§ 7. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence when last he met the Chiefs of Staff to discuss the present security position in West Germany in relation to Her Majesty's Forces stationed there.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe physical security of Her Majesty's Forces' bases and of Service men in West Germany is a matter for the commanders on the spot, under the guidance of a British Forces Germany joint service security committee. I am satisfied that, in the wake of recent terrorist attacks there, all reasonable measures have been taken to counter this threat.
§ Mr. WintertonI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that somewhat staid reply. If there were an outbreak of conventional war, how long would it take the Soviet Union and its satellite Eastern bloc forces to come through the Federal Republic, Belgium and the Netherlands to the North Sea? Will he say how our forces and equipment match the comparable forces of the Eastern bloc and the Soviet Union? Does he think that there are sufficient supplies, stores and spares to sustain the BAOR?
§ Mr. HayhoeIn the unlikely event of an attack as described by my hon. Friend, I am certain that British Forces, and other forces of the Alliance, would give a very 1032 good account of themselves and would not permit Soviet forces to get through to the North Sea. In those circumstances, I think that my hon. Friend's question is based on a false premise.
§ Mr. MarlowIs my hon. Friend satisfied with the level and quality of formation training in the BAOR?
§ Mr. HayhoeIt is improving as a result of the new arrangements that have been made for the deployment of forces in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. I am not entirely satisfied, and I hope that further improvements can be made.