§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the impact of recent operations in South East Europe on the Future Aircraft Carrier programme. [91335]
§ Mr. George RobertsonRecent operations in the Gulf and the Balkans have demonstrated the important part that aircraft carriers can play in supporting a range of activities from peacekeeping to military action. We are carrying out a full study into the lessons learned from the Kosovo conflict. Initial conclusions will be made available to the House in the Defence White Paper in the autumn and a more definitive account should be available by next spring.