§ 3.5 p.m.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in their opinion the American Nike-X programme with the addition of Sprint and ZMAR is likely to produce a system capable of destroying medium-range rockets fired from submarines of a hostile foreign Power.]
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (LORD CARRINGTON)My Lords, the destruction of medium-range ballistic missiles presents problems of great complexity. I do not think it is for me to give details of the progress made by the Americans in solving these problems or to comment on the efficacy of a particular defensive system.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, will the Government be informed of the progress made by the Americans in solving these problems?
§ LORD CARRINGTONYes, my Lords, we are in constant touch with them.
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, further to that, are the Government going to receive the results of the Defender project of the United States, which is one for the design of defences against the I.C.B.M.s and I.R.B.M.s, and the assessment of the United States ability to penetrate Russian defences against them? Also, will the British Polaris force be equipped to navigate with the transit system of navigational satellites which is being developed by the United States for the navigation of their Polaris forces?
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, I am always in the position of having to tell the noble Lord that I am not going to tell him, or that I cannot tell him. On this occasion I would suggest that perhaps he would be good enough to put those two Questions down. Perhaps I may make a general observation on defensive missiles, and it is this. At the moment, offensive techniques are far ahead of defensive measures, and I am satisfied—and I think this is really what the noble Lord is after—that Polaris will give us a weapon system with a high degree of invulnerability for many years to come.