§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the discussions his Department is having with the United States authorities regarding the Revolution in Military Affairs. [51057]
§ Mr. George Robertson[holding answer 21 July 1998]: The "Revolution in Military Affairs" is a term to describe the step change in military capabilities which may, in the future, result from a combination of long-range precision weapons and networks of advanced sensors and data processors. There are discussions between the military and scientific staffs of the UK, US and other allies in various related areas, notably the UK Joint Battlespace Digitisation initiative, which aims to improve operational effectiveness by integrating weapons platforms, sensors and command, control, intelligence and information systems.