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- The Defence Planning Committee of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization met in Ministerial Session in Brussels
on 11th and 12th December, 1979.
- Ministers reviewed the overall state of the Alliance's
security in the light of the developments during the year.
They recalled that arms control as part of detente was
essentially complementary to the safeguarding of security
by military means and that these objectives must be pursued
in parallel. They reaffirmed their support for the SALT II
Treaty as a major contribution to detente and to security
and looked forward to its early ratification. They took
note of the present state of negotiations on Mutual and
Balanced Force Reductions and stressed the importance their
governments attached to early progress in Vienna.
- Ministers reviewed developments in the military
capabilities of the Warsaw Pact. They reiterated their
concern at the continued build-up of these capabilities,
which were already at levels well in excess of defensive
requirements. They expressed their disquiet at the
destabilizing effects of the already substantial and still
increasing deployment by the Soviet Union of longer range
theatre nuclear forces. They noted that the NATO response
to this development, including the related arms control
approach, would be considered by a meeting of NATO Foreign
and Defence Ministers immediately following that of
the Defence Planning Committee.
- Ministers noted that the forces now being deployed by
the Warsaw Pact reflect substantial efforts sustained over
a long period. They have been supported by the Soviet
Union, its allocation to defence of 11 to 13% of its gross
national product and its highly developed and
technologically sophisticated armaments industry. Ministers
concluded that the numerical strength and offensive
capabilities of the Warsaw Pact forces, coupled with the
Soviet Union's efforts to expand its global interest and
influence, constituted a major and growing challenge to the
security of the Alliance.
- Against this background, Ministers reviewed the outcome
of the 1979 NATO Defence Review. On the positive side, they
noted that NATO forces in all three services would benefit
in the medium term from extensive major equipment and
modernization programmes under way, together with certain
other improvements in force capabilities, in response to
the current NATO force goals.
- Ministers reviewed progress in the implementation of
the Long-Term Defence Programme. They noted that, overall,
progress was generally satisfactory; that the majority of
the medium-term measures were already incorporated in
national plans; and that planning was in most cases
proceeding well for the longer term programmes. They
recognized that much remained to be done before the
benefits of the Long-Term Defence Programme could be fully
realised to enable it to fulfil the objectives established
by Heads of State and Government at the Washington Summit
in 1978. In this context, Ministers reviewed a report on
the air defence programme for Allied Command Europe for the
next fifteen years. They approved the report as the
architectural foundation on which future air defence can
be built, and endorsed the first stage of this programme.
They recognized the value of this co-ordinated approach to
long-term planning and the opportunities it offers for
greater co-operation.
- Ministers acknowledged that, notwithstanding the wide
range of improvements under way or planned, major
weaknesses exacerbated by recent enhancements in Warsaw
Pact offensive capabilities, persisted in Allied forces.
They agreed that a substantial effort would be needed by
the Alliance to achieve and sustain the balance of forces
necessary for the maintenance of, NATO's deterrent and
defensive posture. To this end, they reaffirmed the
importance of all member countries achieving as soon as
possible the aim of an annual real growth in defence
expenditures in the region of 3%, as the essential
underpinning for the Alliance's efforts to improve its
defence capabilities. They noted that the formulation,
which would be undertaken in the Spring of 1980, of a new
set of comprehensive, medium-term, NATO force goals would
provide an opportunity for the further identification of
areas requiring priority action.
- Ministers reviewed a report on military assistance to
Portugal and Turkey. They acknowledged the commendable
contributions to common defence made by these two countries
from their own limited resources. They noted that the major
share of assistance has been provided by the United States
and Germany and that most other countries are also making
a contribution. They agreed, however, that there was an
urgent need for this effort to be intensified and to be on
a much wider basis to enable Portugal and Turkey to fulfil
more effectively their important roles in Alliance defence.
- Ministers noted the progress being made under the aegis
of the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD)
in the pursuit of co-operative programmes for the
development and acquisition of equipment, particularly in
relation to the implementation of the Long-Term Defence
Programme, and the various measures being taken to enhance
such co-operation and make more rational use of resources.
They stressed again that the CNAD should bear in mind the
interests of the less industrialized members of the
Alliance. They welcomed the decision to implement a NATO
Armaments Planning Review which would facilitate the
identification of opportunities for standardization and
interoperability and direct attention to areas where this
was inhibited by divergences between national plans. They
noted with satisfaction the initiation of trials involving
the proposed Periodic Armaments Planning System. They urged
nations to give full support to all these ventures and
where appropriate to harmonize their national procedures
with them.
- Ministers noted the emphasis being placed within the
context of the Transatlantic Dialogue on families of
weapons and on dual protection. They urged that increased
efforts be made to improve interoperability in the
important areas of communications, aircraft cross-servicing
and ammunition, and to make more widespread and effective
use of standardization agreements.
- Ministers received a statement by Mr. Ahmet Ihsan
Birincioglu, National Defence Minister of Turkey and
Chairman of the Eurogroup. They reiterated their support
for the Eurogroup's work towards ensuring that the European
contribution to the Alliance is as strong and as cohesive
as possible. They welcomed the force improvements planned
to be introduced by Eurogroup countries during 1980 as part
of their NATO contribution and also their efforts in
fostering co-operation in the Central Region and on the
flanks, which had already given positive results.
- In conclusion, Ministers reaffirmed their
determination to improve the deterrent and defensive
capabilities of the Alliance, as an essential contribution
to military stability and to the security of the West. To
this end, they accepted on behalf of their governments the
firm commitment of national forces for 1980 and adopted the
NATO force plan for 1980-1984. Ministers reaffirmed their
determination to implement the Long-Term Defence Programme
and gave specific directives for maintaining its momentum.
They emphasized the need for NATO to demonstrate its
political solidarity and robustness in the face of repeated
attempts by the Soviet Union to undermine the resolve of
the Alliance and to prevent NATO from taking justified and
adequate defensive measures. They confirmed their full
support for new initiatives for arms control designed to
promote detente and provide the means whereby security
could be ensured at lower levels of armaments.
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