commitment, both nationally and within the Alliance, other measures aimed a mitigating the effects of its reductions. Discussions are continuing on these possibilities although, as the Statement emphasises, our ability to implement measures which our Allies wish us to adopt will depend very much on their willingness to give us the appropriate assistance, and decisions on any such measures will be announced, where appropriate, as they are taken. So far as anti-tank guided weapons are concerned the Government fully recognises the importance of this capability as regards both ground-based and helicopter-borne weapon systems. Current equipment planning takes this factor into account.
15. The Government fully supports Conclusion 8 to the effect that the Royal Navy should co-operate to the utmost with other NATO Navies. The importance of close co-operation with other NATO Navies, not only to improve efficiency through joint exercises and manoeuvres but also to promote the more effective deployment of Allied Naval forces as a whole in peace-time, is constantly borne in mind. Deployment plans are exchanged bilaterally with a number of Allied countries and recent examples of such co-operation outside the NATO area are the joint Anglo-Dutch deployment in the Far East in 1973, the annual joint amphibious exercises with the Netherlands in the West Indies and frequent maritime exercises with the US Navy as well as with CENTO and SEATO countries. The Royal Navy will retain the ability to deploy world-wide in defence of national interests, and opportunities to co-operate with our Allies in these ways will continue to be sought.
16. The reduction in our forces will not affect the Navy's capability to go to the aid of installations on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf, which will in fact be increased by the addition of offshore protection vessels for the RN and aircraft for the RAF which was announced by the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Commons on 11th February 1975 (Hansard Col 220). Co- operation in the peace-time protection of North Sea installations is one of the subjects now being discussed with those of our Allies concerned; and plans for their defence in war are being concerted within NATO.
17. The adoption of common designs for ships and naval weapons and equipment in order to secure the military, logistic and economic benefits of standardisation is a further aim which the Government is actively pursuing within NATO. The identification of common requirement for major warships is necessarily a long-term process. In the meantime prospects for greater standardisation of weapons and equipment are being pursued, building on co-operation which has already borne fruit. For example, the Royal Navy and the French Navy have adopted the Anglo-French Lynx helicopter and the Dutch Government has stated its intention to adopt the Lynx for the Royal Netherlands Navy; the Royal Navy has adopted the Exocet anti-ship missile from France; and Belgium, France and the Netherlands have bought Rolls Royce marine gas turbines which are currently in service with the Royal Navy.
Implications for the Equipment Programme
18. The Committee expressed the view, in Conclusion 10, that the equipment element in LTC 74 was not fully defined and may not have been wholly realistic. Although accurate projection 10 years ahead is not easy, a high proportion of
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