§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK's contribution is to the NATO reaction force; and when he expects this force to be operational. [125609]
§ Mr. HoonThe United Kingdom has made it clear that we are keen t0 make an early and substantial contribution to the NATO Response Force (NRF).
The NRF is planned to reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) by October 2004 and Full Operating Capability (FOC) no later than October 2006. SACEUR is working towards establishing an interim capability to be ready later this year.
The force generation process begins later this month. I am withholding precise details of the UK and other nations' offers of forces in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.