§ 21. Mr. Jacques ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Soviet naval threat in the northern Atlantic has reduced in the past year.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo, we do not consider that the Soviet naval threat in the northern Atlantic has reduced in the past year. Modernisation of both the Soviet northern and Baltic fleets has continued. New, increasingly sophisticated submarines and surface ships have entered the Soviet naval order-of-battle, more than offsetting the vessels from older classes which are being scrapped. The Soviet navy is now better placed than ever before to conduct wartime operations in the northern Atlantic.