British Force Reductions (Germany)

HC Deb 22 January 1991 vol 184 cc151-2

3. Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about reductions in British forces in Germany.

Mr. King

As I said in the House last night, we are continuing to study with our allies the proposals for change in the structure and deployment of our armed forces—proposals that have emerged from the work on "Options for Change".

We intend to proceed with the implementation of rationalisation proposals and other support changes in areas that do not affect our efforts in the Gulf. We shall make further announcements about our proposals in due course.

Mr. Redmond

I thank the Secretary of State for his reply. Does he agree that, in the light of Government statements that it is the British nuclear deterrent which has maintained the peace in Europe, it would make economic sense to bring the British forces home, in view of the escalating cost of keeping them in the Gulf?

Mr. King

I am not sure that I entirely follow the logic of the hon. Gentleman's question. Our defence policy is well balanced, as set out in our proposals in "Options for Change". Of course, there is a very grave situation in the Gulf and the very uncertain developments in the Soviet Union may also pose problems, but I believe that the approach that we have adopted is the right one to ensure that, whatever changes are made, a strong defence capability for this country will be ensured at a time of great uncertainty in the world.

Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith

My right hon. Friend's answer concerning the work done under "Options for Change" will be widely welcomed on both sides of the House. We recall that in announcing the exercise he warned us that the situation in Europe, as well as that in the middle east, should be taken fully into account. Can he reassure the House today that work on "Options for Change" will not be resumed until the lessons of the Gulf have been fully absorbed?

Mr. King

On that matter I can give a partial assurance. Certainly, I am very concerned to see that in areas where our capability in the Gulf could be affected, in the sense of a need to ensure the provision of adequate resources, the situation is not affected by our work. My hon. Friend will understand, however, that there are other areas involving the infrastructure of the services. There would be absolutely no point, for instance, in keeping redundant airfields. There are also other activities that need to be addressed. I am thinking, for instance, of the scale of some of our infrastructure in Germany. We have to make sure that we can sustain what is, without question, a very expensive commitment in playing our full part in the liberation of Kuwait. To that end, we must ensure that we do not waste money in areas in which expenditure simply cannot be justified.

Mr. Menzies Campbell

Does the Secretary of State agree that the aspiration of all parties in the House to reduce expenditure on defence needs to be tempered with realism, especially at this time? Would not it be irresponsible to make long-term judgments about force levels before the operations in the Gulf had been completed and the current uncertainties in the Soviet Union had reached a stage at which a considered judgment might be made as to the consequences? Does he agree that this is a moment at which a very considerable degree of caution is to be found in the steps being taken within the Ministry of Defence?

Mr. King

We have approached this whole exercise with a very considerable degree of caution. When I made my statement on 25 July I said, in relation to developments in the Warsaw pact—which many people might have felt at that time were moving in an entirely hopeful direction—that, while it was clear that there were opportunities, there were also risks in Europe and, elsewhere, some worrying trends with regard to the proliferation of missiles. I think that now, with the impact of Scud missiles in the Gulf, people understand why I warned about the risks of the unexpected and about the need to ensure the maintenance of an adequate defence capability.

There are major lessons to be learnt from the Gulf situation, particularly about the strength of the Army units and the amount of reinforcements that may be necessary to ensure that they have the required fighting capability. We are having to draw on reserves as well. I assure the hon. and learned Gentleman that we shall learn those lessons.