§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it has been agreed in the NATO Council that NATO's European members should in future "shift more focus to such priorities as mobility, deployability and reinforcement missions [thus to] become better equipped to operate with United States forces in a broader range of contingencies in the years ahead" (Report to the Congress on the Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation: Rationale, Benefits, Costs and Implications 1997); and if so, what they understand by this reference to "a broader range of contingencies in the years ahead". [HL3748]
§ Lord GilbertAt the NATO Ministerial Meeting of the Defence Planning Committee on 11 June 1998 Ministers agreed that the maintenance and enhancement of interoperabilty are key elements in the transformation of NATO's force structure, and of the Alliance itself, as it prepares to meet future challenges. The Defence Planning Committee approved requirements to allow the Alliance to carry out collective defence and deterrence, and crisis management, including peace support operations.