(DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE)
February, 1975.]
Mr. A. P. HOCKADAY, C.B., C.M.G., Mr. T. CULLEN, Mr. D. M. EVANS, Mr. G. C. B. Dodds, and Rear Admiral A. S. MORTON.
State's statement (which I have not quite located) which did refer to some improvement of the nuclear strategic force. I am sorry I have not actually got this?If I may refresh Mr. Roper's memory, I think it is at the top of column 1353 where the Secretary of State said "We shall also maintain the effectiveness of our Polaris force.'
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80. "Maintain the effectiveness" has been interpreted by some people as a need to modernise and improve the exist- ing nuclear force. The point I would like to raise is whether a new generation means Poseidon or something beyond Poseidon?—Yes, Sir.
Chairman.
81. We are getting on to a very much bigger subject than we have discussed. I think we will have to take rather a short answer on this? -The statement that we shall maintain the effectiveness of our Polaris force means that we shall take whatever steps and measures are necessary to maintain its effectiveness. As to specific named new missiles, the Secretary of State is on record some- where (it may have been in the Decem- ber debate) as having said that this would not involve moving to a new generation of missiles such as Poseidon1.
Mr. Roper.
82. What is a generation in this con- text? I am not quite clear?———A new generation such as Poseidon.
Mr. Finsberg.
83. I want to go back to our discus- sion on Mauritius. The proposal is that we cannot justify any longer the com- munications station there. What sort of communications then will we be able to rely on that are directly under our control?(Rear Admiral Morton.) We shall have access to communications facilities on a shared basis with the United States at their communications station in Diego Garcia. We shall, of course, have long-range communications by the satellite system so long as it remains in service, and we shall have, of
1 Note by witness: The Secretary of State is not on record in precisely these terms, but the interpretation given in answer to Q. 82 is confirmed.
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course, access to other well-disposed nations' wireless stations around the area such as the Australian and possibly the French.
84. In short terms, the only exclusive communications facility under our con- trol will be the satellite and I think you said as long as it lasted. What is meant by that qualification?—I do not yet know what the plans for the next genera- tion of satellites are going to be after the present one which we have in the air which is Skynet which will last three to five years.
85. What has been the importance of the communications station in Mauritius? Now that there are certain dispositions being made to withdraw in the Far East in general, what would be its role if we had to retain it under our own control?
-I think it would be fairer for me to try and answer the question the other way round. Until this defence review, which basically concentrated on military effort in support of the Alliance in the Atlantic and European area, we main- tained a comprehensive worldwide com- munications network with all these bases overseas which were a heritage of military activity in those areas.
It is with the reduction of that military activity and concentration
the European area that the need for a worldwide communications network is so much reduced. In our proposals we only intend to deploy forces from time to time in peacetime into the Indian Ocean and for that it is unlikely that one would require 24-hour-a-day com- munications. It does not mean to say you would not have communications for 15 hours a day on a direct basis. If we were to be deployed into that area in
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Chairman.] No more questions on that section. If we have the third day we can come back to some points like this. I apologise for pushing you on but it is my job. We come next to section 4 which is the Navy, from 15 to 20.
Mr. Roper.
86. There is not very much in about the cruiser programme, although there was a subsequent answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Navy where he talked about the first
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