Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish the doctrine for the use of British tactical nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe British Army of the Rhine operates Lance surface-to-surface missiles and artillery systems which are capable of firing nuclear warheads supplied by the United States. Battlefield nuclear weapons are an important and effective element of the deterrent forces maintained by NATO in support of its strategy of flexible response. As is the case with all of NATO's nuclear forces, the employment of battlefield nuclear weapons in the defence of the Alliance would be governed by general political guidelines agreed by the Nuclear Planning Group. These guidelines are classified.