Ministerial
Communiqué

Defence
Planning
Committee

Paris
9th May
1967

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Synopsis

The Defence Planning Committee of the North Atlantic Council met in Ministerial Session in Paris on Tuesday, 9th May, 1967.

2. Ministers reviewed the progress made under the new defence planning review procedures initiated in January this year for the continuing development of NATO force plans on a five-year basis. They noted an appreciation by the Military Committee of the military situation as it will affect NATO up to and including 1975. After examining various proposals for the strengthening of the defence of the vital flank regions of Allied Command Europe, including the improvement of local forces, Ministers adopted certain plans towards this end. They gave directions for continuing work in this field, including ways of providing external reinforcements in defence emergencies.

3. Ministers gave political, strategic, and economic guidance to the NATO Military Authorities. Recalling their emphasis at previous meetings on the need to maintain a balance between strategy, forces, and resources, Ministers considered that a significant step forward had been taken. The guidance is designed to ensure that the planning of NATO's forces for the preservation of peace and for the forward defence of member countries is continuously adapted as may be necessary in the light of contemporary political, military, and technological developments. It is the intention that NATO's first five-year force plan, covering the period up to the end of 1972, should be adopted in December this year. Ministers instructed the NATO Military Authorities to consider in this multilateral context the results of the trilateral talks between the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and any other proposals that might be put forward by member Governments concerning the peacetime structure and deployment of forces. They emphasized the importance of maintaining the effective military strength of the Alliance.

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