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40. As a result of rationalisation, significant progress has been
made in establishing inter-Service and common support procedures.
In order to control this activity, a four year project is in hand
aimed at achieving compatibility by the late 1970s between the
various support ADP systems. Methods, terminology and data will
be standardised in areas where ADP systems overlap. Eventually
the project should enable routine inter-Service transactions to
be carried out automatically, thus increasing effectiveness and
economy in manpower.
41. In 1966 the United Kingdom adopted the NATO codification system for
numbering and cataloguing stores and equipment and all new items
are codified under that system. A programme for retrospective
codification of items already in use was also put in hand and this
has now been substantially completed; in the process some 15 per cent
of the items codified were found to be duplicates (that is,
identical items held under different reference numbers). These
were eliminated, with consequent savings in administrative costs.
Discussions are taking place in NATO on possible extensions of the
codification system to facilitate the international exchange of
detailed information about items of defence equipment. This
would be of value, for example, in the logistic support of common
weapons systems.
LANDS
42. The Defence Lands Committee, under the chairmanship of Lord
Nugent of Guildford, reported in July 1973. While recognising that
the amount of land available to the Services to meet their needs
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