§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he considers the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation conventional ground forces to be adequate to repel a major Soviet conventional attack.
§ Mr. StanleyThe adequacy of NATO forces, both conventional and nuclear, must be judged by whether they are sufficient to deter Soviet aggression against NATO. By that yardstick they are adequate, but their capabilities have to be improved to reflect the continuing improvements being made to the capabilities of Warsaw pact forces.
§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what strategy has been agreed by Her Majesty's Government with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in the event of an attack by a superior conventional force;
(2) if he will define the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation doctrine of flexible response.
§ Mr. StanleyI refer my hon. Friend to the essay on NATO strategy in the statement on the Defence Estimates 1983 (Cmnd. 8951-I), a copy of which I am sending to him.