HC Deb 09 January 2002 vol 377 cc832-3W
Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the possibility of transferring the running of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps to France or Germany. [23336]

Mr. Hoon

As the Framework Nation, the UK has invested heavily in manpower, resources and training to ensure that the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is the Supreme Allied Commander Europe's primary land forces tool for crisis management. We believe that it will remain so for the foreseeable future. There are no plans to transfer the Framework Nation role for the ARRC to France or Germany.

Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the importance of modernising Army communication systems to maintain UK running of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in the face of competition from Germany and France. [23340]

Dr. Moonie

The Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) remains a key component of the UK's commitment to NATO. This commitment is reflected in current plans to provide a range of strategic communication enhancements to the ARRC from 2002 so ensuring it can meet NATO requirements as a high readiness force. In addition, the ARRC will benefit directly from the planned programme of continuous improvements to Army communication systems delivered through projects Bowman, Skynet V and Falcon.