Select Committee on Defence Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence


APPENDIX 3

Replies from the Ministry of Defence to written questions following the Oral Evidence Session of 16 February 2000

1.  The Headline goal requires the troop commitment to be backed-up by appropriate air and naval assets, intelligence, command and control, logistics and other elements. Is it the current "aspiration" of the EU to meet these goals in the same timescale as the troop commitment (ie by 2003)? If not, have targets already been set (and what are they) or when are they likely to be set? What has been done so far to address the capability deficiencies identified in the WEU Audit, in particular in relation to sustainability, intelligence and mobility?

The Helsinki European Council agreed to set a Headline Goal of being able, by 2003, to deploy forces to undertake the full range of Petersberg tasks in operations up to Corps level. This goal included a specific figure for ground troops (50-60,000) and, in addition, unspecified air and naval assets. The Council also agreed to develop rapidly collective capability goals in the fields of command and control, intelligence and strategic transport but did not set a specific date for these.

  Further work is in hand under the Portuguese Presidency to elaborate these goals. This work will take full account of the conclusions of the WEU Audit.

2.  When do you expect the UK to have specific performance criteria for its contribution to the headline goal set? Do you anticipate any likely requirement for more investment in specific capability areas than currently planned for by the MoD to meet these criteria?

  We are waiting to define national contributions to the Headline Goal to be agreed by the end of the year. It is too early to say whether any additional investment is likely to be required in specific capability areas. However we believe the measures we are taking to implement the Strategic Defence Review means that the UK will be well placed to provide the type of forces and capabilities required by the Headline Goal.

3.  What is the UK's current thinking about the likely residual functions that may have to remain under the WEU treaty after the end of the year?

  We expect the establishment of new structures and arrangements for defence in the EU to lead to the transfer of some WEU's functions to the EU. Other functions would no longer be required and could be discarded. The 1948 Modified Brussels Treaty and the Article 5 collective defence guarantee it includes for full members could remain, but continue to be met through NATO where each nation has a complementary commitment. We are still considering with partners the future role of the groups which are under the WEU umbrella including the Satellite Centre, Institute for Security Studies, WEU Assembly, Western European Armaments Organisation, Western European Armaments Group, Western European Logistics Group, Eurolongterm, Eurocom and Transatlantic Forum.

4.  Do you detect any willingness on the part of the US to help Europe establish a more consolidated defence industry?

  The US Department of Defence has an interest in retaining competition at a time of increasing consolidation within the global defence industry. To this end it has recently signed a bilateral Declaration of Principles with the UK designed to improve defence equipment and industrial co-operation between the UK and the US.

  The Declaration is intended to establish principles for improved co-operation on security of supply, market access, exports, handling of classified information, research and technology and military requirements. Under the agreement UK defence companies doing business in the United States should be treated no less favourably than US defence companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Detailed implementation arrangements will be the subject of further negotiations between the UK and US defence ministries over the coming year.

  Such measures to remove obstacles to defence trade are likely to encourage European companies to consolidate so they are better able to compete effectively.

5.  Could you set out the anticipated timetable of decisions up to January 2001 at the European Councils and WEU Ministerials in relation to the development of the CEDSP.

  The WEU will hold Ministerial meetings in Oporto in May and in France in November. The European Council will meet at Feira in June and Nice in December, and also informally at Lisbon in March and Biarritz in October. By the Feira Council we hope to have elaborated the Headline Goal as mandated by the Council in Helsinki, and to have taken forward work on the participation of third states, EU/NATO relations. The interim Political and Security Committee, interim Military body (ie Committee) and interim Military experts (ie Military Staff) will be established in March. By the December Council (Nice) we expect them to have developed the detailed structures and procedures of the permanent bodies.


 
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