§ Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on how much(a) manpower and (b) finance of the UK's national defence will be tied into the European defence policy. [188795]
§ Mr. HoonUnder the Helsinki Headline Goal, the United Kingdom has offered up to 12,500 troops, 18 warships and 72 combat aircraft to EU operations. However, these national forces are made available to EU operations on a voluntary, case-by-case basis, as for NATO or UN operations. UK contributions to such operations are provided from within existing forces.