On 26 July 1979, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the draft reply to Recommendation 335 prepared by the French delegation to the Council. The draft mentions that the replies to Recommendations 297 and 325 already outline the reasons why armaments cooperation between European countries is necessary. The Council reaffirms the importance it attaches to the continuation of the work with a view to achieving genuine cooperation on specific programmes, particularly within the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC) and the independent European Programme Group (IEPG). When the SAC’s final report on the armaments industry in Europe is received, the Council will consider how the Assembly might be informed of its content. On the matter of trade in arms in areas where peace is threatened, solutions cannot be sought in the European framework alone, given the different political factors in each country.
On 24 June 1973, the extract from minutes of the 460th meeting of the Council of Western European Union (WEU) contains an examination of the activities of the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC) and sets out the issues relating to the standardisation of armaments in Europe. The French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jacques Delarue Caron de Beaumarchais, states his government’s position on the SAC, confirming the proposal made at the last ministerial meeting (CR(73)3) to call a meeting of the national armaments directors of the WEU Member States for September. The meeting should define the part the SAC could play in strengthening European cooperation in the field of armaments and cooperation with other bodies. British Ambassador Thomas Brimelow takes note of the French proposal and undertakes to report it to his government, pointing out that any such meeting would have to be well prepared if it is to be fruitful.
In a note dated 2 February 1967, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the reply by the WEU Council to written question 100 put by Étienne de la Vallée Poussin concerning the participation of other Member States in the Anglo-French variable-geometry aircraft project. The final text of the reply reproduces the draft reply drawn up by France and the United Kingdom, in which the two countries confirm that they are prepared to consider participation by other countries.
On 29 October 1981, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the draft reply by the French delegation to the Council to Assembly Recommendation 368 on the European combat aircraft and other aeronautical developments. The text states that the development of cooperative armaments programmes is a complex process. It requires consensus at national level between industrial, economic, military and political interests. In connection with the project to build a specifically European aircraft, the countries concerned are using the existing machinery for concerted action in the sphere of armaments, mainly the independent European Programme Group (IEPG) and the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD). Intense discussions are being held between the French, German and United Kingdom Governments. Other European countries have shown interest, and a project group within the IEPG has been set up to provide a suitable forum for concerted action and exchanges of information. In addition to the future combat aircraft, joint talks have been launched in connection with helicopters and transport aircraft. An exploratory group is examining the long-term requirements of the various European countries in this area.
On 21 January 1955, at the third plenary meeting of the working party on production and standardisation of armaments, held at the Palais Chaillot, the French delegate Alexandre Parodi responds to the objections formulated on the French memorandum (see PWG/A/) proposing the creation of an armaments agency within Western European Union. The memorandum was generally poorly received by all except the Italian delegation. Alexandre Parodi sets out the context in which the document was drawn up and explains that the idea is to bring about an adequate standardisation of armaments and an organisation of production aimed at large-scale manufacture. He also explains that his government’s proposals do not call into question the duties carried out by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and outlines the reasons why the Agency would be able to go further than NATO in terms of standardisation. He particularly examines the observations made by the German and Netherlands delegations. Not only highlighting the points on which the German Government is in agreement — namely, the actual aims of the memorandum — but also responding to the concerns raised, he notes that the main difference ultimately lies in the importance given to the principle of competition. Alexandre Parodi closes by noting that the plan for an Agency also applies to the United Kingdom, although it may require special arrangements to take into account the particular position of the British armaments industry.
On 11 April 1958, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC) circulates a note from the United Kingdom delegate on interdependence in research, development and production. The United Kingdom representative emphasises, however, that this policy statement, drawn up by officials in the Ministry of Defence, does not represent formal proposals by the British Government. The note sets out the principles that should govern cooperation between Member States: they should aim to increase the European production base through research and development, conclude agreements on cooperation over specific items of equipment, consult other Member States concerned before funding any developments that compete with the cooperation project in which they are involved and, finally, pay any other Member States for facilities, design information or finished products transferred.
In a note dated 21 November 1961, the Secretary-General circulates the draft reply by the United Kingdom delegation to the Council of Western European Union (WEU) to Assembly Recommendation No 68 on the Standing Armaments Committee and the joint production of armaments. The Council supports the principle of interdependence in the production of armaments as a means of making savings in costs and manpower and increasing military efficiency. All the WEU Member States are in favour of strengthening cooperation in armaments production, both in WEU and in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Council is in agreement with the paragraphs, although it expresses some reservations since joint production is not a universal panacea. When it comes to selecting projects and distributing production between the Member States of WEU and NATO, this should be done rationally so as to avoid unnecessary duplication and to make sure that joint production is only pursued when it is the quickest and cheapest option for securing new arms for Western defence. The Council also recognises the difficulties experienced by the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC); the national representatives are currently in consultation with the Director and Secretariat to ascertain whether any additional work can be undertaken by the SAC.
In a note dated 25 June 1965, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the text of question 93 put by Georg Kliesing, a German member of the Assembly Committee on Defence Questions and Armaments, as well as a draft reply drawn up jointly by the British and French delegations. The draft summarises and supersedes the drafts in documents WPM(479) and WPM(481), and also confirms that the two states are keen to consider the participation of third countries in the construction of light strike and trainer aircraft.
On 17 January 1955, the Secretary-General of the Interim Commission of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the memorandum by the French Government on armaments production and standardisation dated 3 January 1955. The French Government sets out its view on armaments production and standardisation and presents its plan to set up an armaments agency within Western European Union (WEU). The role of this agency would be to organise the joint production of the armaments needed to equip the forces of WEU placed at the disposal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In order to function smoothly, it would require the support of governments inspired with the same purpose and determination to achieve the economic and rational organisation of arms production. The aim of these proposals is to prepare for the meeting of 17 January 1955 of the WEU working party responsible for examining these matters.
On 2 March 1955, the Secretary-General of the Interim Commission of Western European Union circulates a memorandum from the United Kingdom delegation on United Kingdom methods of procurement of defence equipment. The document outlines the essential role of the Ministry of Supply and the Admiralty in procuring virtually all the country’s defence equipment, as well as the close link between these and the Service Departments to enable the rapid framing of decisions. The text also mentions that all the United Kingdom’s defence equipment is produced by private industry and that considerable attention is paid to standardisation between the three Services and with allied countries. The memorandum raises the question of the selection of foreign equipment and concludes that this is the exception rather than the rule, since the United Kingdom’s industry is in a position to meet the requirements of the armed forces.