§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards proposals for an increase in the number of tanks and aeroplanes available to the Western Alliance to balance the conventional military superiority of the Warsaw pact.
§ Mr. StanleyNATO is a defensive alliance and does not need to match exactly the conventional forces of the Warsaw pact in every respect. However, noting the pace of modernisation of Warsaw pact forces, NATO Ministers have agreed upon the need to improve the capability of the Alliance's conventional forces. We are participating fully in work already in hand in NATO to this effect, including studies into the possible applications for emerging technology.