§ 29. Mr. Fordasked the Secretary of State for Defence if a decision has been made as to the new calibre of round to be adopted by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces; and what were the considerations taken into account.
§ Mr. GoodhartThe NATO conference of national armament directors has decided that 5.56 mm is to be the new second calibre for small arms, and that the Belgian SS109 ammunition should act as the basis for standardisation. This decision was reached after a very extensive programme of military and technical tests on the weapons and ammunition presented for evaluation by interested governments. Although the present 7.62 mm calibre will remain a NATO standard, the new calibre will enable lighter and more compact small arms to be deployed.