§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the implications for the United Kingdom and for the European Union's common foreign and security policies of—(a) the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) in the United States, and the capabilities for "Information Warfare", "Navigation Warfare", "Space Warfare" etc., being developed within it; (b) the military doctrines of "Full Spectrum Dominance" and "Shock and Awe", currently being enunciated to inform the capabilities being developed within the RMA; and (c) the vulnerabilities associated with the RMA, as examined in the report of the United States Presidential Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection; and [HL1255]
What are the implications for the United Kingdom and for the European Union's common foreign and security policies of the state of affairs described by the chairman of NATO Defence Committee, General Nauman, as an approaching "technological disconnect" between the United States and its NATO allies consequent upon the Revolution in Military Affairs in the United States. [HL1256]
§ Lord GilbertFurther to my Written Answer of 15 January 1998 (WA 206), the implications for the United Kingdom of developments in defence technology and doctrine are kept under review by the Ministry of Defence. The emergence of new infrastructure vulnerabilities and the impact of the so-called Revolution in Military Affairs form part of this work, including the important requirement to maintain adequate interoperability with United States forces. They have been taken fully into account in the Strategic Defence Review. We would not, however, expect these issues to affect the European Union's common foreign and security policy.