§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the "collective assets of NATO" (that) might be made available noted in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office quarterly report on arms control and security; on the basis of what kind of "consultations" in the North Atlantic Council would they be made available "for WEU operations undertaken by the European allies in pursuit of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy"; and whether the non-European members of the North Atlantic Council would be in a position to veto the use of the "collective assets", and if so in what circumstances.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe NATO Summit Declaration of 11 January 1994 announced NATO Allies' readiness to make available the collective assets of the Alliance, on the basis of consultations in the North Atlantic Council, for WEU operations undertaken by the European Allies in pursuit of their Common Foreign and Security Policy. Arrangements to give effect to this undertaking remain under discussion in NATO, in the context of work to develop the Combined Joint Task Force concept.
NATO's collective assets include communications, command and control, as well as airborne early warning and other facilities. The extent to which they were made available for any WEU Operation would depend on the outcome of joint consultations between NATO and WEU, including as necessary through joint council meetings, on how to address the contingency in question. All decisions taken by the North Atlantic Council are by consensus.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the "collective assets of NATO" noted in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office quarterly report on arms control and security that might be available to WEU include intelligence unilaterally obtained by the US from space.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe collective assets of NATO do not include intelligence unilaterally obtained by the US from space.