§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which foreign navies will be participating in Naval Task Group 2003; and which foreign warships will be involved. [91519]
§ Mr. IngramThe French Navy and Italian Navy will participate during part of the Naval TaskGroup 2003 (NTG 03) deployment and have allocated the French Destroyer FS Primauguet and the Italian Frigate ITS Granatiere respectively. Their participation is at the personal invitation of Commander in Chief Fleet and the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff to their respective counterparts. Their integration is considered routine68W business and follows a similar attachment by the French Frigate FS Aconit throughout the Naval Task Group 2000 deployment.
For completeness, but whilst not strictly part of the NTG 03 deployment, a French Minehunter, FS Cassiopee, will also integrate with the MCM Group deploying to the Gulf region on 20 January 2003.