Soviet build-up leads to U.K. arms boost

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 9

Soviet build-up leads to U.K. arms boost

NZPA-Reuter London The British Government, under fire from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for slashing its defence budget, has announced a SNZI3.3 billion defence budget which it said reflected Britain’s continued commitment to the alliance. Cuts in proposed defence spending were announced at the end of 1976 when Britain’s economic crisis forced a reduction in public spending. However, under pressure from the secretary-general at the North Atlantic . Treaty Organisation (Dr Joseph Luns) the Government lias agreed to increase spending by 3 per cent over each of the next tv>o years. In a White Paper accompanying the budget, the Defence Ministry said that Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces in Centra) Europe were formidable and growling. I It said the Warsaw Pact outnumbered N.A.T.O. by almost two-to-one i n tanks, artillery, and aircraft and

1 was also slightly higher in total manpower. , But the White Paper also 1 for the first time included 1 French forces in West Ger- ■ for its statistics, even l though France is not a ■ member of the N.A.T.O. mill itary command. Defending their inclusion, the Defence Secretary (Mr i Fred Mulley) told a press ; conference that because the ■ Warsaw Pact would take . French forces into account “putting them in gives a more balanced view.” The Government White . Paper said assessments of the -Warsaw Pact did not take into account its strategy and tactics, train- ; ing, or morale. The N.A.T.O. secretarygeneral on Monday warned ■ the West of increasingly ■ bold geo-political adventurism by the Soviet Union be- ; yond the periphery of the Atlantic treaty area, most ■ notably in Africa. He called or the West to : maintain the political will to ’ remain united and resolute against new Soviet adventurl ism on a global scale.

1 Dr Luns said the most ominous problem con- » fronting the 15-nation Westlem defence alliance arose ■ from the magnitude and 1 nature of the Soviet military 1 threat. “In relative as well as absolute terms the steady, , rapid build-up in Warsaw ■ Pact strength exceeds Western defence efforts. ■ “We are witnessing not i only significant quantitative ; growth in Warsaw Pact . forces of all kinds, but also such dramatic advances as : to jeopardise Western tech- ’ nologica! adventure,” accord- . ing to a summary of his ; speech prepared for delivery ■ to a N.A.T.O. meeting, in London. Dr Luns, a former Dutch ' Foreign Minister, said he ■ could only guess at the motives behind the Warsaw ■ Pact build-up which bore no : relation to reasonable . defence needs. N.A.T.O. must make its 1 plans on the basis of obvious Soviet capabilities : rather than intentions which ■ were obscure to the Atlantic alliance, he added.