European Capabilities (Hansard, 4 February 2002)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which of the expert panels taking work forward on the Helsinki Headline Goal the UK will chair; and if he will make a statement. [31619]

§ Mr. Hoon
The European Capabilities Action Plan working groups will not be fully established until the middle of February. Discussions are under way to determine the composition of each group. The UK has indicated that it wishes to be fully involved in this initiative and would be willing to take the lead in co-ordinating the work in some capability areas.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the Helsinki Headline Goal will be contributed to by non-EU countries; what negotiations have taken place to secure such contributions; and if he will make a statement. [31618]

§ Mr. Hoon
The Helsinki Headline Goal is a target for EU member states, although additional contributions to the improvement of European capabilities from non-EU countries have been welcomed. These contributions have been offered voluntarily by the countries concerned.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to pursue bilateral arrangements along the lines of the UK/Netherlands Amphibious force with other European countries; and if he will make a statement. [31620]

§ Mr. Hoon
The UK/Netherlands Amphibious Force has been very successful. For some time we have been considering whether similar approaches elsewhere could bring benefits. The working groups being formed to address the remaining Helsinki Headline Goal capability shortfalls provide a suitable context in which to consider such initiatives.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops are being pledged to meet the Helsinki Headline Goal; and if he will make a statement. [32131]

§ Mr. Hoon
The UK has identified a range of forces as a possible contribution towards the Helsinki Headline Goal. This includes a pool of 20,000 ground troops, from which a maximum of 12,500 could be deployed at any one time. Maritime and air forces have also been identified. The scale and type of forces committed to a particular operation would be decided by the Government according to the circumstances at the time.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the gaps in capability to meet the Helsinki Headline Goal; and if he will make a statement. [32130]

§ Mr. Hoon
Offers from EU member states have so far met 104 of the 144 capability requirements that underpin the Headline Goal. Approximately half of the remaining shortfalls are considered to be militarily significant. Member states are currently forming working groups under the European Capabilities Action Plan to address these areas.
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§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the maximum geographical range of EU-led operations with existing strategic airlift capability; and if he will make a statement. [33021]

§ Mr. Hoon
The decision to undertake an operation would be based on an assessment of a number of factors, including the feasibility of delivering and sustaining the required scale of forces at the necessary range. The EU member states recognise that strategic mobility is likely to be an important aspect of any military operation and are working to improve their capabilities in this area.