§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation policy on retaining the nuclear capability, specifically to hit targets in the western districts of the Soviet Union, in the aftermath of the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Alliance reaffirmed at the NATO summit in May that for the foreseeable future there was no alternative to the policy of flexible response as a strategy of deterrence, and that this strategy requires a mix of nuclear and conventional forces, including European-based ground-launched nuclear missiles, which should be kept up to date where necessary.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sub-strategic nuclear systems the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation currently possesses that are capable of reaching targets in the western districts of the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI refer the hon. Member to volume 1 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989 (Cm 675-I). The information he requires is listed in figure 12 under NATO's intermediate nuclear forces.