§ 17. Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken in conjunction with our NATO allies to reduce the deficiency of main battle tanks and tactical aircraft as com pared with the Warsaw Pact countries.
§ Mr. MasonNATO is naturally concerned about the imbalance of forces in Central Europe and will continue to strive to improve the capabilities of allied forces to help redress the balance. Moreover, one of the main allied objectives in the MBFR negotiations is to reduce the disparity in tanks and other combat elements currently existing between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. It should, however, be remembered that a strategy of deterrence does not depend upon matching the enemy man for man and tank for tank. It is enough to convince him that the advantages to be gained from hostilities are not worth the risks involved.
§ 23. Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the 150W number of men under arms with NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries.
§ Mr. MasonIt is impracticable to make a sensible comparison of the number of men under arms in NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries world-wide. But in Central Europe where troop reductions are under discussion between NATO and the Warsaw Pact nations in Vienna, the total NATO ground forces in peace time number approximately 780,000. We estimate that the Warsaw Pact has about 150,000 more ground troops in the same area.