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Defence Diplomacy Initiative
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what extra money he will spend in each of the next three years on (a) additional military attache posts, (b) enhanced arms control programmes, (c) enhanced outreach programmes and (d) military assistance programmes; [62078]
- (2) by how much he will increase over the next three years (a) the Defence Military Assistance Fund and (b) resources dedicated to defence diplomacy; [62056]
(3) how many defence diplomacy scholarships he will introduce for overseas students; at what cost; and at which institutions; [62076]
(4) when he will launch the defence diplomacy post-doctoral research fellowship; how much it will cost; and which British university will be the joint sponsor; [62077]
(5) how many additional military special adviser posts (a) have been created since 1 May 1997 and (b) will be created in each of the next three years; and what is the location of these posts; [62073]
(6) how he will make greater use of short-term training teams; [62074]
(7) what additional courses he is planning for overseas military personnel. [62075]
Mr. George Robertson: As part of our Defence Diplomacy initiative, we intend to increase the Defence Military Assistance Fund by around £5 million in 1999-2000, and by up to £15 million per annum in the two subsequent years. Most of these additional resources will be used for Defence Diplomacy-related activities, including to fund attache posts, and enhanced arms control, outreach and wider military assistance programmes.
In particular, the initiative has placed new emphasis on the provision of high-quality training and education in Britain for overseas students, for which we already have an excellent reputation. We are therefore launching a dedicated Defence Diplomacy Scholarship Scheme, with the aim of introducing selected overseas officers and officials to the principles of Defence Diplomacy. We are currently considering how best to organise this scheme, including funding arrangements and options for the location of the training. We will then be able to determine the exact number of scholarships we can offer and to whom. In parallel, we are sponsoring a Defence Diplomacy Research Fellowship to help develop a greater understanding of the requirements of the Defence Diplomacy Mission and to enable us better to judge the impact of the specific activities we undertake. I expect to be able to make formal announcements on the details of the Scholarship Scheme and the Research Fellowship in the near future.
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Eight Adviser posts have been established with the Defence Ministries and Armed Forces of Central and Eastern European States since 1 May 1997: three are in Romania, two in Lithuania and one each with the NATO de-mining mission in Albania, the Baltic States Battalion and the Baltic States Squadron. Two advisers were sent to the Ukraine in the past 12 months, but these posts were of a specifically short duration and have ceased to exist. On current plans, a civilian planning and finance adviser will take up post with the Hungarian Ministry of Defence in January 1999 and an officer is to join the Staff of the Baltic Defence College. We are also actively pursuing a Slovenian request for an adviser to be attached for six months early next year. We have also offered to provide Advisers for most central and eastern European countries.
Short-Term Training Teams provide a cost-effective way of training overseas military personnel. The creation of the new Defence Diplomacy mission and the allocation of the additional resources to this area that I have announced will enable us to make increased use of such teams. In particular, we will look to use them to assist with the development of the skills and structures needed by modern democratically accountable armed forces, building upon the valuable work of this kind which such teams have carried out in the past in central and eastern Europe and elsewhere.
In addition, approximately 4,000 military personnel from over 100 countries receive training at UK defence establishments each year. We are also considering how to expand on this part of our Defence Diplomacy effort.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the report of the review of the south coast defence trials between 1964 and 1977 by Professor Brian Spratt will be made publicly available on completion. [62042]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
It is expected that Professor Spratt's report of his review of the south coast defence trials will be completed early in 1999. It will be made publicly available when completed.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the activities of the Veterans' Advice Unit since it was set up. [62125]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The Ministry of Defence Veterans' Advice Unit is a telephone advice line--telephone number 08456 02 03 02, charging callers at local rates which is listed in all telephone directories under "Ministry of Defence Veterans' Advice Unit".
The primary purpose of the Unit is to provide a telephone focal point for the UK's estimated 15 million ex-Service men and women and their dependants, acting as a signpost to advise callers where, when, and how best to obtain expert help on issues of concern to them. It aims to maximise the impact of current health care, social and welfare services provided by Government Departments, Agencies and non-governmental organisations.
The Unit is staffed by serving Warrant Officers specifically chosen for their ability to communicate across all sections of Service background and for their extensive
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and wide range of experience. They have been specifically trained in telephone communication skills and have served attachments to TRBL's Legionline and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association's Forces Help inquiry line to learn at first hand from their experience in this field.
Since I opened it on 5 October, the Unit has taken about 1,500 calls and the rate of calls has risen over time as awareness of the Unit's existence becomes more widespread. Most calls can be dealt with immediately, but some require investigative work and a subsequent call back to the inquirer.
The range of problems dealt with has been diverse, including Home care and Housing, Falklands and Gulf War issues, Finance, the Tracing of Relatives, War Graves and Historical records, among others. However, the largest number of calls have concerned Pensions, Employment, the Provision of Medals and information about the Unit itself.
Since the launch, some 90,000 leaflets publicising the Unit have been distributed through Resettlement Offices, The Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO), The Royal British Legion, SSAFA-Forces Help and other veterans' organisations and charities including the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA), the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (Combat Stress) and the Regular Forces Employment Association, among others. Copies of the leaflet have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The leaflet has been, or is being, sent to DSS Benefit Offices nationwide, the War Pensions Agency and Citizens Advice Bureaux. The MOD is continuing to look for ways in which the Unit can be publicised, including, for example, the possibility of displaying leaflets in Post Offices. The military media, such as Navy News, Soldier magazine, RAF News and the British Forces Broadcasting Service have carried items about the Unit.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made since 16 December 1997 in respect of a joint French, German and United Kingdom commitment to a new generation of military satellites. [62279]
Mr. Spellar:
The UK considered a range of procurement options, including collaborative, national conventional and national Public Finance Initiative (PFI) solutions to meet our requirements for the next generation of UK military satellite communications, known generically as SKYNET 5. In order to allow the UK to consider fully the collaborative option, known as TRIMILSATCOM, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with France and Germany on 16 December 1997 and tenders for the full range of options were received in February 1998.
Following a thorough evaluation of the options by the UK, it was clear that TRIMILSATCOM would not meet the UK's requirements in an affordable way, and, crucially, would not be ready in time to replace our existing satellites when they went out of service. The assessment also showed that a National PFI approach had the potential to offer an affordable and timely solution. It
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was therefore decided that the UK would not proceed with the TRIMILSATCOM PD programme. Our partners were informed accordingly on 12 August 1998.
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