§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give an assurance that no North Atlantic Treaty Organisation defence policy assumptions are based upon any concept of victory in any nuclear war; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StanleyI refer my hon. Friend to the essay on NATO strategy on page 4 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1983 (Cmnd 8951–1), where it is said in paragraph 5
The existence of substantial numbers of nuclear weapons as part of NATO's deterrent forces does not therefore mean that, if deterrence failed, they would inevitably be used; nor does it mean that NATO strategy is based on an intention of fighting and winning a nuclear war. The Allies need no convincing that in such a war there would be no winners.
§ Mr. Barronasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is North Atlantic Treaty Organisation doctrine that on the central front in Europe, army corps of individual nations would fight according to their own national doctrine in operations at corps level and below.
§ Mr. StanleyI will answer shortly.