The Nuclear Planning Group (NPG), which is the principal NATO forum for the development of Alliance Nuclear Defence Policy, held its twenty-ninth Ministerial meeting in Bonn on 7th and 8th April 1981. After receiving a briefing on the status of nuclear forces by the United States Secretary of Defense, ministers emphasized their concern about the unrelenting Soviet build-up and improvements in the whole range of their nuclear forces and discussed the consequences of these developments for the East-West balance. Ministers noting the ongoing and newly expanded United States efforts to strengthen their strategic forces, expressed their support for all steps necessary to ensure an adequate balance of these forces. This continued growth in Soviet forces, and in particular their preponderance of theatre nuclear forces, is potentially destabilising. Ministers reiterated their regret that the Soviet superiority in the long-range theatre nuclear forces continues to grow by increases in the already large numbers of SS-20 multiple warhead missiles and Backfire bombers. Due to their extended range, up to 5,000 km, Soviet SS-20 missiles deployed in same areas of the non-European part of the Soviet Union nevertheless threaten NATO Europe. While still maintaining some 380 SS-4 and SS-5 missiles, the Soviet Union presently deploys about 220 launchers for SS-20 MIRVED missiles. With their SS-20 missiles alone, the Soviets have already deployed some 660 warheads - more warheads than are planned for NATO's long-range nuclear force modernization programme (the first systems of which will not begin to be deployed until late 1983). They are continuing these deployments at a rapid pace. In addition, ministers also noted this situation had been exacerbated by the development of several new shorter-range missile systems with nuclear warheads and further by the fact that Soviet tactical nuclear-capable air forces were being substantially modernized with the production in 1980 alone of over 1,000 aircraft of the new SU-17, SU-24, MIG-23, and MIG-25 varieties. Ministers agreed that the need to restore and maintain an overall military balance between NATO and the Warsaw Pact is fundamental to the security of the Alliance and the maintenance of peace. The primary aims of TNF policy are deterrence and stability based on the NATO triad of forces, the coupling between them and on the important political principle of the strategic unity of the Alliance. Ministers reiterated the necessity for NATO to maintain strong, diverse and flexible theatre nuclear forces as part of this triad and thereby to ensure deterrence. Ministers emphasized that NATO will move ahead with its planned schedule of long-range theatre nuclear force modernization while at the same time making efforts to reach balanced, equitable, and verifiable arms control agreements limiting such forces as was decided on 12th December 1979. They expressed the hope that the balance could be achieved at lower levels of armaments. Ministers stressed the importance of meaningful strategic arms limitations and, in the same vein, reiterated the value of continued close consultation within NATO including NATO's Special Consultative Group, which had recently met in Brussels. This meeting was part of the process of implementation of the 12th December decision, as a step towards further United States-Soviet exchanges on LRTNF. Ministers emphasized that the recent Soviet proposal for a moratorium would not address the fundamental problems caused by the momentous build-up of Soviet arms, especially in long-range theatre nuclear forces, this is even more true today than in 1979. While recognizing an expressed Soviet interest in arms control, ministers noted that this proposal could only perpetuate an imbalance unacceptable to the Alliance contrary to the principle of equality established in the December decision as essential to LRTNF arms control. Ministers discussed the ongoing work of the High Level Group, which is responsible to the Nuclear Planning Group fur nuclear aspects of the long term defence programme. They reiterated the importance of the High Level Group's contribution to the task of examining the precise nature, scope and basis of the adjustments which would be required by the LRTNF deployments, as well as the possible implications for the balance of roles and systems in NATO's nuclear armoury as a whole. Ministers received with appreciation an invitation by the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. John Nott, to hold the 30th meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group in the United Kingdom in Autumn 1981.