HL Deb 03 June 1986 vol 475 cc967-8WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether British submarines have taken part in the SUBICE series of exercises conducted by the United States Navy under the Arctic ice, and whether any of these exercises have embodied the principles of the United States New Maritime Strategy, which is not accepted by NATO or the United Kingdom (Naval War College Review, May-June 1985, pp. 19 et seq).

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)

As the article in the May-June issue of theUnited States Naval War College Review indicates, Royal Navy submarines have taken part in the SUBICE series of exercises. The purpose of our occasional participation in this series of exercises over the period 1971–1981 was to provide our submarine force with experience of the problems they would encounter operating in their NATO role in the harsh Arctic environment.