§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the location of the new NATO headquarters for GIBMED. [30809]
§ Dr. ReidAs part of the implementation of NATO's new command structure GIBMED, the NATO headquarters based in Gibraltar is due to close. Gibraltar will be located in Regional Command South. In the new structure, NATO command of Gibraltar will be the responsibility of Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces South Europe, based at Naples. The Commanders of Allied Naval and Air Forces South, also based at Naples, will exercise region-wide air and maritime responsibilities on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief. Regional Commanders will also be able to propose the establishment of areas of responsibility for particular Joint Sub-Regional Commanders in specific contingencies or missions. Such proposals will require the approval of all NATO nations. NATO's Joint Sub-Regional Commands, once implemented, would have no permanently established boundaries or areas of responsibility.