§ 6. Mr. Ramsdenasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is now the strength planned for each of the three Services in 1973.
§ Mr. ReynoldsI should not want to be precise at this stage for a breakdown between the three Services because this will depend on detailed decisions to be taken during the next few years. But our planning figures, and I would expect these to change in detail, are in round figures for the Royal Navy about 79,000, for the Army about 166,000 and for the R.A.F. about 96,000.
§ Mr. RamsdenOn the Army total, how many brigade groups available for deployment does this embrace? More generally, does not the introduction of the 1401 latest Government White Paper make it clear that these target strengths are derived from the need to cut manpower for financial reasons and are not related to any true defence needs?
§ Mr. ReynoldsI am not prepared at this stage to give any further breakdown, but, as the White Papers and my right hon. Friend and others on this side have constantly explained, we are tailoring our future forces to the commitments and it is the commitments being reduced which allow us to reduce the number of men.