Hansard

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Volume 808: debated on Thursday 17 December 1970

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72.

Mr. George Thomson

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent discussions with European Defence Ministers about burden-sharing in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Eurogroup Communiqué Following Their Meeting on 1st December

  • 1. Ministers of the Eurogroup agreed to implement together a special and wide-ranging European Defence Improvement Programme, additional to existing plans and designed to improve Alliance capability in specific fields identified as of particular importance in the AD70 study. Their decision to carry out this programme was taken on the basis that the United States, whose forces in Europe are of critical political and military significance for the common security of the whole N.A.T.O. area, would for its part maintain those forces at substantially current levels.
  • 2. The European Defence Improvement Programme will comprise extra measures in three main categories of effort, as set out below.
  • 3. There will be, on a collective basis, a special European scheme as an additional contribution to N.A.T.O. common infrastructure with the specific object of achieving a major acceleration and extension of work on two projects of high importance to the Alliance's capability for deterrence and crisis management:
  • (A) The N.A.T.O. Integrated Communications System (N.I.C.S.) which would improve in particular alliance consultation and control in the time of tension.
  • (B) Aircraft survival measures, to improve the ability of N.A.T.O. Air Forces to survice enemy strike on their bases.
    • The amount of this collective contribution would be in the order of $420 million over the next five years. Further definition of the composition and operation of the scheme will be worked out in the near future.
  • 4. In parallel substantial additions and improvements, not previously planned, will be made to National forces in future years. All the forces concerned will be committed to N.A.T.O. The estimated capital and operating cost of the measures already identified will be between $450 million and $500 million over the next five years. They will also give rise to very substantial further costs in subsequent years.
  • 5. In addition one member country will make available within the Alliance special financial aid to the value of $79 million.
  • 6. Ministers instructed permanent representatives to settle outstanding matters and to co-ordinate the final definition of the prgramme as soon as possible.