the NATO Senior Defence Group on Proliferation. Accordingly, new or revised draft force goals will be submitted for agreement by the Defence Ministers of the Allies concerned in December 1996. This process will ensure that the capabilities identified can take their place alongside other Alliance priorities already established by the force planning process.