§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the cost of the air defence exercise in central Europe carried out between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 1998; [72788]
(2) how many personnel were deployed on the air defence exercise in central Europe carried out between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 1998; and which countries had armed forces involved in the exercise. [72798]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonExercise Central Enterprise was the major annual NATO exercise held in central Europe in the period specified. The countries that participated in the flying activity were Belgium, Turkey, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the USA and the UK. The total number of personnel involved in Central Enterprise is not available, nor are the national costs to other participating nations. Twenty RAF personnel were detached to participate in the exercise, with an additional cost to the RAF in the order of £20K. I understand from NATO that the cost to NATO Exercise Funds was some £41K.