§ 37. Mr. Stracheyasked the Secretary of State for War if he is satisfied that the standard small arms ammunition within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will be satisfactory for the new British automatic rifle; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SoamesThe British rifle is designed to fire N.A.T.O. standard ammunition.
§ Mr. StracheyIf that is so, is the new German rifle which, we hear, the German Army has chosen instead of the F.N. rifle, also to fire N.A.T.O. ammunition, or are all these elaborate efforts at co-ordination going to break down?
§ Mr. SoamesI understand that the German round is smaller than the standard N.A.T.O. round. It is not, of course, for me to comment on what prompted the German Army to choose it.
§ Mr. StracheyThis is a serious matter, and it would seem to indicate that all the efforts which delayed the introduction of the rifle to the British Army for about ten years have come to nothing. Standardisation of the ammunition is the key point. It does not matter whether the rifles are different. It is a most serious matter if we are now told that the ammunition is different.
§ Mr. SoamesThere is a broad measure of standardisation of weapons and ammunition within N.A.T.O., but I cannot answer for what the Germans may do.
§ Mr. StracheyIs the right hon. Gentleman telling us that the measure of standardisation is so broad that the ammunition will not fit different rifles?