§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about Exercise Lionheart planned for this autumn; and why it is envisaged that the exercise will not go into a nuclear phase.
§ Mr. StanleyI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Colchester, North (Sir A. Buck) on 28 July 1983, at column 562.
An offensive nuclear phase is not relevant to the purpose of the exercise, which is primarily to test our reinforcement procedures and practise our conventional capabilities. Contingency planning has been made, however, for a defensive nuclear phase to the exercise to enable our forces to practise their techniques and procedures for fighting conventionally in a contaminated environment following the use of nuclear or chemical weapons by the Warsaw pact.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implication of the strategy in Exercise Lionheart that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's front line can be held with emerging 453W technology weapons and techniques rather than resort to nuclear weapons, for the possibility of a move to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. StanleyConsideration of the scope for enhancing NATO's conventional capability through the use of emerging technologies is a long-term issue not affecting the scenario for Exercise Lionheart, which is being held this September primarily to test reinforcement procedures.