§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what costs he estimates will be incurred by the proposed development of a joint NATO and European amphibious capability;[142284]
(2) how the chain of command within the UK/ Netherlands amphibious capability will be adapted if this develops into a joint NATO and European amphibious capability.[142283]
§ Mr. HoonThere is no proposal to develop a joint NATO and European amphibious capability, hence no additional costs are anticipated. Under the five-nation European Amphibious Initiative the amphibious forces of United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy work together on interoperability and doctrine, and co-ordinate training (which may be with NATO). National amphibious forces are used for NATO or EU crisis management operations only on the decision of the nations concerned. In the case of the UK/Netherlands Amphibious Force, the agreement of both countries is required. There are no plans for this to change.