§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances it is envisaged that a rapid deployment force would need reinforcing from units committed to NATO.
§ Mr. PattieThe United States rapid deployment force consists of a headquarters organisation and a range of earmarked forces which can be called upon should the need for deployment arise. Some of these forces are also allocated a NATO reinforcement role and, if deployed outside the NATO area, could become temporarily unavailable for that role.
As for the United Kingdom we have a range of forces which might be available and suitable for operations outside the NATO area, some of which are not earmarked for NATO roles. Should we decide to employ any forces with such a role we would of course put our intentions to the Alliance. It is not possible to give specific examples of when United Kingdom, or other, forces with a NATO role might be used: the contingencies to be met are diverse and all the circumstances prevailing at the time of a deployment would need to be considered in deciding the force level and structure required.