§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will take steps to improve the oceanic surveillance system possessed by NATO in order to enhance its ability to respond in a flexible manner to Soviet aggression;
(2) if he will take steps to ensure development by NATO of a radar satellite system for oceanic surveillance;
(3) if he will take steps to encourage and increase the ability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to respond in a flexible manner to Soviet aggression 308W by encouraging (a) the development by members of the alliance of a conventional-warhead, land-target cruise missile for launch from surface ships and tactical aircraft, (b) the development of technology designed to confound the oceanic surveillance systems of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and (c) the construction by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members of ships designed to resupply the fleet at sea and thus to decrease the fleet's dependence of foreign bases.
§ Mr. MulleyNATO regulary reviews the capabilities, including those in the maritime role, provided by its members, to ensure that the Alliance as a whole could respond to any aggression in an appropriate manner.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will take steps to improve NATO's ability to respond forcefully to Soviet aggression without the use of nuclear warfare;
(2) if he will take steps to ensure development by NATO of a closer communications link between its surveillance systems on land and its ships at sea;
(3) if he will take steps to ensure that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation tackles and resolves as soon as possible the problem of the lack of standardisation and inter-operability of communications equipment in use by the fleets of the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
§ Mr. MulleyThe programme of current or planned improvements to the United Kingdom's defence capabilities is described in the "Statement on Defence Estimates 1978" (Cmnd. 7099): a number of other force improvements have also been subsequently announced. At the recent Washington Summit the leaders of States participating in the integrated defence structure of the Alliance endorsed a long-term defence programme designed to help adapt NATO's defences to the challenges of the 1980s. This programme provides for improvements in certain key areas—including communications, command and control—and for a greater degree of Alliance co-operation, designed to achieve an increase in overall defensive capability. We are playing our full part in improving Alliance long-term planning procedures. Further details are 309W given in the final communiqué of the Washington Summit, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to the United States Government to produce the 3,000-ton surface effect ships to increase the ability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation fleet to outmanoeuvre the Soviet forces.
§ Mr. MulleyNo.