National Missile Defence

HC Deb 19 July 2001 vol 372 c333W

Mr. Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on(a) Fylingdales and (b) Menwith Hill in relation to recent proposals to install a national missile defence system at Fort Greely, Alaska; and if he will make a statement. [4856]

Mr. Hoon

In testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee on 12 July, the director of the US Ballistic Missile Defence Organisation set out plans to expand their ballistic missile defence "test bed" to include up to five ground-based silos at Fort Greely, Alaska. He stated thatif directed, this test bed could also provide a basis for a contingency defensive capability if the security environment warrants". However, facilities in the UK will not form part of this test bed; the US Administration have not decided what sort of missile defences it will ultimately seek to deploy; and the US Administration have made no request for the use of facilities in the UK for missile defence purposes.